‘Loving’ NJ Mom Is Fatally Shot — and ‘Armed and Dangerous’ Lawyer Boyfriend Is Fugitive Suspect

A New Jersey lawyer believed to be armed and dangerous is a fugitive after allegedly fatally shooting his girlfriend, who was the mother of his child, authorities say.

A manhunt is underway as police search for James Ray III, 55, of Montclair, who is charged with murder and weapons offenses in the death of Angela Bledsoe, 44, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor.

On Monday night, police called to check on Bledsoe’s Montclair home found her suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead several hours later, the prosecutor’s office says.

A man in Pennsylvania believed to be Ray’s brother called police, saying he believed Ray had shot his girlfriend three times, killing her, local station WNBC reports.

Ray, a practicing attorney in New York City and owner of the law firm, Ray & Associates, remains at large.

He is believed to be driving a black, four-door BMW with New Jersey license plate number ZNX68M, the prosecutor’s office says.

Ray and Bledsoe lived together and are the parents of a young daughter together, who is in the care of family members, the prosecutor’s office says.

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A graduate of Florida A&M University, which she attended from 1993 to 1997, Bledsoe earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the School of Business and Industry. Active in alumni affairs, she served as a National Alumni officer.

“She was a fantastic person,” Col. Gregory Clark, president of the National Alumni Association told the Tallahassee Democrat.

Clark appointed Bledsoe to the role of parliamentarian when he took office three years ago. She was “so loving and caring and was one of my principal advisers,” he told the Democrat. “She loved FAMU dearly and will be truly missed.”

After college, she worked as an analyst with Chase Manhattan Bank and later as an associate with JPMorgan Chase.

Her most recent job was as a financial consultant with Securities America in New York City, according to her professional website.

She was also involved in her daughter’s activities, taking her daughter to summer dance camp and serving as a Girl Scout volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, NorthJersey.com reports.

“We are saddened to learn about the loss of one of the members of the Girl Scout family and our condolences go out to her family,” CEO Betty Garger said in a statement.

In April 2013, a 23-year-old female paralegal sued Ray in federal civil court for sexual harassment, alleging Ray fired her when she refused to discuss pornography and polygamy with him, multiple outlets including NorthJersey.com and NJ.com report.

Ray reached a $35,000 settlement with the paralegal in December 2013, court records show, according to the outlets.

In his disposition for the harassment case, Ray said he met Bledsoe in 2008, when she was working in the insurance business and he hired her as a sales manager, NorthJersey.com reports.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-847-7432.