Actor jailed for life for horror sexual assault after abusing ‘leader’ position | US | News

A judge sentenced “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison for sexually assaulting indigenous women and girls.

A Nevada jury had previously found him guilty of 13 charges, mostly of sexually assaulting three women.

Victims and their families spoke to Judge Jessica Peterson, detailing how they continue to endure the trauma caused by Chasing Horse, 49, and how their faith was destroyed following his abuse of office as a spiritual leader.

“There is no way to take back my youth, my childhood loss, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never had,” said Corena Leone-LaCroix, who was 14 when Chasing Horse attacked her. “The life the little girl could have had was taken away from me forever.”

The names of alleged sexual assault victims are often not released unless publicly disclosed, as Leone-LaCroix did.

Wearing his dark blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, Chasing Horse looked directly ahead as the victims gave their statements. He will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years, during which time he maintained his innocence.

“This is a miscarriage of justice,” he told the judge on Monday.

Peterson observed that he was impressed that he continued to deny the charges despite the evidence presented at trial. “You plundered the trust and spirituality of these women and manipulated them for your own personal pleasure,” he said before announcing his sentence. The sentence caps a protracted, multi-year effort to bring the former actor to justice following his initial arrest and indictment in 2023.

This initial arrest sent shockwaves throughout Indian Country and led law enforcement in other U.S. states and Canada to pursue other criminal charges, which are still pending.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed that Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in February 2023 in connection with a crime said to have occurred in September 2018 near Keremeos, a village about four hours east of Vancouver.

Proceedings were temporarily suspended in November 2023 due to Chasing Horse’s charges in the United States and resumed the following year.

Once all of Chasing Horse’s appeals are exhausted, British Columbia prosecutors will consider the next course of action.

Meanwhile, an outstanding arrest warrant against Chasing Horse remains in force in Alberta, according to a statement issued by the Tsuut’ina National Police Service after Chasing Horse was convicted in January.

Police confirmed they are in contact with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service regarding the arrest warrant. Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, the ancestral homeland of the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

Following his breakthrough role as young Sioux tribesman Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning blockbuster “Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse traveled extensively throughout Indian Country, attending meetings and performing healing ceremonies.

During his trial, Nevada prosecutors alleged that Chasing Horse used his position as a Lakota healer to prey on Native women and girls.

Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that Chasing Horse “weaved a web of abuse” that ensnared many women for nearly 20 years.

Three women took the witness stand, testifying that Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them. The jury found him guilty of some charges and acquitted him of others.

He described how they participated in numerous sacrifices or called Chasing Horse for medical assistance.

Chasing Horse allegedly told Leone-LaCroix that when she was 14, spirits asked her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. According to Pucci, he then sexually assaulted her and warned her that her mother would die if she told anyone.

Pucci stated that the sexual assaults continued for many years. While Chasing Horse denied the allegations, its lawyer questioned the credibility of the lead accuser, calling her a “scorned woman”. His legal team had requested a retrial, arguing that a witness was not qualified to testify about grooming and that the statute of limitations had expired. That motion was rejected.

Victims and their families took the witness stand and described how they continue to struggle with their faith in the wake of Chasing Horse’s actions. The mothers of those affected said Chasing Horse betrayed their trust and abused sacred traditions.

“Even today I struggle to regain my faith and spirituality,” said the mother of one of the other victims.

The victim explained that she continues to have ongoing health problems following an ectopic pregnancy resulting from the attack, which required surgical intervention.

“I choose to see this moment as a new beginning,” he said. “I will rebuild my life, regain my voice, and continue to fight for the future I deserve.”