A Dances with Wolves Actor Receives Life Sentence for Sexual Abuse of Native American Women
Last month, Nathan Chasing Horse, an American actor best known for his role in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves,” was found guilty of sexually abusing numerous Native American women and girls. He was given a life sentence with the chance of parole by a Nevada judge.
The 49-year-old was found guilty on 13 of the 21 accusations against him following an 11-day trial in January. He was arrested by a SWAT team in 2023 and charged at the Clark County jail with child abuse or neglect, sex assault, sex assault against a minor, and adult sex trafficking.
Chasing Horse was acknowledged by Native American tribes worldwide as a medicine man in the US and Canada because victims and their families said he exploited guests by abusing his status as a spiritual leader.
According to Corena Leone-LaCroix, a victim who was 14 at the time of the abuse, “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,” the Associated Press reported. I will never be able to live the kind of life that child could have. Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared many women for almost twenty years.
She said he told Leone-LaCroix that spirits wanted her to give up her virginity in order to heal her mother, who had cancer.
Testimonies from victims and their families claim that Chasing Horse’s actions have made them struggle with their faith. The mothers of the victims said that he betrayed their trust and broke religious traditions.
Before the jury, three women stated that Chasing Horse had sexually assaulted them prior to the penalty being administered. He will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years.
