Prosecutor’s Office Seeks To Block Records On GOP Councilwoman’s Murder From Going Public
The New Jersey prosecutor’s office investigating the murder of Republican Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour An injunction was requested to stop news outlets from getting important information about this case.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office argued that releasing any information to the public about the councilwoman’s death would hinder law enforcement’s investigation, NJ.com reported. The decision was made after several media outlets, both local and national, requested that 911 calls, arrest reports and footage from the police body cam or dash cam be made publicly.
“While the public and press have protectable constitutional interests to access pre-trial proceedings in criminal cases, access to disclosure is limited by the needs of the state to obtain just convictions and to preserve the confidentiality of sensitive information,” the prosecutor’s office said in its petition.
The prosecutor’s office reportedly invited media outlets to submit Open Public Record Act requests before attempting to block them. Some government transparency advocates called the prosecutors’ move “aggressive and unnecessary.”
“That sounds like prosecutors gone wild. It is extraordinarily rare for public agencies to affirmatively run to court in order to preemptively deny access to records,” Walter Leurs is an attorney who specializes on the public records law. Telled Gothamist.
It’s been a week since Dwumfour, a newly married mother, was found dead in the driver’s seat of her white Nissan SUV after being Shot As many as 14 times she pulled up to Sayreville, New Jersey. Since the deadly shooting, authorities have not made any arrests or revealed any information about a suspect or motive, causing frustration from the 30-year-old deceased councilwoman’s parents.
“So far, we haven’t heard anything yet,” Eunice’s father Prince Dwumfour Telled The New York Post, Tuesday.
After she was shot, Dwumfour’s vehicle reportedly traveled around 100 feet before hitting two parked cars. The New York Post was later informed by police that Dwumfour was recorded talking to the shooter just moments before her murder. New surveillance video obtained by News 12 New Jersey appeared to show a man dressed in black running behind Dwumfour’s complex around the same time Dwumfour was killed.
Eyewitnesses say they saw the gunman run toward Garden State Parkway after firing multiple times into Dwumfour’s vehicle. Police received a tip about the shooting and searched the woods behind Dwumfour’s home for the weapon. However, they did not report any results. According ABC 7.
Dwumfour won an upset win over her Democratic opponent to be elected to the Borough of Sayreville City Council. Dwumfour was also a part-time EMT, and an analyst in business. She was heavily involved with a Nigerian church group.
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