Officially, this is day 7 of James Ray's manslaughter trial. But, today is the day that the real trial begins. 

The previous days were spent in jury selection and pretrial motions and arguments. But, at 1:30, the jury will be introduced and sworn in, and the opening arguments will commence. Not to sound frivolous about the situation, but, 'Let the trial begin!' is the mood around this courtroom today.

It's been almost 17 months since 3 people died in a tragic Sweat Lodge incident, part of a 'Spiritual Warrior' retreat organized by James Ray. The trial was originally scheduled for last fall, but after Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Thomas Lindberg had a stroke last summer, court schedules got rearranged, and the Ray trial was pushed back to March.

In the meantime, attorneys have been filing motions and answers and arguments (over 320 documents to date) in preparation for today. Some of these items were not decided until this morning, in fact, there are still certain issues outstanding that will be resolved as the trial goes on.

In about one hour, the jury will be sworn in, and Prosecutors will make their opening arguments. There might be a couple of witnesses called, that will depend on the available time.

Outside, there are numerous media trucks, ready to provide coverage at any moment. Through Court TV (which is said to be aired on Direct Satellite), there will be a live stream of the trial. The courtroom will be crowded with news reporters from all over. Most expect to cover the trial daily through this week, after that, it will depend on what is expected to take place. Some witnesses will likely be of more interest than others. 

Ray himself is looking positive and upbeat. His attorneys appear confident. County Attorney Sheila Polk looks poised and prepared, ready to get started.

We'll keep you as updated as possible. Likely, we will not provide daily on-scene coverage, but will get as much information as possible. Due to limited seating and no Internet access in the courtroom, it won't be live coverage, but we'll update whenever possible.