A judge has sentenced "Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison for the sexual assault of Indigenous women and girls.

A Nevada jury had previously convicted him on 13 charges, mainly relating to the sexual assault of three women.

Victims and their families spoke to Judge Jessica Peterson, detailing how they continue to endure the trauma inflicted by Chasing Horse, 49, and how their faith has been destroyed after he abused his position as a spiritual leader.

"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," said Corena Leone-LaCroix, who was 14 when Chasing Horse assaulted her. "The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever."

Alleged sexual assault victims names are not usually disclosed unless they come forward publicly, as Leone-LaCroix has.

Dressed in his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, Chasing Horse looked straight ahead as victims delivered their statements. He will become eligible for parole after serving 37 years, and has maintained his innocence throughout.

"This is a miscarriage of justice," he told the judge on Monday.

Peterson observed she was struck by his continued denial of the charges despite the evidence presented at trial. "You preyed on these women's trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification," she said before she announced his sentence. The sentencing draws a line under a protracted, multi-year effort to bring the former actor to justice, following his initial arrest and indictment in 2023.

That first arrest sent shockwaves throughout Indian Country, prompting law enforcement agencies across other US states and Canada to pursue further criminal charges, which remain ongoing.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed that Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in February 2023, relating to an alleged offence said to have taken place in September 2018 near Keremeos, a village roughly four hours east of Vancouver.

Proceedings were temporarily suspended in November 2023 owing to Chasing Horse's charges in the United States, before resuming the following year.

Once all of Chasing Horse's appeals have been exhausted, British Columbia prosecutors will assess their next course of action.

Meanwhile, an outstanding warrant against Chasing Horse remains in place in Alberta, according to a statement issued by the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service following Chasing Horse's conviction in January.

The force confirmed it is in continued contact with the Alberta Crown Prosecutors Office regarding the warrant. Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, the ancestral homeland of the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

Following his breakthrough role as the young Sioux tribesman Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning blockbuster "Dances With Wolves," Chasing Horse travelled extensively throughout Indian Country, attending powwows and performing healing ceremonies.

During his trial, Nevada prosecutors alleged that Chasing Horse exploited his position as a Lakota medicine man to prey upon Indigenous women and girls.

Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that for nearly 20 years, Chasing Horse "spun a web of abuse" that ensnared many women.

Three women took to the witness stand, testifying that Chasing Horse had sexually assaulted them. The jury returned guilty verdicts on certain charges, while acquitting him on others.

Numerous victims described how they had taken part in his ceremonies or sought out Chasing Horse for medical help.

Chasing Horse allegedly told Leone-LaCroix when she was 14 that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and warned her that if she told anyone, her mother would die, according to Pucci.

The sexual assaults persisted over many years, Pucci stated. Chasing Horse dismissed the allegations while his lawyer questioned the chief accuser's reliability, labelling her a "scorned woman." His legal team had filed a motion for a retrial, arguing that a witness was not suitably qualified to give evidence on grooming and that the statute of limitations had expired. That motion was thrown out.

Victims and their families took to the witness stand, describing how they continue to struggle with their faith in the wake of Chasing Horse's actions. The mothers of those affected said Chasing Horse had betrayed their confidence and abused sacred traditions.

"Even to this day I struggle to regain my faith and spirituality," said the mother of one of the other victims.

The victim disclosed that she continues to suffer ongoing health complications following an ectopic pregnancy resulting from the assault, which required surgical intervention.

"I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start," she said. "I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve."