On October 8, 2009, two people die and more than a dozen
others are hospitalized following a botched sweat lodge ceremony at a retreat
run by motivational speaker and author James Arthur Ray near Sedona, Arizona. A
third participant in the ceremony died nine days later. The sweat lodge
exercise was part of a five-day event held at a rented retreat center located
six miles from Sedona. At the time, Ray was known for such books as his 2008
best-seller Harmonic Wealth: The Secret
to Attracting the Life You Want, and had appeared as a guest on a number of
TV programs, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Ray’s sweat lodge ceremony,
modeled after a Native American custom intended to purify the body and spirit,
was held in a wood-frame structure covered with tarpaulins and blankets. Inside
the enclosed space, water was poured over heated rocks to create steam and the
temperature became dangerously high, causing many of the more than 50
participants to develop breathing trouble and become disoriented. Witnesses
later reported Ray had urged people to remain inside and endure the intense
heat as a form of personal challenge.
Two people, Kirby Brown and James Shore fainted but were left inside the sweat lodge and perished from heat stroke. More than a dozen other people were hospitalized for dehydration and other medical issues. On October 17th, a third ceremony participant, Liz Neuman died. In February 2010, Ray was indicted on manslaughter charges. When his case went to trial the following year, the prosecution argued that the self-help guru had acted carelessly and shown no regard for the people who got sick during the ceremony. The defense claimed the participants were free to leave the sweat lodge at any time, and said the deaths were an accident and might have been caused by unknown toxins in the ground. During the four-month trial, witnesses claimed that people had become ill or injured at previous retreats run by Ray, and Native American groups expressed outrage over his misuse of their sacred sweat lodge tradition. On June 22, 2011, Ray was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide and was sentenced to three two-year prison terms, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay some $57,000 in restitution to the victims’ families.
Two people, Kirby Brown and James Shore fainted but were left inside the sweat lodge and perished from heat stroke. More than a dozen other people were hospitalized for dehydration and other medical issues. On October 17th, a third ceremony participant, Liz Neuman died. In February 2010, Ray was indicted on manslaughter charges. When his case went to trial the following year, the prosecution argued that the self-help guru had acted carelessly and shown no regard for the people who got sick during the ceremony. The defense claimed the participants were free to leave the sweat lodge at any time, and said the deaths were an accident and might have been caused by unknown toxins in the ground. During the four-month trial, witnesses claimed that people had become ill or injured at previous retreats run by Ray, and Native American groups expressed outrage over his misuse of their sacred sweat lodge tradition. On June 22, 2011, Ray was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide and was sentenced to three two-year prison terms, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay some $57,000 in restitution to the victims’ families.
Michael Thomas Barry is a
columnist for CrimeMagazine.com and is the author of Murder & Mayhem 52 Crimes that
Shocked Early California
1849-1949. The book can be purchased from Amazon through the
following link:
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