Thaindian News

By Madhuri Dey
Phoenix, Arizona, Feb 4, (THAINDIAN NEWS) James Arthur Ray, the well known self help guru, was arrested on the charges of manslaughter connected to deaths in a sweat lodge ceremony that had occurred last year in Northern Arizona. His bond has been set at $5 million. James Arthur Ray has denied all allegations against him. The attorneys of the motivational speaker have issued a written statement alleging that James Arthur Ray has not been involved in any such criminal activities. They further mention in the statement that the matter will be proved in court. However, the attorneys have not denied that the incident had taken place, but have dismissed it as an accident.

The terrible incident had taken place in Northern Arizona, in one of the retreats of the Angel valley Retreat Center last year in October. In the “Spiritual Warrior” ceremony conducted by James Arthur Ray, about 50 people had called the emergency services, claiming that they were having respiratory problems. Eighteen of those present had to be admitted to the hospital with myriad illnesses, some of those being dehydration and kidney failure. Three people died after that day, two that very evening, and the third, who went into coma, a week later.

Following the arrest, James Arthur Ray had been taken into police custody. He, however, refuted all claims, and kept repeating that the whole matter had been an accident, and that he was in no way responsible for anything that had taken place that day. His attorneys too claimed that the self-help guru had been very co-operative with the police, and that he had done everything in his power to prove that he was innocent.