Self-help guru James Ray will appear in court Thursday to face manslaughter charges in the deaths of three participants at an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony he organized last year.As many as 65 visitors, ranging in age from 30 to 60, attended Ray's "Spiritual Warrior" program in October at the Angel Valley Retreat Center near Sedona, Arizona. They spent as long as two hours inside a dome-like structure called a sweat lodge, which was covered with tarps and blankets, and had hot rocks and water inside to create steam.
Ray, who is charged with the deaths of Kirby Brown, James Shore and Liz Neuman, was arrested Wednesday at his lawyer's office in Prescott, Arizona, said Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh.
"This was a terrible accident, but it was an accident, not a criminal act," attorney Luis Li said. "James Ray cooperated at every step of the way, providing information and witnesses to the authorities, showing that no one could have foreseen this accident."
His first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday morning, and his bond has been set at $5 million.
Three people died after spending time in the sweat lodge October 8, and nearly 20 others were sickened. Brown and Shore were pronounced dead shortly after they arrived at an area hospital, and Neuman died October 17 after being hospitalized since the incident.
Melinda Martin, a former James Ray International employee, was outside the tent as the sick came out.
"It was like an absolute MASH unit," Martin said in a December CNN interview. "Bodies everywhere, passed out. And then [James Ray] walked out of there looking like a million bucks. James, I think, was completely oblivious to the pandemonium that was taking place around that sweat lodge."
Native Americans used sweat lodges in spiritual and physical purification ceremonies.
Ray is widely known for programs that claim to teach people how to create wealth from all aspects of their lives -- financially, mentally, physically and spiritually.Ray's attorney called the charges unjust and said he would be exonerated.
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