Nathan Chasing Horse sentencing delay exposes a harsh contradiction: a “closed” case that still spans borders
The Nevada sentencing for nathan chasing horse has been delayed by a week, shifting a hearing that was set for Wednesday to March 18 (ET) and extending the final chapter of a prosecution that jurors have already decided—yet one that still carries unresolved legal consequences beyond the United States.
Why was Nathan Chasing Horse’s sentencing moved—and what changes on March 18 (ET)?
A Nevada judge, Judge Jessica Peterson, agreed to move the sentencing hearing to March 18 (ET). The shift comes after a Nevada jury convicted nathan chasing horse on 13 of 21 charges tied to the sexual abuse of Indigenous women and girls. The hearing had been scheduled for Wednesday, and the postponement delays the court’s decision on a prison term that carries a stated minimum of 25 years.
In the same case, the defendant was acquitted of some sexual-assault charges. A post-trial effort to reopen the verdict has already failed: defense attorney Craig Mueller sought a new trial, arguing that a witness lacked qualifications to discuss grooming and that the statute of limitations had expired. The court denied that motion, leaving sentencing as the next major milestone.
What did jurors find—and what did prosecutors say the evidence showed?
The convictions center on allegations involving multiple victims. The case included testimony from three women who told jurors they were sexually assaulted; the jury returned guilty verdicts on some charges involving all three. Prosecutors characterized the conduct as long-running and facilitated by influence and proximity in community settings. Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that for almost 20 years, the defendant “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared many women.
The primary accuser described alleged abuse beginning when she was 14 in 2012. Prosecutors said she was told that “spirits” required her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer, and that she was threatened that her mother would die if she disclosed what happened. Pucci said the abuse continued for years afterward. The defendant has denied all accusations.
Nevada prosecutors also argued that the defendant used a reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls. Multiple victims described participating in healing ceremonies or seeking medical help from him, a pattern prosecutors framed as central to how access and trust were established.
What remains unresolved beyond Nevada—and why the “end” of this case isn’t the end of exposure
The Nevada sentencing is positioned as the closing act of a prosecution effort that began after an arrest and indictment in 2023. But the timeline also shows how this case extended beyond one courtroom. Authorities in other states and in Canada pursued additional criminal allegations after the initial arrest drew attention across Indian Country.
In Canada, the British Columbia Prosecution Service has said the defendant was charged with sexual assault in February 2023 connected to an alleged incident in September 2018 near Keremeos in British Columbia. Proceedings there paused in November 2023 while the U. S. case moved forward and resumed the following year. Damienne Darby, communications counsel for the British Columbia Prosecution Service, has said prosecutors in British Columbia will assess next steps after U. S. appeals are exhausted.
In Alberta, the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service has said an arrest warrant remains outstanding and that it has been in contact with the Alberta Crown Prosecutors Office regarding that warrant. Separately, the record of community-level action in the United States reflects earlier efforts to restrict access: leaders of the Fort Peck tribe in Montana prohibited him from performing ceremonies on their reservation in 2015 following allegations that included human trafficking, drug dealing, spiritual manipulation, and intimidation of tribal members.
Verified fact: The sentencing date has been moved to March 18 (ET), a Nevada jury convicted the defendant on 13 of 21 charges, and Canadian authorities have described active or pending steps tied to separate allegations and warrants.
Informed analysis: The delay underscores a contradiction at the heart of high-profile prosecutions involving cross-border allegations: even as a single jurisdiction approaches a formal endpoint, the broader accountability landscape can remain open-ended, with appeals and parallel proceedings determining what “closure” means for victims and communities affected by the conduct described in court.
For Indigenous communities that followed the Nevada case closely, the March 18 (ET) sentencing hearing may finalize a prison term, but it does not automatically resolve the legal exposure in Canada. As the hearing approaches, the public record makes one point unavoidable: nathan chasing horse sits at the center of a case that a jury has decided in Nevada, while other justice systems still weigh how—and when—to act.
