Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Diary of a Killer’ of ABC’s ’20/20,’ the primary focus is on the brutal murder of a 44-year-old mother named Angela Bledsoe, who was found dead in the house she shared with her boyfriend, James Ray. He was responsible for the killing, but he went on the run immediately, leaving behind a confessional letter. As the police launched an international manhunt, they followed clues and traced his steps to finally capture the fugitive. The documentary provides a detailed account of the entire case and the investigation, including the apprehension of the killer.
James Ray Claimed Self-Defense in Angela Bledsoe’s Murder
Raised in Brooklyn, New York City, in a seemingly supportive household with his brother Robert Ray, James R. Ray III served in the US Marines and as a New York City police officer for a couple of years before pursuing an MBA and going to law school. After he launched an insurance brokerage firm, James hired Angela Bledsoe as the firm’s financial advisor. Despite being a married man and a father to Jay and Chelsea at the time, he fell head over heels in love with Angela. As the two began dating, he kept his marital status a secret from her. Even when she found out about the same, they continued their relationship and eventually became parents to their daughter, Alana Ray, in 2012. Taking the next step in their relationship, they started living together in James’ Montclair residence and raising Alana together.
Not long after, cracks began to appear as he started being unfaithful to the mother of his daughter. He also exhibited signs of control and jealousy as he believed that she was also involved with another man. Around the same time, Angela reportedly started seeing one of her schoolmates, Bakari Burns. When James learned about the affair, he called Bakari and tried to threaten him. On the fateful day of October 22, 2018, Angela had a meeting with a realtor to take a look at a property for herself as she was in the process of moving out of James’ house. However, before she could visit the property, James shot the 44-year-old woman multiple times at their North Mountain Avenue property in Montclair after she returned home after dropping their daughter at school.
In the hours following the shooting, he wrote a letter to his brother and withdrew cash from the bank before picking up Alana and dropping her off in the custody of his brother, Robert, at a restaurant. Requesting him to take care of her, James also gave him a couple of briefcases with the letter inside them and left. In the letter, he claimed that he had shot Angela in self-defense, stating, “I was about to clean my guns, and Angela picked up one as she was going to shoot me. I reacted in the heat of the moment, eased down, and couldn’t stop firing.” As per reports, he then went to Mexico, from where he took a flight to Cuba, where the US had no extradition agreement. With the help of the FBI, he was arrested by the Cuban police and handed over to the US law enforcement officials in New Jersey on November 6, 2018.
James Ray Passed Away in His Cell Before His Sentencing
Several years later, on March 29, 2023, James Ray’s trial for the murder of Angela Bledsoe commenced. The defense tried to sway the jury in the defendant’s favor by villainizing Angela, stating, “Angela had grown to hate, even despise, have disdain for James…The evidence will show that she picked up the gun, and she pointed it at him in one of her tirades.” On the other hand, the prosecution argued that James had planned the murder thoroughly as he methodically withdrew cash, wrote a letter, and arranged other things after killing his live-in girlfriend. His brother, Robert Ray, also testified against him.
After an intense seven-week trial, the jury deliberated for about three hours and reached a verdict. Finally, in May 2023, the Montclair lawyer was found guilty of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, in connection with the killing of Angela Bledsoe. With his sentencing hearing scheduled for June 22, he faced the possibility of a life sentence. However, just a few days before his sentencing, the authorities found him unconscious in his prison cell at the Essex County Correctional Facility on June 18. They tried to treat him with Narcan, a drug that treats overdoses, but when that didn’t work, the 60-year-old was immediately rushed to the University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead.
Read More: Angela Bledsoe Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
