Rashid Bynum, 29, of Portsmouth, Virginia, is being held in the Middlesex County jail and was arraigned and plead not guilty on Monday in the high-profile murder of Dwumfour. The councilwoman was shot to death in front of her home in early February.
During an emotionally charged proceeding on Monday morning in a New Brunswick, courtroom, Dwumfour’s mother, Mary Prince threw a bottle of water at Bynum and was quickly admonished by the judge and arrested. She was charged with disorderly conduct. The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office handcuffed Prince and escorted her out of the courtroom. She was later released and warned by the judge that she may be banned from attending future hearings related to the case.
The suspect Rashid Ali Bynum was taken into custody in May by state and federal authorities officers in Virginia after tips, including surveillance camera video, cell phone records, and a partial description of the suspect vehicle, led officers to Chesapeake City, Va, where he was arrested.
After several bureaucratic delays, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy contacted Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to expedite the extradition process. Bynum was eventually extradited from Virginia to New Jersey late last month.
The shooting garnered national attention and was the subject of intense local, state and federal investigations. Dwumfour and Bynum knew each other through an affiliation at the Champions Royal Assembly Church in Newark. Some reports suggest that Dwumfour mentored Bynum, and he lived with her and her young daughter but was eventually asked to leave due to bad behavior. Bynum has had run-ins with the law and a rap sheet.
Dwumfour, 30, was gunned down in a hail of bullets as she sat in her car in front of her home on the evening of February 2. At the time, she was recently married and had a 12-year-old daughter. She had been a member of the Sayreville City Council since 2021 and was an outspoken critic of the local police department.
This is a developing story. Stay with NJUrban News for updates….