Extradition delayed for suspect in murder of Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour

SAYREVILLE - The 29-year-old Virginia man charged with the murder of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour will remain in his home state for at least another month after an extradition hearing Thursday was continued to late August, according to Virginia court records.

Rashid Ali Bynum's extradition hearing was continued to Aug. 25. Bynum remains in custody.

WAVY TV 10 in Portsmouth, Virginia reported during Bynum's bond court appearance earlier this month that the public defender mentioned the possibility of opposing extradition and if that happened, New Jersey authorities would need to seek a special warrant from Virginia's governor to have Bynum brought to New Jersey.

Erik Mussoni, the Chesapeake Public Defender's Office's senior trial attorney, is listed on court records as Bynum's lawyer.

John Wisniewski, attorney for Dwumfour's family, hopes the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office would have started the process to have New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy formally request Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to extradite Bynum to New Jersey as soon as he was arrested. Wisniewski believes Youngkin has a 90-day window to act from the day Bynum was arrested.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

"But it underscores a vestige of states rights. New Jersey shouldn't need the permission of the Virginia governor to have him come to New Jersey and stand trial. You've got probable cause, you've got all these police agencies involved, it should just be a matter of course, but unfortunately we have this very cumbersome process," said Wisniewski, adding that anything happening in New Jersey will now have to wait until Bynum is physically here.

Earlier: Cops say man accused of killing Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour Googled church, guns

Wisniewski said he has not yet had a chance to speak with Dwumfour's family about the extradition hearing.

"I think it's a fair assumption that this will be just be a source of frustration (for the family) that there is this archaic process that has to be gone through when someone has been identified as a murderer," said Wisniewski.

On Feb. 1, 2023 Dwumfour, 30, a Republican and Sayreville's first Black elected official, suffered multiple gunshots inside her car outside her home in Sayreville in the area of Check Avenue in the Parlin section of the borough. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surveillance video captured a suspect fleeing the scene in the area of Ernston Road, and witnesses reported seeing a thin man, about 6 feet tall with ear-length braids or dreadlocks, and a suspicious white Hyundai on Gondek Drive minutes before the shooting. Video footage showed a person walking from the vehicle on Gondek Drive toward Check Avenue just before the shooting.

More: Arrest made in shooting death of Sayreville Councilwoman

Court papers indicate that as part of a extensive police investigation, it was determined a cellphone associated with Bynum traveled from Virginia to New Jersey and then back to Virginia on Feb. 1, and the phone was in the area of Gondek Drive and Ernston Road just before the shooting.

In Dwumfour's cellphone, investigators found a listing for "King Rah FCF," with the acronym believed to stand for Fire Congress Fellowship, a church the councilwoman had previously been associated with, which is also associated with Champion Royal Assembly, her latest church, the criminal complaint says.

The investigation also revealed that on the day of the slaying, Bynum allegedly searched the internet for information about Sayreville, Champion Royal Assembly Church, and the types of magazines compatible with a certain handgun.

Records also showed Bynum's cellphone traveled through E-ZPass locations in Newark, Woodbridge and Linden at the same time as a white Hyundai Elantra with a Virginia license plate. Police learned one of the registered owners of the vehicle had listed it online for rent, and Bynum's cellphone records indicate he contacted the vehicle owner the day before the slaying, according to the criminal complaint

A handgun was recovered at a Smithfield, Virginia address that Bynam apparently returned to after the shooting, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

A warrant for Bynum's arrest was authorized May 29 by a Superior Court judge in Middlesex County, according to the criminal complaint.

Bynum was arrested May 30 in Chesapeake City, Virginia and charged with Dwumfour's murder, as well as unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

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This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Eunice Dwumfour murder: Extradition delayed for suspect in murder of Sayreville councilwoman