Nathan Chasing Horse Sentenced To Life For Sexual Assaults
Nevada judge gave Nathan Chasing Horse life with parole possible after 37 years following a jury conviction on 13 charges for assaulting Indigenous women and girls.
PBS NewsHourActor Nathan Chasing Horse sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault
Los Angeles Times‘Dances With Wolves’ actor Nathan Chasing Horse gets life sentence for sexual assault
BBC NewsDances With Wolves star Nathan Chasing Horse jailed for at least 37 years for sexual assault
Daily Caller'Dances With Wolves' Actor Sentenced To Life In Prison
Overview
A Nevada judge sentenced Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him on 13 charges of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.
Prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on women and girls, and jurors heard that one victim was 14 when the abuse began.
Judge Jessica Peterson admonished Chasing Horse for denying the charges and told victims they "can take back your power," and more than a dozen people in the courtroom clapped after she announced the sentence.
A grand jury indicted him in February 2023, jurors convicted him on 13 of 21 charges, he will be eligible for parole after serving 37 years, and Canadian charges and an Alberta warrant remain pending.
Chasing Horse continues to deny the allegations, his attorney's motion for a new trial was denied, and British Columbia prosecutors said they will assess next steps after his appeals are exhausted.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an abuse-of-trust narrative by foregrounding victims' emotional testimony and legal condemnation while noting Chasing Horse's spiritual authority. Editorial choices emphasize harm (victim's quote about lost childhood), judge's rebuke and prosecutor's 'spun a web of abuse' metaphor, with limited counterbalance beyond noting his denial.