Montclair Man Accused Of Murder Captured In Cuba, Returned To NJ – Montclair, NJ Patch
MONTCLAIR, NJ — The search for an “armed and dangerous” New Jersey lawyer accused of murdering the mother of his child in their Montclair home last month is over, authorities announced Wednesday.
James R. Ray III, 55, of Montclair, has been captured in Cuba and was returned to New Jersey to face murder charges for fatally shooting Angela M. Bledsoe, 44, also of Montclair, according to a joint statement from Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens and Montclair Police Chief Todd Conforti.
“[Ray] was apprehended in Cuba before he could go through customs,” Stephens said Wednesday. “Working with our federal and international law enforcement partners, we were able to identify him as our suspect and arrange to have him returned to New Jersey. He arrived back in the state last night.”
Stephens said that it took “extraordinary cooperation and coordination” among local, county, state, national and international law enforcement to apprehend Ray, who is accused of fatally shooting Bledsoe at their home on the 300-block of North Mountain Avenue during the overnight hours of Oct. 23.
Ray and Bledsoe lived together and had a child, who is now in the care of family members, authorities previously stated.
Montclair police received a call to make a “wellness check” at Bledsoe’s home on the 300-block of North Mountain Avenue on Monday night at 11:48 p.m. When officers arrived, they found Bledsoe suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:17 a.m., authorities said.
Ray is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday, Nov. 13 before Judge Martin G. Cronin, Judge of the Superior Court, to determine if he will be detained. An investigation remains active, authorities said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Ray, a New York-based attorney, ran the firm of Ray & Associates, whose website states that he is also a “former boxing promoter, restaurant owner and college professor,” TAP Into Montclair reported.
In 2013, Ray was accused of sexual harassment by a former paralegal after she claimed that he would repeatedly talk about polygamy to her, glare at her inappropriately and made unwelcome sexual advances during a mandatory business dinner.
According to court records, Ray settled the allegations with the paralegal for $35,000, NorthJersey.com reported.
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