Church Associate Indicted on Murder and Weapons Charges in New Jersey Councilwoman’s Killing

A church associate, Rashid Ali Bynum, 29, of Portsmouth, Virginia, has been indicted on murder and weapons charges in the killing of New Jersey councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour. A Middlesex County grand jury handed up the indictment on August 16, 2023. Bynum, who remains in the county jail, is scheduled to be arraigned on August 28. It is currently unknown if he has retained an attorney.

Bynum was arrested in Virginia in May and extradited to New Jersey last month. Dwumfour, 30, was shot outside her rented townhome on February 1 as she returned from the grocery store. She had recently married a fellow pastor from her Nigerian church, Champions Royal Assembly; however, her husband had not joined her in America yet. Bynum was listed in Dwumfour’s phone under the acronym “FCF,” which stands for Fire Congress Fellowship, a related church entity. Dwumfour was deeply involved with the prosperity gospel group, leading services in Newark and serving as a church treasurer.

Prosecutors have provided limited details about the case and have not disclosed a possible motive. At the time of Bynum’s arrest, prosecutors stated that cellphone and vehicle transponder data were used to track his movements on February 1 and connect him to the crime. Bynum also matched the description of the gunman provided by neighbors in Sayreville, where Dwumfour lived.