A Montclair lawyer accused of killing his girlfriend -- the mother of their young child -- was arrested by FBI agents in Cuba, local and federal authorities announced Wednesday.
James R. Ray III
James R. Ray III, 55, was booked in the Essex County Correctional Facility Tuesday on a charge of murder, jail records show.
Ray, whose offices are in New York City, was the prime suspect in the shooting death of Angela Bledsoe on Oct. 23. Bledsoe, 44, was found dead at the home the two shared on North Mountain Avenue.
At a Wednesday press conference, officials said Ray left the couple's child with family members after the slaying, before heading to the Southwest and then Mexico. Once across the border, he took a plane to Cuba, officials said.
FBI agents received word that Ray was in Cuba on Oct. 28. Cuban authorities then detained Ray after federal officials obtained a warrant in U.S. District Court that allowed for his arrest for "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution," FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Gregory Ehrie said.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens declined to provide any information on a suspected motive or any evidence gathered by detectives. He said there have been no plea negotiations at this point.
The FBI took custody of Ray in Cuba and returned him to New Jersey via a flight to Teterboro Airport. He was lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility on Tuesday.
Ray is scheduled to appear before Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin in Newark on Tuesday for a detention hearing, Stephens said.
NJ Advance Media previously reported that Ray was sued by a paralegal he allegedly pressured to become his third wife in 2013.
A civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court 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.
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.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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