Man accused of killing Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour Googled church, guns: cops
The Virginia man charged in the killing of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour has a lengthy criminal record, mostly credit card fraud, and two weapons offenses, in 2019 in Maryland and in 2014 in Virginia.
Public records show Rashid Ali Bynum, of Portsmouth, Virginia, who turned 29 on Wednesday, a day after he was charged with the Feb. 1 murder of Dwumfour, has been charged with 37 criminal offenses.
Bynum's arrest record began in October 2014 in Virginia when he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor. Public records show he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in March 2015 to a maximum of 90 days in jail and a maximum of three years’ probation.
In Maryland on May 23, 2019, Bynum, then 24, was charged with a weapons violation related to having a loaded handgun in a vehicle and a handgun in his possession. He pleaded guilty to having a handgun in his possession, a misdemeanor, and served 17 days in jail before being released on June 10, 2019, public records show.
A WBOC TV report on the 2019 incident indicates Bynam was among three young men in a vehicle that pulled over for speeding by Pocomoke City police and found to be in possession of four loaded handguns, including one gun in the waistband of a passenger. Police also found two white face masks, gloves and target practice posters in the vehicle.
Bynum's other offenses, all out of Virginia and some of which are still active, are related to credit card theft and larceny, eluding police, possession of a credit card forgery device, credit card forgery and possession of marijuana.
His traffic violations include reckless driving, driving while revoked, having an imitation vehicle inspection sticker, driving with a suspended license, driving with an expired registration and speeding.
On Tuesday Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Bynum had been arrested earlier in the day in Chesapeake City, Virginia and charged with murder, unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose in the death of Dwumfour, a Republican and Sayreville's first Black elected official.
No motive for the killing has been announced and the investigation is continuing.
The two knew each other, Ciccone said.
In Dwumfour's cellphone, Bynum was listed as a contact with the initials FCF next to his name, which Ciccone said she believed stands for Fire Congress Fellowship, a church Dwumfour was previously affiliated with which is also affiliated with Champion Royal Assembly in Newark, where the councilwoman's LinkedIn page had listed her as the director of churches.
Dwumfour's LinkedIn page also had previously listed her as an IT Business analyst for Fire Congress Fellowship. Prior to her death she had sent out a message on LinkedIn saying she was looking to make a change but did not elaborate
Dwumfour was shot in her car in the parking lot of the housing complex where she lived in the Parlin section of Sayreville. Neighbors called 911 after hearing gunshots and when police arrived, they found Dwumfour inside her vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds.
Witnesses and video surveillance showed a person fleeing the area along Ernston Road. A witness described the person as a tall, thin Black man with braids or dreads, which Ciccone said matched Bynum's appearance. Witnesses also reported seeing a white Hyundai in the area just before the killing, and someone walking up the sidewalk toward Check Avenue just before the shooting.
Ciccone linked a cellphone associated with Bynum that traveled from Virginia to New Jersey on Feb. 1, and the phone was detected in the area of Ernston Road just before the killing. She said records show Bynum searched for information about Champion Royal Assembly Church and Sayreville on the day of the killing, as well as information about what magazines were compatible with a specific handgun.
Records also showed Bynum's cellphone and well as a white Hyundai with Virginia plates traveling through E-ZPass in Newark, Woodbridge and Linden on Feb. 1, Ciccone said.
The investigation also revealed the vehicle's owner had listed the white Hyundai for rent, and Bynam contacted the phone number of the owner the day before the killing, the prosecutor said.
Ciccone also said a handgun was recovered at a Smithfield, Virginia address that Bynam apparently returned to after the killing.
A Magnolia tree donated by Columbia Bank has been planted along Main Street in front of the municipal parking lot next to the municipal building in memory of Dwumfour by the Sayreville Shade Tree Commission, chaired by former Councilman Art Rittenhouse.
A temporary placard on the ground in front of the tree commemorates Dwumfour's service and her passing. Rittenhouse said a formal dedication is expected to be held later this year.
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.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Sayreville NJ Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour murder suspect has priors
