Yavapai County Superior Court

US self-help guru convicted in ceremony deaths

FILE - In this April 20, 2011 photo, James Arthur Ray listens to testimony during his trial in Campe Verde, Ariz. Jurors on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, began deliberating the fate of James Arthur Ray, a self-help author facing three counts of manslaughter following a deadly sweat lodge ceremony he led in Arizona. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter. Three people died following a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October 2009. Photo: Deirdre Hamill, Pool / AP This undated photo provided by the Neuman family shows Liz Neuman. Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake suffered multiple organ damage and was in a coma before she died Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 at a Flagstaff hospital. She was among dozens crowded into the sweat lodge on Oct. 8 at a resort just outside Sedona, a town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement. Jurors on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, began deliberating the fate of James Arthur Ray, a self-help author facing three counts of manslaughter following a deadly sweat lodge ceremony he led in Arizona. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter. Three people died following a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October 2009. Photo: Neuman Family Photo / AP This April 2008 photo provided by the family of Kirby Brown shows the 38-year-old woman from Westtown, N.Y. Brown was one of two people who died after being overcome in a sauna-like sweat lodge during a retreat just outside of Sedona, Ariz. Jurors on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, began deliberating the fate of James Arthur Ray, a self-help author facing three counts of manslaughter following a deadly sweat lodge ceremony he led in Arizona. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter. Three people died following a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October 2009. Photo: Family Of Kirby Brown / AP In this image provided by the Shore family, James Shore is seen with his wife Alyssa Gillespie. James Shore was one of three people who died while participating in a sweat lodge ceremony on Oct. 8, 2009, in Arizona. Jurors on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, began deliberating the fate of James Arthur Ray, a self-help author facing three counts of manslaughter following a deadly sweat lodge ceremony he led in Arizona. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter. Three people died following a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October 2009.

New Age Guru James Arthur Ray Guilty in Sweat Lodge Death

The decision, delivered after a nearly four-month trial in Yavapai County Superior Court in Camp Verde, Ariz., means Mr. Ray was found to have caused the deaths of Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee ; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. , but did not necessarily recognize the risk he put them in. He could face anywhere from probation to more than 30 years in prison on the three guilty counts as court proceedings continue next week.

The prosecutor, Sheila Polk, had pursued a more serious charge of manslaughter, arguing that Mr. Ray should have known that the way he ran the two-hour ceremony, in which hot stones were piled in the center of the sweltering lodge, risked death and that he disregarded that risk.

The case drew international attention, largely because of the bizarre circumstances and because the deaths took place at a pristine campground within sight of the red rocks of Sedona, a well-known New Age gathering place.

A motivational speaker and author, Mr. Ray seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he was found not guilty on the first manslaughter charge. But he looked stunned a moment later when the guilty verdicts came in.

became a best-selling author, made millions and gained fame for his self-help claim that you attract into your life whatever happens to you – good or bad. [...]

Some of Ray’s supporters say they remain convinced the “Law of Attraction” was at work in his conviction. Bob Proctor, Ray’s mentor, said he thinks the outcome should serve as a lesson for Ray.

Family and friends of the victims said they hope the verdict, in Yavapai County Superior Court, will serve notice to leaders in the largely unregulated self-help industry that they will be held accountable when their actions harm others.

Prosecutors had sought to convict Ray on three counts of manslaughter. By finding Ray guilty of the lesser, alternate charge of negligent homicide, the jury in effect decided that while Ray’s conduct caused the deaths, he wasn’t aware of or didn’t recognize the risk of death caused by his conduct – in this case, the manner in which he ran the sweat lodge.

“Mr. Ray has acted recklessly for years at these events,” said Thomas McFeeley, Brown’s cousin and her family’s spokesman, speaking by phone from Illinois. “While obviously we were hoping for greater charges, we’re happy that the responsibility has finally been laid at his feet for the deaths of Kirby, James Shore and Liz Neuman.

Guru guilty of homicide in sweat lodge deaths: The jury at Yavapai County Superior Court found Ray not guilty of...

RT : JUST IN from Yavapai County Superior Court: Jurors will begin deliberations Tuesday (tomorrow) in James Arthur Ray sweat lodge trail...

RT : JUST IN from Yavapai County Superior Court: Jurors will begin deliberations Tuesday (tomorrow) in James Arthur Ray sweat lodge trail...

JUST IN from Yavapai County Superior Court: Jurors will begin deliberations Tuesday (tomorrow) in James Arthur Ray sweat lodge trail...

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