Author Topic: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!  (Read 3620 times)

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Offline Anne Bonney

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Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« on: June 23, 2011, 07:33:16 AM »
Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!


Looks like it didn't take the jury long either.  They started deliberations on Tuesday, came back with the guilty verdicts Wednesday.  Of course, like Miller Newton, nothing seems to stop these malignant narcissists.  Wait til you get to the last sentence.  


http://http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/22/national/main20073479.shtml

(AP)

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — A self-help author who led a deadly sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide Wednesday.

Jurors in the case against James Arthur Ray began deliberating Tuesday after a four-month trial.

Ray showed no reaction as the verdict was read. His parents and brother sat behind him, while victims' family members and friends held hands and looked on from across the courtroom.

Prosecutors asked that Ray be taken into custody immediately, but the judge denied the request.

More than 50 people participated in the October 2009 sweat lodge that was meant to be the highlight of Ray's five-day "Spiritual Warrior" seminar near Sedona.

Three people died following the sauna-like ceremony meant to provide spiritual cleansing. Eighteen were hospitalized, while several others were given water to cool down at the scene. Prosecutors and defense attorneys disagreed over whether the deaths and illnesses were caused by heat or toxins.

Ray's attorneys have maintained the deaths were a tragic accident. Prosecutors argued Ray recklessly caused the fatalities.

Ray used the sweat lodge as a way for participants to break through whatever was holding them back in life. He warned participants in a recording of the event played during the trial that the sweat lodge would be "hellacious" and that participants were guaranteed to feel like they were dying but would do so only metaphorically.

"The true spiritual warrior has conquered death and therefore has no fear or enemies in this lifetime or the next, because the greatest fear you'll ever experience is the fear of what? Death," Ray said in the recording. "You will have to get a point to where you surrender and it's OK to die."

Witnesses have described the scene following the two-hour ceremony as alarming and chaotic, with people dragging "lifeless" and "barely breathing" participants outside and volunteers performing CPR.

Two participants — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee — died upon arrival at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died more than a week later at a Flagstaff hospital.

In court Wednesday, members of Neuman's family and a friend of Brown held hands while the verdict was read.

Ray's attorneys maintained the deaths were nothing but a tragic accident, and said Ray took all the necessary precautions to ensure participants' safety. They contend authorities botched the investigation and failed to consider that toxins or poisons contributed to the deaths and called two witnesses to support that argument.

Prosecutors relied heavily on Ray's own words to try to convince the jury that he was responsible for the deaths. They said a reasonable person would have stopped the "abomination of a sweat lodge" when participants began exhibiting signs of distress about halfway through the ceremony.

Sweat lodges typically are used by American Indians to rid the body of toxins by pouring water over heated rocks in the structure.

Ray became a self-help superstar by using his charismatic personality and convincing people his words would lead them to spiritual and financial wealth. He used free talks to recruit people to expensive seminars like the Sedona retreat that led to the sweat lodge tragedy. Participants paid up to $10,000 for the five-day program intended to push people beyond their physical and emotional limits.

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

But his multimillion-dollar self-help empire was thrown into turmoil with the sweat lodge deaths. Ray ended his seminars shortly after but has continued to offer advice throughout his trial via the Internet and social networking sites.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/ ... z1Q679cedX
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Offline Dethgurl

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2011, 08:43:30 PM »
Self-help guru gets 2 years in sweat lodge deaths

Read more: http://http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/other/self-help-guru-gets-years-in-sweat-lodge-deaths/image_8f125d37-eb40-5c48-8ed3-8fad97843731.html?mode=story#ixzz1e6y426Jg

Self-help author James Arthur Ray, right, speaks during his sentencing at Yavapai County Courthouse in Prescott, Ariz., Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Ray received a prison sentence of six years, two years for each of his three victims. Ray was convicted June 22, 2011, on three counts of negligent homicide for the deaths of participants at a sweat-lodge ceremony he held near Sedona in October 2009.
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Offline wdtony

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2012, 02:41:07 AM »
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/1 ... 02753.html

James Arthur Ray Sentenced: Self-Help Guru Responsible For Sweat Lodge Deaths Going To Prison

By FELICIA FONSECA   11/19/11 05:57 AM ET

PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- A self-help author's acknowledgement that he was responsible for the deaths of three people in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony was something the victims' family members had hoped for long ago. But the court action wasn't about apologies for them; it was about accountability.

As James Arthur Ray stood before them and tearfully begged for forgiveness Friday, they looked to a judge to sentence Ray to the maximum nine years in prison on three counts of negligent homicide. What Ray received was two years for the deaths of Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn.

"This doesn't bring Kirby back. This doesn't bring back James or Liz," said Brown's mother, Virginia. "But certainly time in prison is a deterrent and will serve as a warning to the self-help industry."

Neither prosecutors nor the families believed the sentence was sufficient for a man who they say ratcheted up the heat in the October 2009 sweat lodge to dangerous levels, ignored pleas for help and watched as participants were dragged out of the sweat lodge.

Ray said he would have stopped the ceremony had he known people were dying or in distress. But he offered no excuses for his lack of action as chaos unfolded outside the structure at a retreat near Sedona.

"At the end of the day, I lost three friends, and I lost them on my watch," Ray said, standing before the victims' families. "Whatever errors in judgment or mistakes I have made, I'm going to have to live with those for the rest of my life. I truly understand your disappointment in my actions after, I do. I'm disappointed in myself."

Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow gave Ray three, two-year sentences to be served concurrently and ordered him to pay more than $57,000 in restitution. He said the "emotional harm is so strong and such that probation is simply unwarranted in this case."

Ray will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence. That comes out to almost 600 days, taking into account the credit he received for 24 days served. That's roughly the amount of time he's been out of jail on bond since his arrest early last year.

The courtroom was silent as the sentence was handed down. The victims' families held hands and braced for a decision, as did Ray's parents and brother.

Afterward, authorities immediately took custody of Ray, who will serve his time with the state Department of Corrections. Ray's family offered their condolences to the victims' families in a statement following the sentencing hearing and asked if they'd find forgiveness in their hearts.

"We were fortunate enough to meet with James after the sentencing," said his brother, Jon Ray. "He was in good spirits and said this would give him the opportunity to help people in prison that need it."

Defense attorneys said they would appeal, likely on the grounds that errors by the prosecution tainted the case.

County Attorney Sheila Polk hoped Ray would get the maximum and believed she had made a strong case for accountability, justice and deterrence. But, she said, "certainly some prison time over probation is better than no prison at all."

Ray originally was charged with manslaughter, but jurors rejected that he was reckless in his handling of the ceremony that highlighted Ray's five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event. Ray's attorneys suggested that toxins or poisons contributed to the deaths, but jurors said that theory was not credible.

Ray's motivational mantra drew dozens of people to the retreat with a promise that the sweat lodge typically used by American Indians to cleanse the body would lead to powerful breakthroughs. When the victims' families discovered something went wrong, they said Ray made no attempt to identify people in the hospital nor offered them any solace for their loss until recently.

They lashed out at him in court Friday, their voices echoing through the courtroom, saying they were appalled that he continued to deliver self-help messages through the Internet while he faced criminal charges.

"There was nothing you could teach Liz, James or Kirby about honor, integrity and impeccability," said Neuman's cousin, Lily Clark, drawing from Ray's principle teachings. "But they could have taught you a lot. They were born spiritual warriors, and you are not worthy to spit shine their combat boots."

Neuman's daughter, Andrea Puckett, said she doesn't believe Ray grasps his role in the deaths, despite his apology and called the sentence a joke.

"It's very frightening the control he has over people and his mentality," she said. "That's not going to change."

Participants began showing signs of distress about halfway through the two-hour sweat lodge ceremony. By the time it was over, some were vomiting, struggling to breathe and lying lifeless on the ground. Brown and Shore were pronounced dead. Neuman slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. She died more than a week later at a Flagstaff hospital.

"He did some good but this is about what he didn't do," said Shore's mother, Jane Shore-Gripp. "He had the opportunity to save three people, and he didn't."

The trial was a mix of lengthy witness testimony and legal wrangling that lasted four months. Witnesses painted conflicting pictures of Ray, with some describing him as a coach who encouraged participants to do their best to endure the heat but never forced them to remain in the sweat lodge. Others said they learned through breathing exercises, a 36-hour fast, and a game in which Ray portrayed God that they dare not question him, and they lost the physical and mental ability to care for themselves or others.
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Offline none-ya

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2012, 03:55:54 AM »
2 years for 3 homicides? This bum will probably go straight to work release.
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Offline wdtony

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2012, 04:00:15 AM »
Quote from: "none-ya"
2 years for 3 homicides? This bum will probably go straight to work release.

I know, crazy. Depending on the state, sentences can either be ordered to be served consecutively or concurrently. Sometimes it is up to the judge. I would have been happier if he had been ordered to serve consecutive terms but I am not familiar with revised statutes pertaining to negligent homicide in Arizona.
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2012, 03:38:23 PM »
From the above article:

    "We were fortunate enough to meet with James after the sentencing," said his brother, Jon Ray. "He was in good spirits and said
this would give him the opportunity to help people in prison that need it."[/list][/size]
To *my* mind... James Ray, not to mention the rest of the world, would be better off if he stays OUT of the "helping business."  :twofinger:
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Offline wdtony

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2012, 04:51:49 PM »
Quote from: "Ursus"
From the above article:

    "We were fortunate enough to meet with James after the sentencing," said his brother, Jon Ray. "He was in good spirits and said
this would give him the opportunity to help people in prison that need it."[/list][/size]
To *my* mind... James Ray, not to mention the rest of the world, would be better off if he stays OUT of the "helping business."  :twofinger:


Perhaps he will be the one who gets the "helping" that he needs. Inmates are not like the well-to-do seekers he is accustomed to.
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Offline Antigen

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2012, 05:27:25 PM »
Crazy. I just watched The Secret w/ a friend who's into mysticism, comparative religion n such. He viewed it as an example of black magic in modern practice. The language reminded me of WWASPie lingo. Had no idea of this connection.
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Offline wdtony

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2012, 06:11:21 PM »
Quote from: "Antigen"
Crazy. I just watched The Secret w/ a friend who's into mysticism, comparative religion n such. He viewed it as an example of black magic in modern practice. The language reminded me of WWASPie lingo. Had no idea of this connection.

My father has/had a wealthy friend who got into the whole secret mumbo-jumbo...started taking a lot of trips out west and now he has lost almost all of his money. I heard he lost about 2 million in total. He tried to suck my father into it but after the KHK experience he wouldn't fall for it.
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Offline Antigen

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2012, 12:19:37 AM »
Hey! So the program did provide some benefit to somebody after all!
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Offline wdtony

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Re: Sweat Lodge "guru" convicted on 3 counts!!!!!!
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2012, 01:27:10 AM »
Quote from: "Antigen"
Hey! So the program did provide some benefit to somebody after all!

Very funny.....  yeah, I suppose the saying "live and learn" would apply here. My father bitterly hates the program. He recognizes bullshit hype speak when he hears it.
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