Federal Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Beating, Sexually Abusing Woman

Witnesses began testifying Monday in the federal trial of a man accused of beating and sexually assaulting a 72-year-old woman in her home.

Police arrested Elga Harper after a week long manhunt in May of 2022.

Prosecutors started the trial by letting the jury listen to the woman’s 911 call and body camera video from the first officer on scene. In both, the victim identifies Harper as her attacker.

Harper had worked as a handyman for the victim in the past, but last May, he showed up at her house and she told him she didn’t have any work for him, court documents said.

Prosecutors said Harper asked to use her bathroom, then she saw Harper naked in her bedroom.

That’s when Harper tied her up with electrical cords, beat her and sexually assaulted her for hours, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors showed the jury pictures of the the gash to her head and the bruises all over her body.

They also showed the jury crime scene photos of blood and electrical cords in the woman’s bedroom.

Harper’s attorneys told the jury that Harper was at the victim's house that day to charge his phone on the back porch when he heard her screaming and tried to help her.

They said Harper saw all of the blood but was scared so he left. They told the jury she mistakenly identified Harper as her attacker because of her head injury.

The judge expects the trial to be done by Friday.