NYPD cop who fled to Cuba after allegedly murdering his daughter's mother now faces life in prison

A lawyer and former police officer who fled to Cuba to escape U.S. prosecution now faces life in prison after being convicted for killing the mother of his daughter.

The man, identified as James Ray III, killed the mother of his 6-year-old daughter in a suburban New Jersey home 5 years ago and then fled to Cuba, according to NBC 4.

The killer, who worked for the New York police, was found guilty of murdering Angela Bledsoe in 2018. The man fled after fatally shooting Bledsoe on Oct. 23, 2018, inside the home they shared.

Authorities say the 44-year-old mother had returned home from dropping her daughter off at school when he shot her multiple times.

Police showed up at the home and found the woman dead.

After killing Bledsoe, Ray left his 6-year-old daughter with his brother, crossed the Mexican border and caught a plane to Cuba, landing there on October 28. 

He was arrested Oct. 31 by FBI agents before clearing customs. 

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens at a Newark news conference said Ray was returned to New Jersey due to "extraordinary cooperation and coordination" among law enforcement partners, including the Montclair Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, ICE, Interpol and the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

James Ray III was found guilty on all counts on Friday in the murder of his girlfriend Angela Bledsoe. The jury, consisting of 11 men and four women, sat through a 6-week trial  and returned the verdict after just a few hours of deliberation.

Ray, now 60, has a sentencing hearing in June.