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| Author Camille Kimball the day of James Ray sentencing, where she tweeted. |
After an emotionally exhausting morning of tears, a pounding fist and careful legal explanations, sweat lodge guru James Arthur Ray was sentenced to 3 2-year prison sentences, one each for the deaths of Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman. However, the sentences will be served concurrently. This means instead of a total of 6 years, it will be 2 years behind bars for Ray. Additionally, there are complicated formulas involving time served etc. which will further reduce the actual prison time.
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| James Ray during a break just before receiving a prison sentence |
After Ray is released from prison, he will then serve a separate period of probation. He is also charged a $20k fine by Judge Darrow. On Thursday (yesterday), defense and prosecution attorneys worked out a $57k restitution assessment. Judge Darrow confirmed that amount, which is in addition to the $20k fine.
After weeping profusely to the court and to the victim's families a few minutes before, Ray did not seem to have a pronounced reaction to the news that he would be taken into a Yavapai County jail. He had his back to the gallery, though. We could not see his face.
Ray was immediately led out of the courtroom by the bailiff. He went out the back door this time and for the first time since this trial began, was all alone, with no attorney at his side. Behind the closed door, Ray was handed over to 2 deputies. Sometime later, as a few of us, including Proseutor Sheila Polk, were still in the upstairs lobby, Ray was led out by Case Detective Ross Diskin and another armed deputy. Ray had his hands in front of him, and a suit coat thrown over them. Presumably, this jacket was to hide his handcuffs.
The courtroom is a beautiful and historic one, befitting Prescott's wild west heritage, but the acoustics in the room were very difficult. In the above picture, you can see me in my seat, first row of the gallery slightly oriented to the right behind the defense table. The bailiff placed us closer to the wall because he had kindly provided us an electrical strip so we could all plug in our computers. But even as close as we were, often words were lost, as voices drifted up to the high ceilings and speakers faced away from the gallery.
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| Ray courtroom, just moments before John Ray had been sitting in front chair to right, brother James in middle chair past rail. |
To my immediate left was the Ray family--Gordon Ray, Joyce Ray and John Ray--the defendant's father, mother and brother, respectively. They all cried as James Ray addressed the court, asked victims for forgiveness, asked the judge for probation, and apologized directly to his own family. As the Rays waited for Judge Darrow to pronounce sentence, John Ray held Joyce's left hand while she placed her right on her husband's knee, where he kept his own touching hers. Although James Ray looked around as he mad his brief walk across it, none of the Ray family was present in the second floor lobby to see him led out, deputies' hands on him, with his cuffed hands discreetly covered by his jacket.
I put up these photos because the pool cameras were restricted to the back of the room and I know many would like to get a better feel for the setup. Not being a pool photog, my camera couldn't be used until the courtroom had cleared.
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Ray apparently saw the incident differently than the prison staff did. Records show he appealed the citation.
