‘Going to Set Me Up’: North Carolina Man Jailed for More Than Three Years Says His Ex-Girlfriend, Who’s a Magistrate, Abused Her Power to Keep Him Behind Bars. Now a Jury Has Rejected Claim
After nearly four years behind bars, Julius Bishop has been found guilty in a case he says was built on lies and abuse of power by his ex-girlfriend, a magistrate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Despite his April 5 conviction, Bishop was given credit for time served and walked free, released from the ordeal that upended his life in 2021.
The jury convicted Bishop of assault on a female, assault by strangulation, communicating threats, and violating a protective order — all stemming from a 2021 domestic violence case involving his former partner, Ashley Blackwell, a local judge. He was acquitted of stalking.
The verdict capped a long and tangled legal battle marked by accusations of corruption, claims of entrapment, and questions about the integrity of the justice system itself. Bishop, now 49, has maintained since day one that he was framed. For three and a half years, he’s told anyone who would listen — from jailhouse staff to reporters — that Blackwell misused her role as a magistrate to orchestrate his downfall.
Jurors deliberated less than two hours before finding him guilty on all but one charge. Because Bishop has already spent 1,328 days in jail awaiting trial — held on a $100,000 bond — he will be released under supervision after processing. His attorney, Samuel Randall, confirmed Bishop will appeal the convictions to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
From Romance to Ruin
On July 9, 2021, the couple’s relationship imploded. They were living together, discussing starting a family. Blackwell, who worked overnight shifts as a magistrate, was napping on the couch after a long shift when Bishop woke her, grousing over emails she had sent to a longtime friend. She greeted the friend with “Southern phrases” like “Hey baby” and “Hi love,” which enraged Bishop, taking it as proof she was cheating.
Arguments and accusations had been simmering for years. They had each other’s social media passwords, and both had suspected infidelity. On the day in question, the standoff exploded into violence. Home security footage, later recovered by Blackwell after Bishop deleted it, captured the assault. In court, jurors watched as Bishop struck Blackwell with a phone, dragged her by her shirt, threw objects, and repeatedly choked her — all while shouting threats.
“When you [expletive] with the devil, you get the devil,” he yelled in the video. “If you don’t shut up, I’m going to sock you.”
Bishop also took a topless photo of Blackwell without her consent and sent it to a male coworker, according to testimony. The next day, Blackwell obtained a domestic violence protective order.
‘Going to Set Me Up‘
Even before his arrest, Bishop told a 911 dispatcher, “A magistrate is going to set me up,” insisting he never hit or touched Blackwell. The 18-minute call included sobbing, pleas of innocence, and him calling himself a “scorned man.” He also read a message Blackwell had sent him: “I’m sorry it came to this. You did this, not me. You went too far. I love you, but you crossed too many lines.”
His bond remained low for a few months until a December 2021 grand jury indictment added new charges — including felony stalking and strangulation. Two weeks later, his bond spiked to $100,000. Bishop couldn’t afford to pay and remained in jail.
While behind bars, Bishop wrote eight letters to court officials, arguing that Blackwell and the police filed false charges and violated his constitutional rights. He also went public with his story in early 2025, speaking to WBTV from jail and detailing what he described as a targeted campaign by Blackwell to ruin his life.
Questions of Credibility
Bishop’s claims were bolstered by an unrelated complaint filed in 2023 by another county magistrate, Cheryl Ivery, who accused Blackwell of blurring the lines between her professional duties and personal life. Ivery claimed Blackwell admitted Bishop caught her cheating and initially said he hadn’t touched her during their argument, only to later file charges. The complaint also alleged Blackwell leaned on her relationship with a top judge to influence Bishop’s case.
That judge, Elizabeth Trosch, did later recuse herself, but not before approving the protective order against Bishop.
In court last week, Bishop’s attorney revisited those concerns. He argued that Blackwell “cherry-picked” information to build her case and used her legal knowledge as a magistrate to her advantage. Still, he acknowledged the video showed his client was in the wrong. “I’m not here to sell you that his actions were reasonable,” Randall told jurors. “He assaulted the crap out of her.”
He urged jurors to scrutinize the stalking and strangulation charges, but jurors only acquitted Bishop of the former. The stalking charge had partially stemmed from Bishop emailing Blackwell about rent and trying to return to the shared home on move-in day.
Prosecutor Terra Varnes painted a different picture: a man bent on revenge. “Once he finished assaulting Ashley’s body,” she said, “he moved on to their home.” Bishop later destroyed property, posted accusations of infidelity online, and once left a torn photo marked “adultery is bad character” at Blackwell’s workplace, violating the protective order.
Not the Final Word
While the case has concluded in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, Bishop’s legal battle is far from over. With an appeal in motion and a long trail of accusations still hanging in the air, questions linger about what really happened between Bishop and Blackwell — and whether the system handled it fairly.
“I’ve been here for three years,” Bishop told WBTV earlier this year. “And I’ve lost eight family members that I should have buried in the ground.”
His release marks the end of one chapter. But another begins in the appellate arena.