Dances With Wolves actor jailed for life for sexual assaults against indigenous women and girls

Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse has been jailed for life for sexually assaulting indigenous women and girls for nearly 20 years.

A jury in Nevada previously found him guilty of 13 out of the 21 charges after hearing he exploited his position as a spiritual leader.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse

The 49-year-old has continued to deny the charges, which mostly relate to sexual assaults between 2003 and 2020.

"This is a miscarriage of justice," he told the judge on Monday, who said she was struck by his continued denials despite the evidence.

"You preyed on these women's trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification," Judge Jessica Peterson said before she announced his sentence.

Wearing a navy blue prison uniform, Chasing Horse stared straight ahead as victims read their statements.

"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," one woman told the court.

The victim, who was 14 when Chasing Horse assaulted her, added: "The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever."

When the hearing adjourned, more than a dozen people in the courtroom clapped.

Chasing Horse exploited fame

Following his appearance as the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's 1990 Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves, Chasing Horse travelled across Indian Country to attend powwows and perform healing ceremonies.

He was arrested in 2023 near the North Las Vegas home he is said to share with his five wives.

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During his trial, Nevada prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on his victims.

The former actor was first arrested and charged in 2023, with police in other US states and at least two Canadian provinces also pursuing criminal charges.

He spun 'web of abuse'

During the trial, deputy district attorney Bianca Pucci said that for almost 20 years, Chasing Horse "spun a web of abuse" that ensnared many women.

Multiple victims described how they participated in his ceremonies or went to him for medical help.

He allegedly told one girl, when she was a teenager, that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer.

He then sexually assaulted her and told her that if she told anyone, her mother would die, according to Pucci. The sexual assaults continued for years, Pucci said.

Chasing Horse will be eligible for parole after serving for 37 years.

(c) Sky News 2026: Dances With Wolves actor jailed for life for sexual assaults against indigenous women and girl