Highlights
- Nathan Chasing Horse was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls
- Prosecutors said he used his role as a Lakota spiritual leader to manipulate victims
- Survivors and their families told the court they are still struggling with faith and trauma
- Separate criminal cases involving Chasing Horse remain active in Canada
How prosecutors said spiritual authority was weaponised
Nathan Chasing Horse, best known for playing Smiles a Lot in Dances With Wolves, was sentenced by a Nevada judge on Monday after a jury convicted him on 13 charges, most linked to sexual assault. He was accused by three women, including one who said the abuse began when she was 14. He was acquitted on some charges.
Prosecutors argued that Chasing Horse used influence built through both his acting career and his standing as a Lakota medicine man to target Indigenous women and girls over nearly two decades.
After appearing in Dances With Wolves, the Oscar-winning film directed by Kevin Costner, Chasing Horse travelled across Indigenous communities, attending powwows and conducting healing ceremonies.
Nevada deputy district attorney Bianca Pucci told jurors he had created a “web of abuse” that trapped multiple women. Several victims said they had attended his ceremonies or sought medical help from him before the abuse began.
One of the central accusations came from Corena Leone-LaCroix, who said she was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse allegedly told her the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer.
Prosecutors said he sexually assaulted her and warned that her mother would die if she spoke about it. They said the abuse continued for years. Chasing Horse denied the allegations and told the judge during sentencing: “This is a miscarriage of justice.”
Survivors say the abuse damaged their relationship with faith
At the sentencing hearing, survivors and their families said the impact of the abuse extended beyond physical and emotional trauma, leaving them questioning their faith and spiritual beliefs. Mothers of victims told the court that Chasing Horse had betrayed their trust and exploited sacred traditions for abuse.
“Even to this day I struggle to regain my faith and spirituality,” one victim’s mother said in court.
Another survivor said she continues to face medical complications after suffering an ectopic pregnancy linked to the assault and being forced to undergo surgery.
Despite the trauma, one victim described the sentencing as a moment of renewal.
“I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start. I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve,” she said.
Dr Crystal Lee, founder of United Natives, said the case reflects a wider issue of powerful faith leaders abusing trust.
She said Chasing Horse used his status as both an actor and medicine man in a way similar to other religious figures accused of exploiting vulnerable people.
“It makes us question who we trust and why we trust,” Lee said.
Legal cases in Canada are still pending
The sentencing concludes a years-long prosecution that began with Chasing Horse’s arrest in 2023, but further legal proceedings are still underway in Canada.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service said he was charged with sexual assault in February 2023 over an alleged offence that reportedly took place in 2018 near Keremeos, a village east of Vancouver.
That case was paused in November 2023 due to the proceedings in the United States before resuming the following year.
Officials said prosecutors in British Columbia will decide next steps after all appeals in the US are exhausted.
Police in Alberta have also confirmed that an outstanding warrant remains active, and they are in contact with Crown prosecutors regarding the case.
