A Nevada jury on Friday convicted actor Nathan Chasing Horse of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, finding him guilty on 13 of the 21 charges he faced.
Chasing Horse, 49, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 11. He was acquitted on some sexual assault counts tied to periods when the main victim was older and living with him and his companions.
Other prosecutions remain pending
Chasing Horse has also been charged with sex crimes in other states and in Canada. British Columbia prosecutors said Friday they will assess next steps in their case after he is sentenced in the U.S. and any appeals are completed.
Testimony and arguments at trial
The verdict followed an 11-day trial that included testimony from three women who said Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them, including some who were underage at the time. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on some charges connected to all three accusers.
Prosecutors argued that Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to target Indigenous women and girls. In closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told jurors that for nearly 20 years, Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that trapped multiple women.
Defense attorney Craig Mueller said he plans to seek a new trial and said he had “meaningful doubts about the sincerity of the accusations.” He also argued there was no evidence from eyewitnesses, while prosecutors countered that sexual assault cases often occur behind closed doors.
Key allegations involving the main accuser
Prosecutors said the main accuser was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse allegedly told her that “the spirits” wanted her to give up her virginity to help her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Pucci said Chasing Horse then sexually assaulted the girl and threatened that her mother would die if she told anyone, and that the assaults continued for years.
Reactions in court and background
As the verdict was read, Chasing Horse stood quietly, while victims and supporters cried and hugged outside the courtroom wearing yellow ribbons. The main victim declined to comment.
Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles thanked the women who testified, saying, “I just hope that the people who came forward over the years and made complaints against Nathan Chasing Horse can find some peace in this.”
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Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. He is widely known for playing Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves,” which premiered in 1990.
