A Virginia man, once bound by faith and fellowship with New Jersey pastor and councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, will now spend the rest of his life behind bars for ending hers.
On Monday, the New Brunswick courtroom was filled with tears and grief as family, friends, and church members watched 31-year-old Rashid Ali Bynum receive a life sentence. Once welcomed into Eunice’s prayer circle, Bynum’s path tragically shifted from worship to violence.
Eunice, only 30, was more than a local politician—she was a devoted pastor, a newlywed, and a mother. As a leader in the Nigerian-rooted Champions Royal Assembly, she had inspired many through her Bible study initiative, Fire Congress Fellowship, where she first brought Bynum close. At one point, they even shared a home in faith and mission.
But their bond fractured. And on February 1, 2023, prosecutors said Bynum returned to her apartment complex, ambushed her in her car, and fired 14 bullets. Just weeks earlier, Eunice had married fellow Nigerian pastor Peter Ezechukwu, based in Abuja. Her future, both in family and public service, was cut short in an instant.
Her killing shook Sayreville to its core. Eunice wasn’t only a rising councilwoman; she was also a voice of hope, a newly married bride, and the mother of an 11-year-old girl—who was inside the house when the shots rang out.
Though prosecutors proved Bynum’s guilt, the trial never revealed why. The silence around his motive has left both the congregation and her community grappling with a painful truth: a trusted church member she once nurtured became the very person who destroyed her.
Bynum was convicted in June after a month-long trial. His lawyer, Michael Ashley, said an appeal is on the way, but for Eunice’s loved ones, no ruling can bring back the woman they lost.
Her life—rooted in faith, love, and public service—was a beacon in Sayreville, and her death remains a reminder of both the fragility of trust and the cruelty of betrayal.
