Jury selection has started for the trial of Rashid Bynum, the man accused in the 2023 murder of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.
Officials say Dwumfour was shot 14 times at close range on Feb. 1, 2023, while she was sitting inside her car at the Camelot at La Mer complex. Witnesses said they saw a man running away from the crime scene toward nearby Ernston Road.
After a lengthy police investigation, officials identified Bynum as that man.
Police say they tracked him to Chesapeake, Virginia, by searching through E-ZPass data and information from cellphone towers, which told detectives Bynum was in Sayreville.
Bynum and Dwumfour knew each other through a church group in Virginia called Fire Congress Fellowship. But not much more is known about their relationship.
A motive for her death has never been revealed, but that question may finally be answered during this trial.
The defense is expected to question evidence of two types of shell casings and bullets found at the crime scene, suggesting a possible second shooter.
Bynum was sitting through jury selection at the Middlesex County Courthouse on Tuesday.
He was listening as Judge Joseph Paone was asking potential jurors if they could remain impartial while also asking more personal questions, including, “What type of work do you do?” “Which TV shows do you watch?” And, “What do you do in your spare time?”
Jurors who are chosen will likely be serving four to six weeks for this trial.