Man convicted of fatally shooting New Jersey pastor is sentenced to life in prison
Rashid Ali Bynum, 31, of Portsmouth, Virginia, appeared in a county courtroom in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that was filled with relatives and friends of the victim, Eunice Dwumfour. His lawyer, Michael Ashley, has said an appeal of the murder and weapons convictions is planned.
Dwumfour, 30, was ambushed in her vehicle on Feb. 1, 2023, as she arrived home at an apartment complex in Sayreville, a central New Jersey town where she also served as a council member. She was deeply involved in a Nigerian church, Champions Royal Assembly, and married a fellow church pastor in Abuja weeks before her death.
Prosecutors said Bynum had lived with Dwumfour and her child for a time before returning to the Sayreville home and shooting her 14 times. The motive has not been made clear.
Dwumfour had recruited Bynum into the church and a Bible study organization she had started, Fire Congress Fellowship, when they both lived in Virginia, prosecutors said. He then moved to Sayreville, where she frequently lived with other church members, authorities said.
Bynum returned to Virginia after his relationship with the church soured, prosecutors said.
A jury convicted Bynum in June after a month-long trial.
Ashley, Bynum's attorney, did not immediately return phone and email messages Monday afternoon. He has said there was no direct evidence linking him to the shooting, the Courier News reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
US-led coalition captures a senior Islamic State member in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — A U.S.-led coalition captured a senior member of the Islamic State group in northwest Syria on Wednesday, state media and a war monitor reported. It was not immediately clear if the man is the IS supreme leader. Abu Hafs al-Qurayshi, an Iraqi citizen and IS commander, was detained during a pre-dawn operation that included landing troops from helicopters in the town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border. Another Iraqi citizen was killed, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts. The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government's request.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government's request to unseal grand jury transcripts. The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government's request. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. According to Berman's ruling, no victims testified before the Epstein grand jury. The only witness, the judge wrote, was an FBI agent 'who had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay.' The agent testified over two days, on June 18 and July 2, 2019. The rest of the grand jury presentation consisted of a PowerPoint slideshow shown during the June 18 session and a call log shown during the July 2 session, which ended with grand jurors voting to indict Epstein. Both of those will also remain sealed, Berman ruled.
