More Damning Eyewitness Information About Fatal James Ray Sweat Lodge

If you missed CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360″ last night, you missed a riveting rebuttal of claims being made by defense attorneys for self-help guru James Ray.

Ray was charged yesterday with manslaughter, in connection with three deaths at a sweat lodge ceremony he led last October near Sedona, Arizona.

Texas orthodontist Beverley Bunn was one of the lucky ones that night.  She survived the two-hour sweat lodge ceremony.

Last night, CNN’s Cooper had Beverley respond to statements made by James Ray in a recent interview with “New York” magazine.

Here’s a partial transcript from Cooper’s Wednesday night telecast:

Orthodontist and sweat lodge participant Beverley Bunn

COOPER:  I want to read you something, Beverly, that this guy, James Ray gave in an interview to “New York” magazine recently. When asked, what did you do after making sure 911 was called because that is what he said he did, Ray replied I did everything I could to help. There was a medical doctor there and I was having her make sure that everything was being run appropriately. I held peoples’ hands. I stroke their hair. I talked to them. I held an IV for the paramedics. I was there the entire time doing whatever I could do to help until I was detained by the detectives. Beverly, you were there, is he telling the truth?

BUNN: No, that is completely false. The medical doctor was there as a participant and she actually was laying next to me. And when I actually was coherent and I started actually reviving one of the people that was in critical condition, I said we need medical assistance here and I knew she was a medical doctor. So I asked her to come and help. When we saw that they were doing CPR over in another area, that’s actually when I told — they required medical assistance. I told the lady that you need to go over — she needs to go over there.

COOPER: You were the one actually directing this doctor around? What was Ray doing at this time?

BUNN: James Ray was about five or 10 feet away from Kirby and James Shore while they were actually conducting CPR on them. He just actually stood there. He was nowhere on our side of the tent. There’s no way he was helping anybody. Those are very false, very false statements.

NOTE: For a full transcript of the show, click here.