Former Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls in a case that has sent shockwaves through Native communities across North America.
A Nebraska judge handed down the sentence after a jury found Chasing Horse guilty on 13 charges, most relating to the sexual assault of three women. He will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years.
The sentencing marked a dramatic fall for the former actor, who rose to fame in 1990 for his role as Smiles a Lot, a young Sioux man in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves. Following his acting success, Chasing Horse became widely known in Indigenous communities for attending powwows and performing healing ceremonies as a Lakota medicine man.
But prosecutors said he used that spiritual standing to manipulate and abuse vulnerable women and girls over many years.
During the sentencing hearing, victims and their families described the profound emotional, physical and spiritual harm they continue to carry, accusing Chasing Horse of exploiting their trust and faith for his own gratification.
Judge Jessica Peterson condemned his actions before delivering the life sentence.
“You preyed on these women’s trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification,” she said.
One of Chasing Horse’s accusers, Corena Leone-LaCroix, said she was just 14 when he first assaulted her after claiming “the spirits” wanted her to lose her virginity in order to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Prosecutors said he then threatened that her mother would die if she told anyone.
“There is no way to get back the youth, the childhood loss, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never got to have,” Leone-LaCroix told the court. “The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever.”
Another victim, Siera Begaye, said she continues to suffer serious health complications after an ectopic pregnancy caused by the abuse.
“I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start,” Begaye said. “I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve.”
Chasing Horse denied the allegations throughout the trial and remained largely silent as the sentence was handed down. A motion seeking a new trial was denied.
His arrest in Las Vegas in 2023 sparked wider investigations in multiple US states and Canada, resulting in additional criminal charges that are still pending, along with an outstanding warrant in Alberta.
For many of his victims, however, the life sentence represents a measure of justice after years of silence – and the beginning of a long road toward healing.
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