The man accused of killing his girlfriend in Montclair last month will have his detention hearing pushed back again.
James Ray III appeared in Superior Court in Newark on Friday with a new attorney, Thomas Ashley, who has a practice in Newark.
Ray, 55, is accused of fatally shooting the mother of his child last month, Angela Bledsoe, and later confessed to the crime in a note found by a family member, according to charging documents filed by prosecutors.
In the note, Ray III confessed to the killing and indicated he was scared to face prison time and "the long burden of a trial," a detective wrote in an affidavit obtained by NJ Advance Media.
Ray was apprehended as a murder suspect in Cuba recently and turned over to U.S. federal just over a week after he was detained upon arriving in the Caribbean country
On Friday, Ashley told Judge Ronald B. Wigler that he had been retained the day prior and needed time to review the discovery. Ashley and Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Tim Shaughnessy discussed what had already been given to Ray's previous attorney, William Ewing: the affidavit of probable cause and the note.
"The state turned over the note, the typewritten note to Mr. Ray's brother that prompted him to call police," Shaughnessy said.
Ashley said he needed to see the crime scene photos, which Shaughnessy said he had handed over to him on a CD outside the courtroom. Judge Wigler said Ashley would only need to see whatever evidence the state would present at the hearing.
An earlier attempt at a detention hearing on Tuesday was adjourned at Ewing's request to review the evidence, since he had just been hired the night before, Shaughnessy said.
Wigler scheduled Ray for a new detention hearing for Nov. 26, after Thanksgiving.
Ray will remain at the Essex County Correctional Facility over the holiday.
Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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