Conviction Spiritual healing, divination, and mediumship Plant-medicine and ceremonial retreat practice Sedona, AZ, USA · 2009

James Arthur Ray: three negligent-homicide convictions after “Spiritual Warrior” sweat lodge

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Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

self-help and spiritual-retreat leader

Organization

James Ray International

Archive classification

This is the archive's application of its published inclusion test. The cited record appears below.

The cited record identifies retreat authority and pressure to endure dangerous conditions as the material spiritual doctrine, practice, authority, or pretext connected to the documented harm. The relevant authority role is self-help and spiritual-retreat leader.

Other spiritual authority or belief

Evidence structure

Proceedings

2011-11-18 · jury verdict and sentence

Arizona Superior Court, Yavapai County. Three negligent-homicide convictions; concurrent two-year sentences.

Documented coercion mechanisms

retreat authority
pressure to endure dangerous conditions

Cited record

Sources

high quality reporting disposition Associated Press, “Self-help author James Arthur Ray, whose seminar led to tragedy and death, dies at 67” (Jan. 6, 2025).: The AP’s retrospective reports that three participants died after Ray led the 2009 sweat-lodge ceremony, that prosecutors said he ignored pleas for help, and that a jury convicted him of three counts of negligent homicide.

Source provenance

Source access and integrity log

This log records source retrieval and file integrity. It does not mean that an automated process independently confirmed every statement in the source.

Source and tier basis: https://apnews.com/article/419682fe4d38a08f16fec8dd7fdfcc2f Corpus classification: high-quality-reporting; evidentiary role: disposition. SHA-256 48b85293f0d7932777fb87c09ca3416f3144d3779de20aea9c3505912928fdda
Retrieval: 2026-07-20 · Preserved; Bound by Fear automated source-preservation ledger

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