Montclair Man Says He Shot Girlfriend In Self-Defense: Report

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A lawyer accused of murdering the mother of his child in their Montclair home earlier this month is claiming that the fatal shooting was done in self-defense, a report says.

On Monday, James R. Ray III, 55, and his attorney made a court appearance in Newark to face murder charges for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Angela M. Bledsoe, 44, in their home on North Mountain Avenue in Montclair, NJ.com reported. (Read the full article here)

Bledsoe was found inside their home suffering from gunshot wounds and pronounced dead on the scene 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.

Following the shooting, police launched a search for Ray, an attorney, who was apprehended in Cuba earlier this month. He was returned to New Jersey on Nov. 6 to face murder and weapons charges for allegedly killing Bledsoe.

• See related article: Montclair Man Accused Of Murder Captured In Cuba, Returned To NJ

On Monday, Ray’s own lawyer said that the shooting took place when his client was cleaning several guns he owned, NJ.com reported.

Bledsoe took one of the guns and pointed it at Ray, and that was when he fired in an attempt to defend himself, his attorney alleged.

However, prosecutors have alleged that Bledsoe was shot four times: once in the jaw and three times in the back, NJ.com stated.

Ray – who has been in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility since his return to the U.S. – allegedly wrote a note admitting to the shooting. In the note, Ray wrote that he disassembled the gun used to shoot Bledsoe and disposed of the parts in Philadelphia, prosecutors said.

Authorities said the note was found in the suitcase of his 6-year-old child, NJ.com reported.

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