No charges have been filed, but James Arthur Ray remains the focus of an ongoing homicide investigation into the deaths of Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y. They were among more than 50 people who took part in the Oct. 8 ceremony in Sedona, Ariz., where many people became ill for unknown reasons. In addition to the three who died, 18 people were hospitalized.
James Ray International, AP
In a new interview with New York magazine, James Arthur Ray defended himself against charges that his actions inside a sweat lodge led to the deaths of three people.
In his first interview since the incident, Ray told New York magazine he did his best to aid his followers after they became stricken.
"I was there the entire time doing whatever I could to help until I was detained by the detectives," he said.
The magazine asked Ray about allegations that he told people inside the crowded sweat lodge that they were vomiting because their bodies were simply ridding themselves of what they didn't want.
"I may have mentioned that I had been told by many shamans that the body purges and there's only certain ways that it can purge," Ray said. "Obviously, you know the bodily functions, so there's only certain ways to exit the body."
Interviewer Michael Joseph Gross also confronted Ray about eyewitness claims that during the ceremony Ray told the group, "You're not going to die. You might think you are, but you're not going to die."
"I think those statements have been -- in fact, I don't think, I know those statements have been taken completely out of context. There's no one who would say that I was talking literally," Ray said.
Ray was a rising star in the New Age world. His programs, based around the catchphrase "create harmonic wealth," earned him millions of dollars in recent years, along with praise from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Larry King.
A participant at the fateful "Spiritual Warrior" retreat, which was designed to push people past normal physical and mental limits, said that she recalled Ray's response when he was told that some participants in the sweat lodge ceremony had been stricken.
Beverley Bunn, 43, said she was inside the sweat lodge when she heard someone say, "I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up."
According to Bunn, Ray replied, "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round."
