The man accused of killing NJ Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour has been found guilty on all counts. A New Jersey jury convicted Rashid Ali Bynum in connection to the 2023 shooting death that shocked Sayreville and drew national attention to the tight-knit community.
Bynum, 29, was convicted of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and several other charges, according to ABC7 News NY. He will be sentenced on August 18.
As ESSENCE previously reported, police found Dwumfour, 30, fatally shot inside her car on February 1, 2023. The young councilwoman had sustained multiple gunshot wounds in what authorities described as a targeted attack outside her home.
Dwumfour’s killing set off a months-long manhunt that led investigators to Bynum, who was arrested in Virginia nearly four months later. Prosecutors said Bynum once lived in Sayreville—the same town where Dwumfour lived with her 11-year-old daughter—and knew her through the church where she served as a pastor.
During the trial, the prosecution shared cell phone data that tracked Bynum’s movements. He traveled from Virginia to New Jersey and back around the time of the murder. They said that evidence, along with surveillance footage and witness accounts, placed him at the scene.
Dwumfour had recently made history as a rising political figure. In 2022, she was elected to the Sayreville Borough Council after defeating an incumbent Democrat. A proud Republican, she also served on the Sayreville Human Rights Council and was deeply involved in her church community.
Beyond politics, Dwumfour was a devoted mother, a business analyst and a part-time EMT. Her murder stunned local residents, many of whom remembered her as deeply faithful and full of promise.
In February 2024, on the first anniversary of her death, family and friends gathered in Union, New Jersey, to celebrate her life and call for continued justice.