Man convicted of fatally shooting New Jersey pastor is sentenced to life in prison

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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A Virginia man convicted of shooting a New Jersey pastor to death outside her home in 2023 was sentenced Monday 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.