Nathan Chasing Horse, the actor who played Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves, has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls. A Nebraska judge handed down the sentence following his conviction on 13 charges.
Judge Jessica Peterson sentenced Chasing Horse after hearing statements from accusers and their families, who described lasting trauma and said he had exploited his standing as a spiritual leader. Chasing Horse will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years. He remained quiet during the hearing and has continued to deny the charges.
"You preyed on these women's trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification," Peterson said before announcing the sentence.
One of the victims, Corena Leone-LaCroix, was 14 years old when Chasing Horse assaulted her. She testified publicly. "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 said. "The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever."
According to Variety, prosecutors alleged that Chasing Horse told Leone-LaCroix that spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. He then assaulted her and threatened that her mother would die if she told anyone, said Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci. The assaults continued for years.
Another victim, Siera Begaye, said she still faces medical complications after suffering an ectopic pregnancy resulting from the assault and undergoing surgery. "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 was first arrested in Las Vegas in 2023 and indicted shortly after. Law enforcement in other states and Canada filed additional criminal charges. Those charges remain pending, and an outstanding warrant for his arrest exists in Alberta.
After appearing in Dances With Wolves, Chasing Horse traveled across Indian Country attending powwows and performing healing ceremonies. Multiple victims described seeking him out because of his reputation as a Lakota medicine man, a position prosecutors say he used to gain access to vulnerable people. His motion for a new trial was denied.
