A jury in Arizona on Wednesday convicted a best-selling author and self-help guru in the deaths of three clients during a sweat-lodge ceremony in 2009 that was intended to help participants overcome adversity to reach their full potential.
After hearing four months of testimony, the jury deliberated for less than 12 hours before finding James Arthur Ray, 53, guilty of three counts of negligent homicide. The panel acquitted Ray of the more serious charges of manslaughter.
Ray sat silently in the courtroom, his face breaking into relief when the manslaughter charges were rejected, only to swallow hard when the clerk announced that the jury had convicted him of the lesser charges.
Prosecutors argued that Ray was criminally negligent in subjecting Kirby Brown, 38; Liz Neuman, 49; and James Shore, 40, to life-threatening conditions. They played a recording of him urging participants to ignore their bodies’ signs of distress during what he called a “hellacious” two-hour ceremony.
Ray’s attorneys argued that the 56 participants, who paid $10,000 to attend the five-day “Spiritual Warrior” session, had signed waivers acknowledging that death was a risk.
