Cult Leader Accused Of Murdering Followers Called Herself A 'Prophetess'

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — Appearing in a wheelchair Thursday in a San Bernardino County courtroom, Shelley "Kathryn" Bailey Martin, 62, was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and was quiet. If the murder charges against her are upheld, the alleged self-proclaimed "prophetess" of a Hemet-based religious group could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Martin was in court for a preliminary hearing. Co-defendants Rudy Franco Moreno, 43, Darryl Muzic Martin, 58, and Andre Thomas, 49, were also present. The four were arrested on Dec. 11. All are charged with murder, and all have pleaded not guilty. They were expected back in court on Tuesday.

Shelley "Kathryn" Bailey Martin was the leader of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, which had locations in Colton and Hemet. She and Moreno are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of 40-year-old Emilio Salem Ghanem, who disappeared more than two years ago. There have been no public announcements by authorities about the whereabouts of Ghanem's remains.

Shelley "Kathryn" Bailey Martin is also charged with murder in the death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas. His Way Spirit Led Assemblies co-leader Darryl Muzic Martin and former group member Thomas were also charged with murder in connection with the boy's 2010 death in Colton.

Andre Thomas is the child's father, and Darryl Muzic Martin is Shelley "Kathryn" Bailey Martin's husband. The boy's parents placed him in the Martins' care. The child later died from a ruptured appendix after the Martins allegedly failed to seek medical care despite knowing the boy was sick, authorities said.

The death of a sick child in the care of the Martins would not be surprising to Anthony Duran, a former His Way Spirit Led Assemblies member.

Duran told the Los Angeles Times that the group's members, led by "Prophetess Kathryn," don't believe in the medical system.

"So if you get hurt or you get sick, you better start praying," he said.

"Prophetess Kathryn" claimed God spoke through her, and she was very controlling, Duran said.

He escaped His Way Spirit Led Assemblies in 2020. He described the group as "a cult" and said he feared for his safety.

"When I had left, I did it in the middle of the night," Duran told the Times.

The His Way Spirit Led Assemblies members are also under investigation into the 2019 disappearance of Ruben Moreno, who was 43 when he vanished. Defendant Rudy Moreno is the victim's brother. There have been no public updates on that case.

The investigation into Ghanem's disappearance began nearly three years ago. The Nashville man was last seen May 25, 2023, at a Starbucks restaurant on Redlands Boulevard in Redlands. A rented Nissan Frontier pickup driven by Ghanem was spotted on surveillance video that day in the nearby city of Grand Terrace.

After Ghanem was reported missing by his family, the burned-out truck and evidence were later recovered in the Mojave Desert. There was no sign of Ghanem.

He had worked for Fullshield, Inc., a pest control business owned and operated by His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. The company later operated under the name “Maxguard," according to the Redlands Police Department.

After aligning with His Way Spirit Led Assemblies for two decades, Ghanem left California to be closer to family in Nashville, but he returned to the Inland Empire in May 2023.

Ghanem was no longer a member of the religious group, but His Way Spirit Led Assemblies allegedly accused him of trying to poach local pest control clients. On May 8, 2023, Ghanem was served with a cease-and-desist letter. He disappeared before the month was up. His body has not been found.

It's unclear what evidence prosecutors have in the alleged killing. In August, Redlands police detectives and other law enforcement agencies served a search warrant on an Anza residence in connection with Ghanem's disappearance. The home located in the 57000 block of Forestry Road is in a desolate area, about 37 miles directly east of downtown Temecula.

Eight people at the home were briefly detained and later released at the scene.

A few days prior, a search warrant was served in the 26000 block of Pleasant Street in Hemet in connection with the investigation into His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. Four people were detained but later released; two people were arrested on unrelated charges, Redlands police said. Ghost guns and automatic rifles were allegedly seized from the Hemet compound.

Victim advocates from the San Bernardino County District Attorney Bureau of Victim Services and DA crisis response K9 assisted innocent His Way Spirit Led Assemblies members with food, water, and contacts for additional resources, according to authorities.

Greed and control were motives in the death cases, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson told reporters following the defendants' December arrests: Control over the secretive nature of a little boy's preventable death and greed in the Ghanem case.

"I think [His Way Spirit Led Assemblies] is a tightly controlled religious organization that is centered around their beliefs and also centered around being a business," Anderson said.

Redlands Police Chief Rachel Tolber extended condolences to Ghanem’s family and friends.

"They have faced an incredibly difficult situation and the progression from hope to heartbreak over the past two years as this case has moved from a missing person to a homicide investigation," the chief said in December. "Our hearts are with them during this difficult time."

The Colton Police Department was the lead agency in the Timothy Thomas death investigation.

"The arrests and charges filed against the suspects responsible for the death of 4-year-old Timothy 'Timo' Thomas are the first steps toward long-awaited justice," Colton Police Chief Anthony Vega said in December. "Although Timo's life was cut short 15 years ago, the circumstances of his death still weigh heavily on our officers who never gave up on his case. The Colton Police Department has never forgotten Timo."

In addition to the Redlands Police Department, Colton Police Department, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Department of Justice, the Riverside Sheriff’s Office was involved in the investigations.