Judge denies acquittal motion in sweat lodge case
An attorney defending a self-help author on manslaughter charges returned to the possibility that toxins contributed to the deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony shortly after a judge rejected a defense request for acquittal.
Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow ruled Tuesday that James Arthur Ray had a legal duty to check on participants of his 2009 “Spiritual Warrior” seminar, for which they paid $10,000 each to attend.
Darrow also ruled substantial evidence existed that Ray exhibited a reckless state of mind.
Ray’s attorneys were seeking a directed verdict of not guilty on manslaughter charges, arguing prosecutors did not prove that Ray was responsible for the deaths of three people stemming from the ceremony. They said Ray had no legal duty to check on participants nor was he aware anyone was dying.
Prosecutors said Ray clearly is guilty. They say he recklessly caused the deaths, conditioned participants to ignore their bodies’ signs of danger and failed to render aid to those in distress.