Lawyer accused of killing his child’s mother has been arrested – NJ.com

A Montclair lawyer accused of killing his girlfriend has been arrested on murder charges after a lengthy manhunt.

James Ray III, 55, was booked in the Essex County Correctional Facility Tuesday on a charge of murder, jail records show.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. to release further information about the case.

Ray, the prime suspect in the death of Angela Bledsoe, has been at large since last month.

Bledsoe, 44, was found shot to death Oct. 23 at a home on North Mountain Avenue in Montclair she shared with Ray.

Ray was not present at the home when police arrived. Prosecutors announced shortly after the crime that he was at large and should be considered armed and dangerous.

The couple had a child together who was in the care of family members.

NJ Advance Media reported after the incident that Ray was previously sued by a paralegal he allegedly pressured to become his third wife.

A civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court in 2013 said Ray subjected the paralegal to numerous unwanted conversations about polygamy and pornography while she worked for him in 2012.

The woman was eventually fired by Ray after she rebuffed his advances, the complaint said.

The lawsuit was settled out of court, records show.

Ray was also made headlines in 2017 when he was a witness in the child rape trial of Jelani Maraj, the brother of rapper Nicki Minaj. Newsday reported Ray previously had been hired by the 11-year-old victim’s mother to seek damages from Maraj, who was convicted in November.

A graduate of Florida A&M in 1997, Bledsoe served as the parliamentarian of the school’s national alumni association.  

The association’s president, Col. Gregory Clark, told the Tallahassee Democrat that Bledsoe was a “fantastic person.”

“(She was) so loving and caring and was one of my principal advisers,” he told the news organization. “She loved FAMU dearly and will be truly missed.”

After college, Bledsoe worked as an analyst with Chase Manhattan Bank and later as an associate with JPMorgan Chase, People Magazine reported.

She also volunteered with her daughter’s Girl Scouts of America group.

Ray was a practicing attorney in New York City.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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