A Virginia man was sentenced Monday to life in prison for fatally shooting a New Jersey councilwoman in 2023.
Rashid Ali Bynum, 31, did not speak at his sentencing hearing in Middlesex County court, despite repeated questions about his motive for the killing, the Somerville Courier News reported.
Bynum was convicted in June for the February 2023 murder of 30-year-old Eunice Dwumfour outside her home in Sayreville. Dwumfour was a councilwoman in the town and a pastor at a popular Nigerian church, Champions Royal Assembly.
Before moving to Virginia, Bynum attended Dwumfour’s church and lived with her briefly, along with other members of the church.
“Why did you kill my mom?” Dwumfour’s daughter asked Bynum in a letter read to the court, according to the Courier News. “My mom was so kind, so caring and she would not even hurt a fly. I’m struggling to know why, my family is struggling to know why and I hope you will be bold enough to tell me why.”
But Bynum did not answer, even as multiple other family members asked for his motivation.
Prosecutors never attempted to prove any motive for the deadly shooting. Instead, they cited toll pass data and cellphone data that showed Bynum traveling from Virginia to New Jersey prior to the murder, then leaving afterward.
Cops also tied the 15 bullets fired at the crime scene to a Glock handgun found under Dwumfour’s sister’s bed.
With News Wire Services
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