King of Sweat Charged in Arizona Deaths

AZ sweat guru pleads not guilty in sweat deaths

Feb 04 2010

FELICIA FONSECA and AMANDA LEE MYERS - Associated Press Writers, with assistance from your editor.



(AP Photo/Matt York)


CAMP VERDE, Ariz.— Motivational speaker James Arthur Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter in the deaths of three people at an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony he led last year.

Sweating profusely, Ray was indicted and arrested on Wednesday for the deaths, which occurred at an Oct. 8 ceremony intended to be the highlight of his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event. The ceremony was held at a retreat center he rented near Sedona. Lunatics pay him tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of sweating to death in a make-shift Indian tee pee. When informed by a member of his staff that clients were passing out in the lodge, Ray reportedly told the employee to toss a couple more hot, steaming rocks in the lodge and not to worry.

Ray's lawyer entered the plea Thursday on his behalf.

Ray is being held in the Yavapai County, Ariz., jail on $5 million bond and faces a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 12 1/2 years on each count.

Ray's attorneys call the charges unjust and say they're confident he will be exonerated. "If these old buzzards don't have the common sense to leave the lodge after they pass out, they shouldn't blame our guy," said one of Ray's self-designated defenders, who spoke on condition of triangulation.

Ray isn't so sure, which is why he was sweating.

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