CAMP VERDE, Ariz. (AP) — A Yavapai County judge did not immediately rule Friday over whether a gag order should be issued in the case of a motivational speaker charged with manslaughter.
James Arthur Ray faces three counts of manslaughter, stemming from the deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony he led in northern Arizona last October.
Prosecutor Sheila Polk requested the gag order, saying it would limit pretrial publicity that could taint the jury pool. If granted, it would cover Ray, his Web site and blog, his attorneys and their staff, and employees of his Carlsbad, Calif.-based company, James Ray International.
An attorney representing some media outlets says a gag order would be unjustified. The judge took the matter under advisement and advised attorneys to comply with rules governing their conduct.
