Convicted Montclair Murderer Found Dead In Prison On Father’s Day

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A former Montclair lawyer was found dead in prison on Father’s Day, just over a month after he was convicted for murdering the mother of his 6-year-old daughter, authorities said.

The cause and manner of James R. Ray III’s death are not currently known, authorities told Patch on Tuesday.

“An autopsy is pending, and our professional standards bureau is conducting the investigation,” said Robert Florida, spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

• See Related: Montclair Lawyer Convicted Of Murdering Mother Of His Child

Ray, 60 – who was also a former U.S. Marine and police officer – was found unconscious on Sunday in his cell at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday and faced life in prison, The New York Times reported.

Ray’s defense attorneys said it appears he died of a drug overdose, and are calling for more investigation, News12.com stated.

A union official who represents staff members at the jail said the sergeant who found Ray administered Narcan, a drug that is commonly used to treat overdoses, CBS News reported.

The 2018 murder occurred in the house the couple shared with their daughter on North Mountain Avenue in Montclair. Here’s what happened, according to prosecutors:

“On October 22, 2018, Ray shot Angela Bledsoe, 44, in the chest, face and back, shortly after she returned home after dropping their daughter off at school. Ray then prepared several documents and went to a local bank, where he withdrew checks and cash. He picked his daughter up from school and dropped her off with his brother at a New Jersey restaurant. He asked his brother to take care of his daughter and then abruptly left the restaurant. Ray traveled through the southwestern United States and into Mexico, where he booked a flight to Cuba.”

Ray was returned to the United States by law enforcement officials on Nov. 6, 2018, and had been in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility since then, authorities said.

• See Related: Montclair Man Accused Of Murder Captured In Cuba, Returned To NJ
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On the day of Bledsoe’s death, she had a meeting scheduled with a realtor to find a place of her own; she was planning to move out of the house she shared with Ray, prosecutors said.

Ray and Bledsoe’s daughter remains with her family members, authorities said in May.

Ray was raised in Brooklyn and spent two years as a New York City police officer before earning a master’s of business administration degree and going to law school. He also served in the U.S. Marines.

His attorney argued that Ray killed Bledsoe – his girlfriend of nine years – in self-defense when she picked up a gun and pointed it at him while he was cleaning his guns in their family room, NorthJersey.com reported.

• See Related: Montclair Man Says He Shot Girlfriend In Self-Defense, Report Says

However, assistant prosecutor Michele Miller, who tried the case along with assistant prosecutor John Petillo, appealed to jurors to think about whether it made sense that Ray – a working attorney – would be cleaning his guns on a Monday morning and would have fled to Cuba afterwards.

“These are not the actions of a man who acted in self-defense,” she said.

Miller pointed out that Bledsoe’s parents and other family members were in the courtroom when the verdict was read.

“They waited a long time for this day,” she said.

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