James Ray III, a 60-year-old former New Jersey attorney recently convicted of murdering his girlfriend, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Essex County Correctional Facility on Sunday and later pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark. Authorities are investigating the cause of death, with the medical examiner's office expected to provide further details. According to a union representative for jail staff, a sergeant discovered Ray and administered Narcan, suggesting a possible overdose, although this has not been confirmed.
Ray's conviction stemmed from the October 2018 shooting death of 44-year-old Angela Bledsoe in their Montclair home. Prosecutors argued that Ray killed Bledsoe after she dropped their daughter off at school because she was planning to move out and had a meeting scheduled with a realtor that day. Ray maintained he acted in self-defense. Following the shooting, Ray reportedly gathered documents and funds, took his daughter to his brother, and then fled to Mexico and Cuba. He was apprehended and extradited back to the U.S. in November 2018.
Last month, a jury found Ray guilty of first-degree murder and weapons charges after only three hours of deliberation. He was facing a sentence of 30 years to life imprisonment. One of his defense attorneys, Thomas Ashley, described Ray as stoic throughout the trial and seemingly resigned to his fate upon hearing the verdict. Ashley lamented the tragic end to what he called a tragic story.
Before his legal career, Ray served in the Marines and as a New York City police officer. He later obtained an MBA and attended law school.
