The m*rder of New Jersey councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, who was shot outside her house in Sayreville in February, has resulted in the arrest of a 28-year-old man from Virginia.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone revealed that state and federal authorities had arrested Rashid Ali Bynum outside a home in Chesapeake City, Virginia, at around 10:45 a.m., charging him with first-degree m*rder and two gun charges.
“The m*rder has shaken the community, and no arrest will bring back the late councilwoman,” Ciccone said. “However, I do trust that justice will be found through the criminal justice process.” Bynum, a resident of Portsmouth, Virginia, is currently being held for extradition to New Jersey.
Until his pre-trial detention hearing in the state Superior Court, he will be detained at the Middles*x County Adult Correctional Complex. While Dwumfour’s 12-year-old daughter was inside the house, On February 1 at 7:30 p.m., Bynum allegedly pumped several rounds into her SUV, k!lling the 30-year-old Republican woman inside.
Witnesses reported seeing a guy in black flee the scene, but investigators were silent for months, leaving the public to wonder if they had found a suspect and what they believed motivated Dwumfour’s m*rder.
Ciccone stated on Tuesday that Bynum’s white Hyundai Elantra and smartphone were found close to the crime scene. She further mentioned that eyewitness accounts and neighboring surveillance footage corroborated her description of his look.
Dwumfour clearly had prior knowledge about Bynum, as the councilwoman’s phone book included him as a contact. Ciccone explains that the initials “FCF” next to Dwumfour’s name are for “Fire Congress Fellowship,” a church that Dwumfour once attended.
According to Ciccone, Dwumfour was a member of the Champion Royal Assembly at the time of her death, and the fellowship has ties to that organization. The prosecutor claims that Bynum conducted an internet search for information about Dwumfour’s church, the city in which she resided, and the kind of magazines that could be used in a certain handgun.
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After Bynum reportedly shot and k!lled Dwumfour, he returned to his home in Smithfield, Virginia, where authorities discovered a firearm. Ciccone didn’t explain why Bynum would have wanted the councilwoman de@d, though. As soon as she finished making the news, she stopped taking questions.
At Ciccone’s press conference, Dwumfour’s relatives stated they were baffled as to why anyone would want to harm the recently married Newark native and preacher. She was well-liked and revered by her family and friends for her strong faith.
“We feel the pain that you all feel,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin told the family. “The work that’s been done … is extraordinary. And no stone was left unturned.”
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