SAYREVILLE, NEW JERSEY: Rashid Ali Bynum, a 29-year-old Virginia man, accused of fatally shooting a New Jersey councilwoman, has pled not guilty to the brutal murder.
Bynum was denied bail on Monday, August 29 after pleading not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in the death of 30-year-old Eunice Dwumfour, who was fatally shot 14 times as she sat in her SUV outside her apartment in the Parlin section of Sayreville on February 1.
Bynum was arrested in Virginia in May and was extradited to New Jersey last month. He had previously resided in Sayreville, where Dwumfour lived with her 12-year-old daughter and held a position on the city council.
Images obtained by Daily Mail showed Bynum making faces as the charges against him were read at the Middlesex County Courthouse.
In the court, Dwumfour's family was also seen sobbing before her mother Mary was taken into custody after hurling a water bottle at the suspect. She is facing a disorderly person's offense.
How Rashid Ali Bynum was arrested in Eunice Dwumfour’s murder?
Bynum was arrested in Virginia in May after phone records showed his ties to the Newark Chapter of Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly Church, where Dwumfour worked.
Prosecutors previously argued that Dwumfour knew Bynum from her time as a pastor at the church. They also claimed that his phone records showed how he traveled from Virginia to New Jersey before returning to Virginia at the time of the murder.
Investigators also tracked the suspect’s rental car, which he paid for in cash, through its E-ZPass. Additionally, officials noted that they recovered a weapon from Bynum’s apartment that matched the one used in Dwumfour’s murder.
On Monday, prosecutors revealed that at one point Bynum lived with Dwumfour and her daughter but he was sent back to Virginia after the church decided he was not following their beliefs.
When is Rashid Ali Bynum’s next court hearing?
As per records, Bynum will remain jailed until his next court hearing on October 30. Judge Joseph Paone cited 'overwhelming evidence' as a reason to hold him without bail.
"Based on the totality of the circumstances and the horrific nature of the crime and the weight of the evidence, this court finds that the defendant has failed to rebut the presumption for detention with the proof necessary to show that he does not pose a danger to the community, a risk to obstruct the criminal justice process, and a risk to not appear in court," the judge said.
As mentioned previously, Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship Inc. and a part-time EMT.
Dwumfour married pastor Eze Kings, who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
