More on the arrest:

JAR attorney statement

Whoa. This is AWESOME.

Thanks Stoic.

Motivational speaker charged in sweat lodge deaths

By FELICIA FONSECA
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 3, 2010; 7:58 PM



FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was arrested Wednesday afternoon on three counts of manslaughter for deaths that happened after a sweat lodge ceremony he led in northern Arizona last year. Ray was taken into custody on an indictment at his attorney's office in Prescott, and was to be booked into the Yavapai County jail in Camp Verde, sheriff's officials said. His bond was set at $5 million.

Ray's attorneys said Wednesday he surrendered to authorities but that the charges were unjust and they were confident he would be exonerated in court.

"This was a terrible accident, but it was an accident, not a criminal act," Ray attorney Luis Li said. "James Ray cooperated at every step of the way, providing information and witnesses to the authorities showing that no one could have foreseen this accident."

The Oct. 8 sweat lodge ceremony was intended to be the highlight of Ray's five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event at a retreat he rented just outside Sedona. He told participants, who paid more than $9,000 each to attend, that it would be one of the most intense experiences of their lives.

About halfway through the two-hour ceremony, some began feeling ill, vomiting and collapsing inside the 415-square-foot structure. Despite that, Ray urged participants to push past their physical weaknesses and chided those who wanted to leave, authorities and participants have said.

Two people - Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee - passed out inside the sweat lodge and died that night at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died a week later. Eighteen others were hospitalized.

Neuman's daughter, Andrea Puckett, said Wednesday she was pleased with Ray's arrest and the effort authorities put into the investigation.

"It helps that he is, for now, being stopped from doing what he's doing, from harming anyone else, and that's the biggest relief for me and my family right now," said Puckett, of Bloomington, Minn.

Participant Beverley Bunn previously told The Associated Press that Ray did nothing to help the sick during the October sweat lodge ceremony. Following Ray's arrest Wednesday, she said she had "many tears of joy."

"It's kind of a strange feeling," said Bunn, who was not among the hospitalized. "We've been waiting a long time."

Ray's attorneys have said he took all necessary safety precautions and wasn't aware of any medical problems until the ceremony was over. Ray declined to speak with authorities that night, on the advice of his attorneys, public records have shown.

Authorities said they quickly determined the deaths were not accidental and focused their investigation on Ray. They conducted hundreds of interviews that reached into Ray's past ceremonies and events, including one in which a man fell unconscious during a 2005 sweat lodge ceremony at the same retreat near Sedona.

The self-help superstar who teaches people about financial and spiritual wealth uses free seminars to recruit followers to more expensive events. His company, James Ray International, is based in Carlsbad, Ca.

Ray's representatives have said there was no way Ray could have predicted the night's tragic events. Had he heard any pleas for help inside the pitch-black sweat lodge, he would have stopped the ceremony immediately, Ray's attorneys said.

Documents released in the investigation showed that some people lost consciousness and others suffered broken bones at past Ray-led events and that Ray largely ignored medical problems that arose.

In the weeks after the deaths, lawsuits accused Ray and the owners of the Angel Valley Retreat Center where the sweat lodge was held of negligence and fraud. Ray's publisher postponed two book releases, and Ray canceled his appearances amid heavy criticism from survivors.

Amayra Hamilton, one of the Angel Valley owners, has said the staff had minimal contact with Ray over the seven years he held sweat lodges there, and that other groups had used the same lodge for ceremonies without any problems.

Bunn said she believes the "Spiritual Warrior" events should be called off indefinitely.

"It frightens me that I didn't stand back a little more," she said.

James Ray arrested? Now THAT'S harmonic.

I'm really glad they set the bail so high. He's a flight risk and he needs to rot in jail.

I wish it had been 2nd degree murder, because then if they bargained it down it would become manslaughter. Still, I'm pleased there might be justice for the families of the deceased and injured, and maybe these events will shine a light into the sordid, mephitic world of the "New Age".

This is great news. From now on this should do a lot in terms of more public awareness about these dangerous LGATs, as well as dangerous self-help gurus and what their true motives are.

CNN vid of the arrest.

perp walk

No more cheesy smile.
[news.yahoo.com]

This time it even made the news over the other side of the pond. This is from the UK Daily Mail. Death Ray doesn't look so suave in that police mugshot...


[www.dailymail.co.uk]


Sweat lodge deaths: Guru James Arthur Ray charged with manslaughter of three who died during New Age ceremony

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 10:31 AM on 04th February 2010


The self-help guru who led a ceremony inside a sweat lodge where three people died has been charged with manslaughter.

James Arthur Ray was arrested yesterday over the deaths at the retreat in Northern Arizona last year. His bail was set at $5million.

More than 60 people were packed into the sweat dome at the Angel Valley Retreat Center for more than two hours on October 8 last year.



Facing jail: James Arthur Ray, right, is escorted into prison in Arizona yesterday after being charged with the manslaughter of three people during a sweat lodge ceremony last year

About halfway through the two-hour ceremony, some began feeling ill, vomiting and collapsing inside the 415-square-foot structure.

Despite that, Ray urged participants to push past their physical weaknesses and chided those who wanted to leave, authorities and participants have said.

Twenty-one people were taken for treatment to nearby hospitals, where James Shore, 40, and Kirby Brown, 38, were pronounced dead.

Liz Neuman, 49, slipped into a coma and died several days later in hospital.

The group was on a five-day 'Spiritual Warrior' program hosted by Ray, a motivational speaker based in California.

Brown's mother, Ginny, said yesterday that she would have liked to believe the deaths were accidental - but that everything that Ray did during the 'Spiritual Warrior' event almost made them inevitable.



Victim: James Shore, back left, is seen with his wife Alyssa Gillespie and their children, from left, Darshan, Amrita and Inaya. Shore was one of the three who died during the ceremony led by James Arthur Ray last year

'One of the things that horrifies me after we found out Kirby had died was to see how he behaved, to really yield his true character,' she said.

'This wasn't just a horrible accident. His own conviction in his omnipotence and his own seduction of money and wealth made him delusional.'

Authorities said they quickly determined the deaths were not accidental and focused their investigation on Ray.

They conducted hundreds of interviews that reached into Ray's past ceremonies and events, including one in which a man fell unconscious during a 2005 sweat lodge ceremony at the same retreat near Sedona.

Ray's representatives have said there was no way he could have predicted the night's tragic events.



Self-help guru: Ray in a mugshot provided by police

Had he heard any pleas for help inside the pitch-black sweat lodge, he would have stopped the ceremony immediately, his lawyers said.

Documents released in the investigation showed that some people lost consciousness and others suffered broken bones at past Ray-led events and that Ray largely ignored medical problems that arose.

His lawyer Luis Li said the charges were 'unjust' and he was confident his client would be exonerated in court.

'This was a terrible accident - but it was an accident, not a criminal act,' Li said

If convicted, Ray faces a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 12½ years on each count.

The sheriff's office said participants had paid up to $9,000 to take part in the retreat involving the sweat dome, which was warmed by heated rocks brought inside.

The retreat took place near the town of Sedona, 117 miles (188 km) north of Phoenix. The area is renowned for its red rocks, which some people believe have spiritual and restorative powers. It is a popular destination for New Age retreats.

Television news images of the sweat dome showed a large, windowless circular structure, covered in a black roofing material.

Sweat or medicine lodges, smaller domed or oblong structures warmed with heated stones, have traditionally been used in ceremonies by some Native American cultures.

Ray has built a multimillion-dollar empire as a self-help superstar who teaches people about financial and spiritual wealth, and uses free seminars to recruit followers to more expensive events.

He soared in popularity after appearing in the 2006's Rhonda Byrne documentary 'The Secret,' and he promoted himself on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and 'Larry King Live'.

I'm echoing another poster, "He looks good in orange, I hope he stays that way"

Thank goodness this maniac is off the streets, is he going to be able to raise 5 million bail?
Look at the rage he is trying to suppress when he is doing the perp walk with the police officer in the first picture above.
His index fingers look like he is unconsciously miming holding a gun.