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By JESSICA HILL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada jury reached a verdict on Friday, convicting Nathan Chasing Horse, an actor known for his role in “Dances With Wolves,” of sexually assaulting a minor.
In a Las Vegas courtroom, the jury found Chasing Horse guilty of several counts of sexual assault, although he was cleared of other charges. Throughout the trial, he had maintained his innocence against all 21 charges brought against him, with his defense team arguing that the accusations were unfounded. However, prosecutors contended that Chasing Horse exploited his status as a Lakota medicine man to target Indigenous women and girls. A significant portion of the convictions was related to his actions involving a victim who was just 14 years old when the assaults began.
The verdict represents the culmination of a lengthy pursuit of justice, following Chasing Horse’s arrest and indictment in 2023—a case that sent reverberations throughout Indian Country.
As the verdict was announced, Chasing Horse remained silent. Meanwhile, victims and their supporters, adorned with yellow ribbons, embraced and shed tears of relief in the courtroom hallway.
As the verdict was read, Chasing Horse stood quietly. Victims and their supporters cried and hugged in the hallway while wearing yellow ribbons.
“Dances With Wolves” was one of the most prominent films featuring Native American actors when it premiered in 1990. After Chasing Horse appeared in the Oscar-winning film, he traveled across North America and performed healing ceremonies.
His trial came as authorities have responded more in recent years to an epidemic of violence against Native women.
During the three-week trial, jurors heard from three women who say Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them, some of whom were underage at the time.
Clark County Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci said in her closing statements Wednesday that for almost 20 years, Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that caught many women.
Defense attorney Craig Mueller said in his closing statements there was no evidence, including eyewitnesses. He questioned the main accuser’s credibility, describing her as a “scorned woman.”
Prosecutors said sexual assault cases rarely have eyewitnesses and often happen behind closed doors.
The main accuser was 14 years old in 2012 when Chasing Horse allegedly told her 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, Pucci said during opening statements.
