LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge sentenced “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison Monday for sexually abusing tribal women and girls.
A jury had previously convicted him on 13 charges, mostly related to the sexual assault of three women.
The accusers and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson they are suffering from trauma caused by Chasing Horse, 49, and his struggle with their faith after exploiting his position as a spiritual leader.
“There’s no way I’m going to get back the youth, the childhood lost, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never got,” said Corena Leon-Lacroix, 14, when Chasing Horse attacked her. “The life a little girl could live has been taken away from me forever.”
The Associated Press typically does not use the names of alleged sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly, as Leon-Lacroix did.
Chase Horse, dressed in his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, looked straight ahead as the victims read their statements and remained calm as he was led out of the courtroom. He will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years, and continues to deny the charges against him.
“This is a miscarriage of justice,” he told the judge Monday.
Peterson said she was shocked by the continued denial of the allegations despite the evidence presented at trial.
“You preyed on these women’s faith and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal satisfaction,” she said before announcing her sentence. When the hearing was adjourned, more than a dozen people clapped in the court.
Other charges are still pending in Canada
The sentence caps years of efforts to prosecute the former actor after he was first arrested and charged in 2023. That initial arrest reverberated around Indian Country, with law enforcement in other states and Canada pursuing additional criminal charges. Those charges are still pending.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service said Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in February 2023, although the date of the alleged offense was September 2018 near Keremeos, a village four hours east of Vancouver. In November 2023, the case was halted in the United States due to accusations of chasing horses, but resumed the following year.
After all of Chasing Horse’s appeals are exhausted, British Columbia prosecutors will evaluate next steps, Damien Darby, communications adviser for the British Columbia Prosecution Service, said in an email.
A warrant against Chasing Horse remains in Alberta, Alberta’s Tsutina Nation Police Service said in a statement after Chasing Horse was convicted in January. The Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service said it is in contact with the Alberta Crown Prosecutor’s Office regarding the warrant.
The January trial focused on his role as spiritual leader
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sikangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota Nation. After appearing as Smiles All, a young Sioux tribe member in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film “Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse traveled across India to participate in powwows and perform healing ceremonies.
During his trial, Nevada prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on indigenous women and girls.
Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that for nearly 20 years, Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared many women.
Jurors heard from three women who said Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them. The jury returned guilty verdicts on some charges. He was acquitted in other cases.
Need medical help
Many victims described how they attended his ceremonies or went to Chasing Horse for medical help.
Chasing Horse allegedly told Leon-Lacroix when she was 14 that spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and told her her mother would die if she told anyone, according to Pucci. The sexual abuse continued for years, Pucci said.
Pursuing Horse denied the allegations and her lawyer questioned the credibility of the main accuser, calling her a “disgraceful woman”. His attorney filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that a witness was not qualified to talk about grooming and that the statute of limitations had expired. That offer was rejected.
Victims and their family members testified that they struggled with their faith as a result of the horse chase. The victim’s mother said that Chasing Horse betrayed her faith and misused the sacred tradition.
“To this day I still struggle to regain my faith and spirituality,” said Lynette Adams, Sierra Begaye’s mother.
The AP typically does not use the names of alleged sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly or approve the use of their names, as Begaye did.
Begaye said she also faced complications after suffering an ectopic pregnancy as a result of the attack and was forced to undergo surgery.
“I choose to see this moment as a new beginning,” Begaye said. “I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue to fight for the future I deserve.”
