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Testimony In Sweat Lodge Case Enters 3rd Week

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. (AP) -- Testimony in a self-help author's manslaughter trial is entering a third week.

Attorneys for James Arthur Ray say he's not to blame for the deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony he led near Sedona in October 2009.

Prosecutors say those people would have lived if not for Ray's conduct during his weeklong "Spiritual Warrior" event.

The defense is expected to resume its cross examination of Beverley Bunn on Tuesday. The Texas orthodontist provided a detailed account of the event last week.

She described the scene following the two-hour ceremony as alarming and chaotic, with people dragging participants out of the sweat lodge who were barely breathing or unconscious.

She says Ray did nothing to help.

The trial is expected to last at least four months.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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