James R. Ray III
James R. Ray III was a former U.S. Marine and New York City police officer who went on to earn an M.B.A. and a law degree, and his attorneys said he leaves behind three children. He was found unconscious in his cell at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark on Sunday, June 18, 2023, and was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A union official said a sergeant who found him gave him Narcan. His defense attorneys say it appears he died of a drug overdose and have called for a full investigation. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said the cause and manner of death were not yet known and that an autopsy was pending.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed). His defense attorneys, Thomas Ashley and Brook Barnett, say it appears he died of a drug overdose and want a full investigation, while the Essex County Prosecutor's Office says the cause and manner are not yet known and an autopsy is pending.
Reported by: defense attorneys Thomas Ashley and Brook Barnett (family or their lawyers).
Sources (5)
- James Ray III dies in jail while awaiting sentencing in 2018 murder of girlfriend Angela Bledsoe
- Ex-Lawyer Who Killed Girlfriend Dies in Custody Days Before Sentencing (Published 2023)
- Attorneys Demand Full Investigation After Man Convicted Of Murder Dies Of Apparent Overdose
- James Ray III, lawyer convicted of murdering girlfriend, dies while awaiting sentencing
- Convicted Montclair Murderer Found Dead In Prison On Father’s Day