Off Record: Playing God

Summary

The Knife: A True Crime Podcast

Episode: Off Record: Playing God

Hosts: Hannah Smith & Pasha Eaton
Date: March 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this “Off Record” installment, hosts Hannah Smith and Pasha Eaton take a deep dive into the alarming true crime story of “His Way Spirit Led Assemblies,” a small, charismatic Christian group operating in California’s Inland Empire. The episode explores the cult-like dynamics of the group, the arrest of its married leaders—Shelly (a.k.a. Kat/Prophetess Kat) and Darrell (a.k.a. Pastor Music) Martin—on murder charges, and chilling testimonies from former members. The hosts empathetically analyze how abusive religious groups gain control, the ripple effects on families and children, and the ongoing search for justice amid secrecy and trauma.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction to the Case

• [03:45] Hannah introduces the story: a current, high-profile cult case involving arrests for murder in a group known as His Way Spirit Led Assemblies in the Inland Empire, CA.
  • “It is a cult story, which you know, I can never get enough of. And it is a current case, so a little different than what we normally do.” – Hannah Smith [03:50]
• The group’s leaders and some members were arrested in December 2025, though the group has operated since the 1990s.

What and Where is the Inland Empire?

• [08:13] Geographical/social context: Inland Empire is a growing metro area east of Los Angeles, with diverse communities and a history of attracting families due to affordability.

His Way Spirit Led Assemblies – Who Are They?

• [09:28] Group led by married couple:

  • Shelly Bailey Martin (a.k.a. Prophetess Kat, previously Catherine), 62
  • Darrell Music Martin (a.k.a. Pastor Music), 58

• Church had typical “charismatic Christian” trappings: faith healing, exuberant music, belief in miracles.

• Online Presence: A now-defunct website and a YouTube channel with sermon clips from 2017 featuring both leaders and lively music.

  • “It gives us some information about what they look like and what kind of messages that they were spreading…” – Hannah Smith [10:31]

• The sermons and website at first glance seemed typical for a charismatic Christian community, with little to raise suspicion unless you’re attuned to red flags in cult behavior.

• Red Flags:

  • Leaders call themselves “Head Prophetess” and “Senior Pastor”
  • Heavy focus on the authority of Prophet/Prophetess figures
  • Members required to hand over income and live communally under control [06:19]

Early Warning Signs and Comparisons to Cults

• Discuss comparisons to other high-control religious groups, e.g., the case of Cheryl Ruthven and how vague, hard-to-follow sermons often mark a shift toward leader worship and manipulation.

  • “If I believe I'm talking to someone who's speaking directly to God, and I'm a believer ... that would become really, really important to me.” – Pasha Eaton [14:18]

• Increasing separation between church members and outsiders.

• Music used as a tool for attraction and maintaining loyalty.

Testimonies of Former Members

• Anthony Duran’s Story

  • [33:24] Duran spent four years in the group: "You don't mess with the pastors or your whole life would be over."
  • Former members describe intense control, aversion to medical care (“they didn’t believe in doctors or medicine, the only thing they would do ... was pray for you” [33:48]), mandatory work for the group’s pest control company, and isolation.

• Bri Bird’s Story (trigger warning: abuse)

  • [41:57] Endured years as a child in group homes run by the church—alleging starvation, physical abuse, being raped and punished for reporting it.
    • “I was raped by somebody ... and that happened from when I was 10 until when I was 13. I told prophetess Kat ... and Kat punched her in the face and called her a liar.” – Hannah sharing Bri Bird’s account [44:11]

• Allegations include:

  • Emotional, spiritual, physical, and sexual abuse
  • Sleep deprivation, starvation, forced work
  • Forced marriages between young girls and older men [47:18]
  • Cultic isolation and punishment for disobedience

The Group’s Business – Fullshield Inc.

• [52:35] His Way Spirit Led Assemblies ran a pest control company, Fullshield Incorporated (later Maxguard), which served as a financial engine for the group and source of near-compulsory labor from members.

  • “It was a pest control company operated by the organization and ... allegedly the function of it was to financially support senior pastor and prophetess cat.” – Hannah Smith [52:41]

• Members (minors and adults) forced to work long hours for low pay; not allowed to seek work elsewhere.

Murders, Missing Persons, and 2025 Arrests

Key Cases:

• Timothy “Timo” Thomas (Age 4) – Died in 2010

  • [56:33] Died of untreated appendicitis after custody relinquished to church leaders.
  • Colton PD investigated; DA did not press charges until 2025 when new info surfaced.

• Emilio Salem Gannim – Missing since 2023

  • [59:26] Long-time member who helped start Fullshield. Left group, started new pest company, returned to Inland Empire, received a cease-and-desist from Fullshield, disappeared days later.
  • Rental pickup truck found burned in Mojave Desert; body not recovered.

• Ruben Moreno – Missing since 2017

  • [66:08] Last seen living with group members; missing persons report filed by family in 2019.

• Arrests (Dec 2025):

  • Kat (Shelly Martin), Darrell Music Martin, Andre Thomas (Timothy’s father), and Rudy Marino (member) arrested and/or charged with murder and weapons charges.
  • Police found illegal, converted firearms in properties owned by the group.
    • “There’s two other members … arrested on charges related to felons in possession of firearms…” – Hannah Smith [65:37]

• Victim advocates were present during arrests to support shell-shocked members.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Quotes include timestamp and speaker attribution:

• “Handing over income. First red flag.” – Hannah Smith [06:19]

• “There are prophets in the Bible. I don't know. Are there prophets now?... it feels like a road that could easily get very dangerous if someone is claiming that they have this very special way of hearing God that maybe other people can't access.” – Hannah Smith [13:36]

• “She would say she could impregnate women who couldn't be pregnant. She could heal the blind. This person also said you had to do as prophetess Kat said otherwise you would be yelled at, hit, or starved.” – Hannah Smith [43:04]

• “They won’t let you leave and you can’t have any thoughts for yourself or make decisions for yourself. ...If you don’t listen to the pastors, there are repercussions. They will make your life literally a living hell.” – Anthony Duran (via Hannah) [54:03]

• “At the time of his death, temporary custody of Timothy Thomas had been signed over from his birth parents to the leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.” – Hannah Smith [56:48, quoting police release]

• “So this makes me think there's going to potentially be a trial.” – Hannah Smith (after the February 2026 court hearing) [70:39]

Memorable Analytical Moments

• On Leadership Titles and Red Flags:

  • Discussion on how self-proclaimed “prophets” can shift from representing God’s word to becoming the sole authority, creating spiritual and social dependency [14:02–14:30].

• On the Danger to Children:

  • Repeated distress at the separation of children from parents and the abusive environment created under “consecration” and communal living [46:19–47:00].

• On the Difficulty in Escaping:

  • “How do you decipher what's wrong when your parents are going along with this too? ...That's gotta be really hard.” – Hannah Smith [54:11]

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Important Timestamps & Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 03:45 | Introduction & setup of the His Way Spirit Led Assemblies case | | 09:28 | Leaders’ backgrounds and church’s publicly available media | | 13:02–16:15 | Dissection of sermons, titles, music, and first “cult” red flags | | 33:24–44:16 | Former members’ abuse testimony (esp. Anthony Duran, Bri Bird) | | 52:35–54:11 | Economic exploitation through Fullshield pest control business | | 56:33–58:24 | The 2010 Timothy Thomas death & failed charges, leading to 2025 reopening | | 59:24–63:34 | “Missing Member” cases: Emilio Gannim and Ruben Moreno | | 69:56–77:32 | Case updates: February 2026 preliminary hearing, new evidence, logistics of group’s origins |

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Recent Developments (UPDATE: February 2026)

• [70:02] Hosts announce that, since recording, the preliminary hearing for Kat and Pastor Music was held in San Bernardino, with both pleading not guilty in the death of Timothy Thomas.
  • Court evidence and former member testimony revealed the group’s founding in Nashville in 1998 before relocating to California in 2000.
  • “He had to plot and plan his exit.” – Hannah Smith describing Anthony Duran’s escape [77:12]
• Ongoing questions about religious freedom defenses; anticipation of a high-profile trial.

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Thematic Takeaways

• The mechanism of cult recruitment and control: Vague messaging, personality-driven worship, communal living, isolation, economic dependence, and calculated escalation into abuse.
• The invisibility and pervasiveness of predatory groups: Not isolated to “the South” or remote locations—can occur in diverse, metropolitan regions.
• The vulnerable fallout: The lifelong trauma for children, families torn apart, and the difficulty of seeking justice for crimes committed within “high-control” religious settings.

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Further Information

• If you have information on the cases of Emilio Gannim or Ruben Moreno, contact the Redlands or Claremont Police (see episode for more details).
• For more coverage, see LA Times and various cited TV news reports (ABC7, KTLA5).

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Final Words

“These places are everywhere and they will take anyone who is willing to believe what they're saying and pay them ... but I'm sure we'll be following along and maybe we'll have an update for listeners.”
– Pasha Eaton [69:30]

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If you’ve missed this episode, this summary covers the devastating scope and human dimensions of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies and their ongoing reckoning with justice. Listen for updates as the case develops.

Transcript

[Pasha Eaton]

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[Hannah Smith]

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[Hannah Smith]

See full [e-mail] this story contains adult content and language. Listener discretion is advised.

[Pasha Eaton]

The claims and opinions in this podcast are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the Knife or exactly right media. Welcome to the Knife Off Record. I'm Pasha Eaton.

[Hannah Smith]

I'm Hannah Smith. And today, Pesha. I have a story to tell you.

[Pasha Eaton]

I cannot wait.

[Hannah Smith]

I'm excited about it. It's a cult story, which, you know, I can never get enough of. And it is a current case, so a little different than what we normally do. And it's something you may have heard of in the news. It is the cult group in California in the Inland Empire. Their group has the name His Way Spirit Led assemblies.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay. So I have heard of a culture that was happening in the Inland Empire. Didn't know the name of it.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay. The authorities have described the group as quote, cult like. So this cult like group, two of the leaders who are married have been arrested and charged with murder and a few other members of the group as well on various charges. So it's been written about. It just happened in December of 2025. These arrests happened. And so obviously there's still a lot that we'll find out. But I've been super interested in this case and as I've read about it, I'm finding pieces of information here and there, but I haven't found like one big deep dive about everything that's going on. So I decided to find everything I could about this.

[Pasha Eaton]

So you're the lady for the job.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so I want to tell you everything I know about it and like everything that we know up until now, basically.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay, I can't wait.

[Hannah Smith]

So it was December of 2025 when these arrests happened.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, so this is really recent.

[Hannah Smith]

Really recent. The group has been operating since the 1990s, but these charges just happened. And one of the reasons I wanted to do an off record about this is because it's kind of complicated. There's a lot of people involved and also a lot of law enforcement agencies. So this investigation involved both the Redlands and the Colton Police Departments, the California Department of Justice, Riverside Sheriff's Office, as well as the San Bernardino County DA's office and the Colton Police. Sgt. Sean McFarland spoke with the LA Times. They did an article about this which was really excellent. And he told them this is a cult like group and that the leaders, Shelly and Daryl Martin, imposed excessive control over the members. Members had to hand over their income and a lot of them lived together in multiple properties in Colton, Hemet and Anza, which those are all places in the Inland Empire.

[Pasha Eaton]

I can see why they described this group as cult, like handing over incomes. Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

Handing over income. First red flag.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

So in December of 2025, five people were arrested and all of them were either current or former members of this religious group, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. And among those arrested were the group's two leaders, a married couple, Kat and Daryl Martin. Now they're facing multiple charges, but most notably both have been charged with murder in connection to a death that occurred in 2010. But that's not the only case. Authorities are also investigating a second potential homicide, which is a missing person connected to the group. And the allegations that have started coming out about the Martins, the leaders of this group, are deeply disturbing. I'm going to get into all of it, but it's just like emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse. I mean, there's allegations that they're depriving people of sleep and food. It gets so extreme. And I'm going to get into the charges, the allegations, all of those specific stories. But before I do that, I feel like we need to understand the group itself, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. Like what kind of religious organization was this? Who did it involve, how did it start, you know, that kind of thing.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, because I've definitely seen headlines about this and just from what you're saying, I'm so curious because it's already reminding me of like the wilderness therapy story we did where we know there was a murder and you know, we know that when people are in extreme circumstances, even psychologically, emotionally, terrible things can happen. And yeah, I'm slightly aware of this story. So I'm really glad you have done all the research so you can tell me more.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay, let's get into it. So I'm gonna start by if anyone isn't familiar, kind of like, what is the Inland Empire. It's an area in California, east of Los Angeles, about 40 miles east. And it consists of San Bernardino county and Riverside County. It's a rapidly growing area. Currently, about 4 million people live there. It's a metropolitan area. And I just looked up a little bit of the history. At the end of the 19th century, it was a mostly agricultural area. The industry was a lot of citrus, dairy and winemaking. That agriculture industry kind of declined throughout the 20th century. And since the 1970s, it's just a rapidly growing area. A lot of families move there because it's more affordable than LA proper.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's basically between here and the desert.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. If you're going to Palm Springs, you have to go through the Inland Empire.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, I think I have been to Claremont, California, which I think is in the Inland Empire. Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay. So before we get into the crimes, I want to dig into this group, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

[Pasha Eaton]

His Way Spirit Led Assemblies is the name.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, It's a long name.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Wow. You have to commit from the beginning of joining to just know the name.

[Hannah Smith]

Know the name. His Way Spirit Led. Yes. And who are the people that lead this group? There is a married couple. So the wife is Shelly Bailey Martin. She's currently 62, and she's gone by several different names. The most sort of current name she's going by is Cat. She was going by Catherine, and now it seems to be Cat, oftentimes Prophetess Cat had previously gone by Prophetess Catherine, and her husband, Darrell Music Martin, 58, who goes by several names as well. He's often called Pastor Music or simply Senior Pastor.

[Pasha Eaton]

So we have a prophet and a pastor?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, we have a prophet and a pastor. And they've been operating this group, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, in the Endlin empire, since the 1990s. Now, I was curious what sort of Internet presence they have. They have a YouTube channel and.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay, I love that for us.

[Hannah Smith]

Love that for us. There are videos of both of them giving sermons from 2017. So this was, you know, years ago, but it's still, I think, interesting to watch. And it gives us some information about what they look like and what kind of messages that they were spreading, at least back in 2017. They also have a website now. If you go to the website today, it just looks like a generic homepage with a stock image of a church.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, but it's still up.

[Hannah Smith]

It's still up, but there's, like, nothing on it. There's a Contact Us page, so it's essentially been taken down. But, I mean, it's still there.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

But I was able to find some things on the Wayback Machine.

[Pasha Eaton]

Love the Wayback Machine.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. If you don't know the Wayback Machine is an Internet archive, and if you search a website on it, it'll sometimes give you screenshots of defunct websites or what websites looked like previously.

[Pasha Eaton]

So if someone, say, takes something down that they've since decided they might not want up, you can maybe find it on the Wayback Machine.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it doesn't work, I don't think, with websites that you have to log into, like social media.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

But anything. Any, like, public website.

[Pasha Eaton]

I remember using it as an associate producer a lot.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, we have used it many times. It's a pretty good tool. It's also a good reminder that once something's on the Internet, it's on the Internet forever. So always something good to keep in mind. Yeah. So I'm going to talk about the website. They also have a YouTube page which it looks like their website linked to at one point in time. And the page, it really paints this picture of a charismatic Christian church that was very focused on miracles, signs and wonders, such as people being healed or, you know, the power of prayer. And I just want to say that I don't think in and of itself that that is a sign necessarily of a high control group. There are a lot of Christian churches that believe those things and promote those things, and they're not necessarily stealing people's money or, you know, trying to control every aspect of their life. It's just part of the belief system. So I could see how someone could go to their website in 2018 and look at it and think it's okay. This is a church. You know, there's a bunch of verses from the Bible on this website and there's also pictures of the two leaders who in 2018 were calling themselves Head Prophetess Catherine Martin and Senior Pastor Music Martin.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay, so until you told me that's what they're calling themselves, I'm thinking this website tracks perfectly for just a church. No red flags.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

But Head Prophetess and prophets.

[Hannah Smith]

Head Prophetess. Although, you know, I do think that there are some churches that have titles in their church of Prophet and Prophetess.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, wow. Yeah. I mean, I didn't know that. I did not grow up going to church and I'm to this day unfamiliar. But, yeah, I didn't know that. I always sort of thought it was like a no false prophets.

[Hannah Smith]

Right. Because, you know, you think about prophets. No false prophets. So there are prophets in the Bible. I Don't know. Are there prophets now? It's one of those things where it's just like, you know, I don't want to criticize someone's religion, but to me, it feels like a road that could easily get very dangerous if someone is claiming that they have this very special way of hearing God that maybe other people can't access.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. Because I could see how then their role changes. It's like if I believe I'm talking to someone who's speaking directly to God and. And I'm a believer in God, that would be a relationship that would become really, really important to me.

[Hannah Smith]

Powerful.

[Pasha Eaton]

Powerful.

[Hannah Smith]

Because then if you disagree with that person, are you disagreeing with them, the human, or are you disagreeing with God?

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. How wrong could they ever be about something if they're speaking directly to God?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So I think for some people, you're right. Like, the head prophetess is probably a red flag. If you're deep into the sort of evangelical charismatic sect of Christianity that really focuses on miracles, it might not be a red flag to you. For some people. It also seems like music is really important for this group. And then also some former members have talked about that sense that the music was really good. It was really lively. They liked the music.

[Pasha Eaton]

And we see that more and more.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, those mega churches or what have you. Like, the music is a huge part of it.

[Hannah Smith]

It's like going to a concert.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

There is a music video on the homepage or it was in 2018 featuring Senior Pastor Music Martin. And I can only describe it as sort of a Christian rap video.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay. Love.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So it's like, okay, they're really into music. They're doing their music thing now, the YouTube page, there are multiple clips of both Prophetess Catherine, who will later go by Prophetess Kat or just Kat preaching as well as senior pastor Music Martin. They're not full sermons. Okay. So it's just a segment. Like they're like 17 minutes long. Ish. Probably the full sermon, I would guess is longer than that. So they're putting clips of their church services online on their website.

[Pasha Eaton]

I actually like that in a sense. I didn't go to church, but I can imagine walking into a church, it's like, you know, a congregation that they all know each other. It could probably be intimidating if you're new and then you don't even know if it's going to resonate with you. And so if I was in the market, I probably would love a YouTube video of a sermon to sort of see what it was all about before

[Hannah Smith]

you decide to commit your time going to a service.

[Pasha Eaton]

Totally.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. I do think it's like kind of a marketing thing. This is what we're about. If you like it, come to a service.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And I like that it feels, at face value, transparent.

[Hannah Smith]

It does feel transparent at face value. Yeah. So the first video I watched was of Kat giving a sermon, and this was actually from 2017. And I just want to kind of pause for a second and talk about the room where this is taking place, you know, because it's not maybe what some people might picture when they think of a church. It's not this, like, grand sanctuary with stained glass and vaulted ceilings. It's not like a historic building. It reminded me of a lot of church rooms that I have been in in my past. Like, humble, smaller spaces. In fact, I think this space was in a strip mall in Rialto. And I later read that they also met in houses. So I don't know that they always had a location. But this seemed to be in a room that looks more like a conference room than a church. You know, there's no windows, white walls, kind of a modest little podium and stage up front with instruments on it and, you know, cushion stackable chairs and those drop ceilings that you see.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Like, very bare bones, tech startup vibe. But, I mean, I like that because, you know, when we see these mega churches and these massive productions that they put on, immediately, I think a lot of people wonder, how do you have this kind of money?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And what are you. Are you spending your money on remodeling your huge church?

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. Is that what we should be asking our congregation for money for? And so to hear that it's taking place in, like, this modest conference room in a strip mall or at someone's house with plastic chairs, it's like, I don't know. I feel like if I were looking for a church, that would feel good, that would feel like, okay, we're here for the right reasons.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. I'm also recalling that they had a tab on their website about missions. And I don't know what they actually did with that or what all they gave, but it would give me the impression of maybe their money is going to the right place. It's like going to, you know, charity as opposed to a fancy building.

[Pasha Eaton]

Totally.

[Hannah Smith]

But it also tells me that we're not talking about a megachurch here. I would guess that their membership was pretty small. I have no idea how many members they ended up having, but my guess would be, like, less Than a hundred would just be total speculation. It just doesn't seem like a very big group.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And maybe that's also why they were putting these videos up and the website trying to grow it. Yeah, it does seem like they were trying to pull people in. So as far as the actual sermon, Kat's sermon, it's sort of hard to follow if I'm honest. She's soft spoken, she's blonde, in her mid-50s, and from what I gather, she's mainly talking about this verse in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 12. But she's kind of like repeating phrases and mainly talking about how it's okay to have suffering in your life and sometimes being a servant of God means that you're gonna encounter hardships. But what strikes me about her sermon is that like, it's so vague.

[Pasha Eaton]

Cause like, we all encounter hardships. Yeah, it's very vague.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's like, what is this about?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And there's nothing, at least in the clips on YouTube that you would hear that would be alarming. It feels like, okay, you're talking about this verse in the Bible. Cool. You know, this is a little bit of a pivot. But it made me think about Sheryl Ruthven, who we've talked about before on this podcast. You and I did a about Sheryl Ruthven on a previous podcast. She was this leader of a high control group who started off as a Christian pastor, even though she didn't have training in it. And then we followed her group as it devolved into just basically the doctrine being whatever she said went.

[Pasha Eaton]

But it started like this, this grassroots movement, a church splitting off. I don't know if that happens here, but, you know, Cheryl took this small group. They held their meeting sermons in houses and were rooms kind of like this

[Hannah Smith]

very small sort of conference room looking spaces.

[Pasha Eaton]

It was a very tight knit community feel.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And very Christian, or at least the members thought right at first. But we had tapes of her preaching, Cheryl Ruthven, that we listened to when we were making that. And again, it was just like very hard to understand what she was saying. It was more about a vibe than like actually taking in some kind of teaching or lesson.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, I remember listening to those. And after spending, you know, many months speaking with former followers, people who knew her, you know, sort of understanding it as, okay, she's giving me sermons that are really difficult to understand and follow. But maybe the point was that it's like I can understand them. So try to keep up. It's almost like I'm going to Keep your head spinning so fast. You know what's going on.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, I do remember people saying that. Or people flat out admitting, like, I had no idea what she was talking about, but I felt like she knew what she was talking about.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And that is maybe even more important.

[Pasha Eaton]

And they still felt like they were there with this common goal of, you know, a shared belief system and building a community where they could all lean on that together and learn more about, which is, you know, I could see how that would be appealing to people. Yeah, totally. Cheryl Ruthven vibes.

[Hannah Smith]

So there is a podcast that exists out there if you wanna listen to it. Or I also wanna shout out that there was an episode that I worked on. It's a docu series called the Curious Case of with Beth Karras. And the episode is called the Doomsday Cat Cult. So if you don't wanna listen to that previous podcast we did. But you're interested in Shayla Ruthven, you can go ahead and check that out.

[Pasha Eaton]

You should watch the docuseries.

[Hannah Smith]

Watch the docu series. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

That pitch as an associate producer, it's

[Hannah Smith]

a really good story.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So it's interesting to sort of compare them. They're very different groups, but they did kind of start similarly. And the feeling I got of listening and watching this YouTube of, you know, prophetess Catherine or Kat was similar in that. Like, I'm not really getting a specific message, but I feel like it's interesting. She feels like an authority figure. And there's a vibe to it to where I could see how if I came to that church, I loved the music. I was like, this is cool. I like the people here. There's nothing that would turn me away from coming back. You know, there was one funny thing to note is that, you know, some modern interpretations of that verse that she was talking about, it's actually interpreted as a warning sign against false prophets or teachers.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yikes.

[Hannah Smith]

So that was sort of a fun little irony.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oops.

[Hannah Smith]

Oops. And so she is one half of this leadership. Right. So the second half is Darrell Music Martin Pastor Music. Senior pastor. And there is also a sermon from him on YouTube from 2017. He's much more charismatic. He seems clearly a very good public speaker. And he's able to get the crowd sort of into the teaching and amp up the energy of the room.

[Pasha Eaton]

He's the personality hire of the Cole Light group.

[Hannah Smith]

I mean, he's like, if you really think about it, if you're up there giving a sermon and you're trying to get people to Come to your church and get into it. You need someone who's gonna give an exciting presentation that people can feel good about. Right, Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

We've learned charisma will get you a long way.

[Hannah Smith]

A long way. And he seems to be much more charismatic based on these clips to me, than Katie and his message, you know, I don't know. Honestly, listening to the clip on YouTube, the message is pretty positive. It's, like, about redemption. It's about living a good life. It's about God's ability to free you from your sin and suffering. So, you know, whether or not that specific message resonates with you, I think that it's easy to see how it feels positive to people and would resonate with a lot of people. Again, the video doesn't have anything alarming in it. His message seems to be generally positive. Positive, uplifting. Kind of like this promise that if you follow God, your life will get better. It's also, again, very vague. And it's the thing that they put online. So I don't know what the rest of the sermon is like, you know?

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. Like, why wouldn't they release the whole sermon? And also, I wonder, do they talk about on their website what their actual education is in theology or ministry or any of that?

[Hannah Smith]

No, not that I saw. They did have an about page which basically talked about what they believed in as a church, which was pretty standard. Not that alarming to me. And then there was a lot of, like, verses that they had highlighted.

[Pasha Eaton]

So they're self taught.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, there was no education section.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And I don't know if that is, like, normal on the church website, actually. It's a good question. I know that a lot of church websites, they do have something about their doctrine on there so that, you know, if you're, again, you're looking it up to go see if you. You want to know if you align with what they're teaching. But I don't know about, like, education of their, you know, leaders, but probably it would be a helpful thing to have.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, I would like to know.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so the main takeaway for me of watching senior pastor music is that he's very charismatic. He's able to get the crowd very amped up. You hear people, like, applauding when he's talking. He's much more charismatic than prophet.

[Pasha Eaton]

There are many reasons why people go to church or seek out community in general, but, you know, feeling good and feeling the energy of a room, I get that. I think anybody could understand why that would be, like, magnetic or make you want to come back?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Not everybody can rally a group of people to feel that way. That's a special skill.

[Hannah Smith]

It really is. And probably much more exciting than having someone give, like, some very dry talk.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, yeah. I remember going to church with a friend of mine, elementary school, and just immediately being like, I just got so sleepy.

[Hannah Smith]

Like, fighting to keep your eyes open.

[Pasha Eaton]

Totally. I remember being like, I was promised donuts. Stay awake, Stay awake.

[Hannah Smith]

And probably a lot of people have had that experience.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

And so if you go to a church where you're super amped up, I mean, that's totally different, right?

[Pasha Eaton]

Totally different. I actually went with a friend of mine when I was in college at WSU to a church like that, a huge church with a separate big band and people dancing. And I was like, okay, cool, I can't get into this.

[Hannah Smith]

Did you go back?

[Pasha Eaton]

I sure didn't, but power to them.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. Okay. So I guess to wrap all of this up, kind of giving us an idea of what kind of group this was. And at first I thought, okay, so these videos are from 2017. So my head went to maybe this was kind of a standard small charismatic Christian church at that time. And then things got weird. But one of the deaths that they're currently being charged with had already happened back in 2010. Now they hadn't been charged yet. They wouldn't be charged until 2025. But that makes all of this feel so much eerier, like, wow, someone's actually already died on their watch. What's been coming out over the last six months is that this group was not a typical church. So along with the investigation, there actually have also been former members that have left and now are coming out and speaking publicly for the first time. And there are a lot of allegations of abuse.

[Public Ad Announcer]

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[Redfin Ad Announcer]

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[Nurture Life Ad Announcer]

This podcast is sponsored by Nurture Life. Hey, it's Danielle Fishel from Pod Meets World. And as a mom to two growing boys, I know how chaotic meal time can get. No matter how confident I am with what I'm serving them, my kids will always find a way to call the meal gross or stinky or yuck. It's true. They can be wildly picky about new foods, and with my busy schedule, I don't have the time to become America's next Top Chef. And so that's why I love Nurture Life. It's a meal delivery service that actually caters to kids. Ideal for ages 8 months to 8 years, fully cooked and ready to serve in just one minute. It's the problem solver I've been praying for. It's the top meal delivery service for babies, toddlers and kids. And everything is designed by registered dietitians so you can sleep safe knowing your kids are getting the protein, veggies and nutrients they need while still eating favorites like Mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs and so much more. Plus, it's allergy friendly, which we know is clutch. And when it comes to options, Nurture Life has you covered. There's more than 50 nutritious meals and snacks on their menu, from soft finger foods for babies and toddlers to balanced kids meals for when they get Nurture Life does the cooking, they deliver it straight to your door and then you might even have time to eat something for yourself. So now is the time to head to nurturelife.com pod and use code pod for 50 off your first order plus free shipping. That's right, 50 off plus free shipping. Once again, that's nurturelife.com pod and make sure you use promo code Podcast. Even if you aren't a parent with young kids, you might have parent friends who struggle with mealtime. Make sure to share our Code Pod with them. Remember, put your little ones first with healthy meals from Nurture Life. That website one more time is nurturelife.com podpod.

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[Hannah Smith]

There's a former member named Anthony Duran who spoke with ABC7. I tried to get a hold of him, looked for him, didn't get an an. But his story is that he was in the group for four years before escaping and he said, you don't mess with the pastors or your whole life would be over. He also said they didn't believe in doctors or medicine. The only thing that they would do when you were hurt or sick was pray for you. So Anthony and his family joined the group in 2016 and he described the services, that there was also a lot of dancing and music and speaking in tongues and he even said, you know, at times he would get goosebumps and sort of feel like this electricity in the air and that there was a feeling that it was exciting and that there was something spiritual happening there.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And can you, for me or anyone listening who's not as familiar with what it means to speak in tongues? What is that?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, I won't have a theological answer, but it's essentially the idea that you're being touched by God or one faction of God, the Holy Spirit and that is happening to you. And so you're sort of being overtaken by this experience and words are coming out of your mouth that are sort of like spiritual prayers of a different language, an unknown or non existent language.

[Pasha Eaton]

So it wouldn't be like transcribable to something.

[Hannah Smith]

No.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And like some places believe that everyone has their own unique sort of tongue that's given to them by God. Yeah. It would be people usually like in a church service, there would be like a worship session with music and then there's a sermon afterward.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Okay. I'm picturing like when I've seen this, I think in either documentaries or in films, is it that moment when like sometimes someone's being surrounded by people touching their shoulder and speaking really quickly to them in like an intimate.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And the words don't make sense.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And there's all different manifestations of what it would look like to be like touched by the Holy Spirit. I don't know. I'm assuming that this is like. Yeah, this is like a charismatic evangelical or it started that way and then became this other thing. So it could be shaking, falling over. Yeah. Speaking in tongues, dancing. It can get very lively. It's almost like the feeling of if you're like almost like in a mosh pit or something. I mean, not a mosh pit where shoved up against people, but that feeling, if you've ever been at a concert, that's so exciting.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's like this collective energy.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And everyone is sort of like has the same purpose and the same goal. So it feels very like community building. But it's all obviously like supported by the leaders of this church who sort of lead the way. But it's pretty clear that things really go off the rails at some point. So there's multiple Facebook pages associated with the church website. So I know that they are connected to this group His Way Spirit led assemblies. So there's a Facebook page associated with this group and this user, Katmartin Prophetess Kat. There are posts about her a lot in 2019 and I don't know who's running the Facebook group. The posts on this page make Me think that sometime between 2017 and 2019, she stopped going by Catherine and she starts going by Kat. And I don't know if she's running the page or if maybe someone else is. I would guess maybe someone else. Only because this Facebook page is so reminiscent to me of the previous quote like groups I've covered and their presence on Facebook. And it's usually someone who is a faithful follower of the leader, creates a page that's sort of there to talk about all the good things that they're doing and all the miracles they're performing and is constantly posting and updating about all the cool stuff they're doing. That sort of feels like what this is. Okay, but there is a post on here by Kat Martin and I want to read it because I think it's interesting. And it says, written to us by an eyewitness in the crowd. So basically it seems like she's saying someone came to our service and this is the thing that they wrote. And I want to post it on here. They say it felt like a movement, seeing all the people gathered around this humble black man crying as he spoke about Jesus. Different colors, different races, mostly whites. The cars driving by were stopping, honking. Some were getting out and joining in. Everyone was hugging and praising the Lord. Remnant our season his way. Spirit led assemblies. Endtime.

[Pasha Eaton]

A testimonial with so many relevant hashtags.

[Hannah Smith]

Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

That's lucky.

[Hannah Smith]

And the mentions about the ethnicities. I was like, what is happening here? I mean, so Cat is white and her husband Darryl is black. And from what I gathered, looking at their website as well as the Facebook, and it just seems like they did have a very diverse crowd. I'm not really sure why that had to be mentioned unless she was trying to sort of advertise, like, we're diverse. Like, I don't know, but it seems like she's really trying to promote, like, look how cool this movement is.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right. And is this really something someone wrote in Kat?

[Hannah Smith]

I know we have to question.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

So it seems like over the years she grew more into this godlike figure. So there's still senior pastor, but she really takes center stage from what I can tell. And it becomes like she is hearing the voice of God directly. And whatever she says is what God says. There's another page beyond the talk and onto the encounter that mentions mostly her. And it's all about this book that she's writing called Whirlwind and the Holy Spirit. The COVID has like a tornado image on it.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's interesting because I Actually didn't grow up attending church, but there's this line that church leaders really have to walk where you're this trusted communicator of the religion, but not overstepping to be this. Like, there's the congregation members and then me and then God and then God.

[Hannah Smith]

And then when does that line become blurred where it's actually, I am God. Right. And it happens so much.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. It seems like it happens a lot when we hear about demanding people's incomes.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And I mean, like, I can imagine that when you have the stage and you're giving these sermons and everyone is giving you all this feedback of, like, this is amazing. This is changing my life. That's probably a power trip. And you start to feel like, yes, I am so important and maybe I am, like, special.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

It's clear that by 2019, it's gone very far. A lot of the posts are about Prophetess Cat and all of her miracles. There's one about talking about them worshiping on a pier and that God visually appears in the clouds above her. And there's another post that says, quote, we are chronicling 26 years of ministry, not church as usual. Since the inception of our church, we have had five resurrections from the dead.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Hannah Smith]

Many various illnesses, sicknesses and diseases healed.

[Pasha Eaton]

Those are big claims.

[Hannah Smith]

Big claims.

[Pasha Eaton]

Especially since you've mentioned a little bit about their aversion to medical doctors.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So you can really see how there seems to be this trend that it's just about the power of healing and prayer and that there's a belief that Kat can heal people and raise people from the dead. Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

Which would make her more than someone who's just communicating, you know, maybe the beliefs of a shared religion.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. There's also, like mention of when they're painting the church, Jesus face appears in the paint. There's a photo of Kat and senior pastor and there's kind of like a glare on the. The photo. You know, sometimes that happens and that this is interpreted as like angelic presences and stuff like that. It's a lot of things like that. So there's another former member who has spoken out. And this is where we really start to hear about some of the abuse allegations.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

Her name is Bri Bird. I also tried to contact her and was not able to. She spoke to KTLA 5 and what she shared is really horrifying. She described a total environment of control. She said that sometimes the church services would go all night and that Prophetess Catt was viewed as God herself. She Claimed that God spoke through her and she would do this performative thing, seizing and talking in accents and, you know, when God was supposedly talking directly through her.

[Pasha Eaton]

So much like Cheryl Ruthven with the Italian.

[Hannah Smith]

Yes. When she claimed to be speaking Italian. Most clearly not.

[Pasha Eaton]

And also, just to be up all night means sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation will make you feel out of your mind.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. Another former member said, you know, they were taught Kat could perform miracles. Quote, she would say she could impregnate women who couldn't be pregnant. She could heal the blind. This person also said you had to do as prophetess Kat said otherwise you would be yelled at, hit, or starved.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, physical abuse.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Hannah Smith]

Sometime around then, I don't know exactly when, Prophetess Cat also gets very into the end times shocker and hangs it over everyone's head, telling them that if they obey the rules, if they obey her, they will be saved in the end times. Because clearly she has an end with God. She's gonna be saved. And so there's all this fear also instilled. You can't leave, otherwise you're gonna jeopardize the state of your soul. And, you know, they were at some point restricted from having contact with outsiders. So it starts to become very insular. Brie Byrd says that she was really young when her family joined. And this is like, a really sad part of this is that there are a bunch of children involved in this because their families joined and their children. So they're growing up in this environment. And she says her childhood was robbed for her. I mean, this is really horrible. She said, quote, I was raped by somebody. He was 18 at the time. And that happened from when I was 10 until when I was 13. She goes on to say that she actually told prophetess Kat about the rape and about the sexual abuse and that Kat punched her in the face and called her a liar.

[Pasha Eaton]

You know, I think for anyone with any, like, semblance of, like, morality that they're trying to live by, it's so hard to imagine, would someone really do that? Would a woman really do that to a girl? And, like, time and time again, we see the answer is yes. And these things do happen. And if Brie Byrd was brought into this cult, like group as a child, then, you know, I'm inclined to believe her parents were devout followers of this person. And who can you go to then?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, no one.

[Pasha Eaton]

No one.

[Hannah Smith]

And also, you have to imagine, once you've created this group where you're a God, any threat to that group would be a threat to this whole thing you've built and your income, which we'll talk more about. And so there's a lot of impetus to deny any allegations. Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

And how do we do that and how do we see people doing that? By punishing victims for trying to speak out.

[Hannah Smith]

Anytime you have a group that is more interested in protecting the institution than human beings, it's like a real red flag that something might have gone wrong.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

You know.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And like, usually there's an incentive of money.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so part of this, what they would do is children were sometimes separated from their parents and raised in group homes that were like owned by the church or by the church elders.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Hannah Smith]

The group owned multiple houses and sometimes members would be told to go live there in groups.

[Pasha Eaton]

And that just tells you what a stronghold this church had over these parents. I mean, not to excuse someone's responsibility to their child, you know, but like, wow. Unfathomable. I think, to most people caring for children, to put them in a home where they're not, you know, with them

[Hannah Smith]

every day, separate them from their children, their parents. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, I can't imagine like a much worse fate in life than not having my kid home.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's horrible. Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

So Bri lives in one of those homes. I don't know how old she was when she went to live there, but, you know, these are her allegations. She said that she tried to escape unsuccessfully. Anne would be severely punished. Locked in her room, beaten physically with a belt, verbally abused. She said there was a 2ish month period in which she was only given one piece of bread a day and one glass of water. So we're talking about starvation. And she finally escaped at age 15.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And got out.

[Pasha Eaton]

She probably saved her own life by doing that.

[Hannah Smith]

I mean, probably has a lot of stuff to work through.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. How old is she now?

[Hannah Smith]

I don't know. Actually wasn't able to find that out. But good for her for speaking out.

[Pasha Eaton]

It can't be easy.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So another former member who wasn't named, said that young girls were forced to marry much older men and this was justified by. This is what God is telling us to do. Gross.

[Pasha Eaton]

Gross. Yeah.

[Public Ad Announcer]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers, growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. Work it screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisor Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures let's talk about modern home shopping.

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lenovo this podcast is sponsored by Nurture Life. Hey, it's Danielle Fishel from Pod Meats World, and as a mom to two growing boys, I know how chaotic mealtime can get no matter how confident I am with what I'm serving them. My kids will always find a way to call the meal gross or stinky or yuck. It's true. They can be wildly picky about new foods. And with my busy schedule, I don't have the time to become America's Next Top Chef. And so that's why I love Nurture Life. It's a meal delivery service that actually caters to kids. Ideal for ages 8 months to 8 years, fully cooked and ready to serve in just one minute. It's the problem solver I've been praying for. It's the top meal delivery service for babies, toddlers and kids. And everything is designed by registered dietitians so you can sleep safe knowing your kids are getting the protein, veggies and nutrients they need while still eating favorites like Mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs and so much more. Plus, it's allergy friendly, which we know is clutch. And when it comes to options, Nurture Life has you covered. There's more than 50 nutritious meals and snacks on their menu, from soft finger foods for babies and toddlers to balanced kids meals for when they get older. Nurture Life does the cooking. They deliver it straight to your door. And then you might even have time to eat something for yourself. So now is the time to head to nurturelife.com pod and use code pod for 50% off your first order plus plus free shipping. That's right, 50% off plus free shipping. Once again, that's nurturelife.com pod and make sure you use promo code pod. Even if you aren't a parent with young kids, you might have parent friends who struggle with mealtime. Make sure to share our Code Pod with them. Remember, put your little ones first with healthy meals from Nurture Life. That website one more time is nurturelife.com pod pod.

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[Hannah Smith]

This group ran a company called Fullshield Incorporated.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

It was a pest control company operated by the organization and according to a former member, allegedly the function of it was to financially support senior pastor and prophetess cat. Former member Anthony Dran said he was forced to work for Fullshield and was paid $12 an hour, but he wasn't allowed to look for work anywhere else. At one point he came and said, I need to make more money than this, so I want to go find a different job. And he says, he alleges that he was told that he's living in housing that is owned by the organization and that they're supporting his needs, that he shouldn't want to anything more and that he shouldn't want to make any more money than that. He also said that at one point he and his family were forced to do what he called a 45 day consecration inside their home in which they were only allowed to eat, sleep and pray. So they couldn't have any electronics or their phone, they couldn't leave their house or like talk to anyone outside of it. So it's sort of this isolation tactic.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, it's almost free labor for them. And then you're isolating him and his family from the outside world where they might see that most people are not living this way. Yeah, I mean that's telltale signs of a cult like organization.

[Hannah Smith]

Sure is.

[Pasha Eaton]

But you know, when you're on the inside and you've been convinced that someone is, you know, will bring you closer to God and to salvation, it can really have a hold on people.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And Anthony, I think he was like a minor when his family joined and then became an adult and eventually did leave. He escaped in 2019, but his parents were in it. And like, how do you decipher what's wrong when your parents are going along with this too? It's gotta be really hard.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And you know, I don't know if you found anything about this, but a lot of times we see, okay, well if you leave, your parents aren't gonna talk to you.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And I think that has been the case. He said that at one point Prophetess Kat threatened him directly. I don't know what led to this. He alleges she said to him if he turned his back to his old ways, she would have his head. Now this could just be a random threat, but like, what comes later? Actually these threats are. I have to wonder, like, how serious was this? You know, he told ABC7 that honestly, I would call it a cult. They won't let you leave and you can't have any thoughts for yourself or make decisions for yourself. It's based on what the pastors tell you. And if you don't listen to the pastors, there are repercussions. They will make Your life literally a living hell. He has been out of the group for six years. His dad and his sister eventually left, but his mom is still in it. And he was like, tearing up. It's so sad. In the interview, like, he hasn't talked to his mom since he left.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. Wow. That is so sad.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so he was forced to work for this pest control company, Fullshield, which now it's been reported, is called maxguard. Although I called the number for maxguard, hoping to confirm this, and no one answered. So stay tuned.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

So, you know, all of this is sort of background about the group and what former members have come out and alleged the abuses that were happening were. This leads us to 2025, when, like, everything comes together. Leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies were arrested and charged with murder. That means Kat and Senior Pastor Darryl. Darryl, Shelley Martin and Daryl Martin are their legal names. Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay. And they're Both arrested in 2025 for

[Hannah Smith]

murder and charged with murder.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, charged with murder.

[Hannah Smith]

Wow. And there's other people that are arrested too, with different charges, including like, illegal weapon ownership. But these are for two different cases, so I'll take you through them. The first is for a death that happened in 2010.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, a long time ago.

[Hannah Smith]

A long time ago. So it took 15 years for authorities to make an arrest for this. And you'll see why. So this is the death of Timothy Thomas, or Timo. He was a four year old kid.

[Pasha Eaton]

Four years old. Mm.

[Hannah Smith]

And I found a media release from January 16, 2010 by the Colton Police Department about his death. It says, quote, In January 2010, the Colton Police Department investigated the death of a four year old child. The child was identified as four year old Timothy Thomas of Colton, California. At the time of his death, temporary custody of Timothy Thomas had been signed over from his birth parents to the leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies had signed over custody. The Colton Police Department did investigate his death, and it's noted that they alleged that there was child neglect that led to the death and wanted there to be charges filed. But the DA's office never ended up pursuing charges. Not totally clear why. There was something I read that when they interviewed different members and people that had been around members of the group,

[Pasha Eaton]

they're protecting the stories.

[Hannah Smith]

Their stories weren't helpful and it probably just felt like there wasn't enough evidence. But. But basically what we know is that Timo's death was ruled natural as a result of an appendicitis rupture, which, you

[Pasha Eaton]

know, from what you've told Me that you've learned about their aversion to medical doctors is just like, I mean, I can't imagine not seeking medical care for a child in my care that's hurting.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, to even watch your kid hurting if you've seen a doctor and they've sent you home is hard.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

That's unbelievably sad.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So we obviously don't know exactly what went down. I'm sure that will come to light, you know, if this goes to trial. But knowing that they had an aversion to seek medical care, you know, you have to wonder.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And I wonder, did you see anything about this child's biological parents and their sort of relationship with his way spirit led assemblies after his death?

[Hannah Smith]

I don't know that. Although I'll tell you why this ends up finally being charged in 2025. Because the case, it went cold. And then when this other incident happened, which we'll talk about, it was reopened in 2025. And Shelley Martin, Daryl Martin and a former. It says former group member. So it's a good question. Andre Thomas were arrested for their involvement in four year old Timothy Thomas death because he has the same last name as Timothy Thomas. I don't know the relation, but you have to wonder, is this his parent?

[Pasha Eaton]

First parent or a relative?

[Hannah Smith]

Or a relative. Yeah. So the case went cold, but then it was reopened because of a person who went missing. So this brings us to the disappearance of Emilio Salem gannim. He was 40 years old and he was last seen in 2023. Investigators have said that Emilio left his way Spirit led assemblies in April of 2023, just months before he disappeared.

[Pasha Eaton]

Left the group like I'm no longer a member.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

So according to the LA Times, Emilio joined Hisway Spirit led assemblies around the year 2000 and he helped launch that pest control business, Fullshield Incorporated.

[Pasha Eaton]

So this is a person who knows a lot about this group and their organization.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, he was there for like 23 years. Yeah. We don't know why. He left in April of 2023. He did leave his way Spirit led assemblies and he moved to Nashville to apparently be closer to family. And it was in Nashville that he started his own pest control company. So that makes me wonder if he was involved in running Full Shield Incorporated and realized he could make more money. He could run this company and make more money. I have no idea. That's total speculation. But he clearly knew how to run a pest control company and maybe did

[Pasha Eaton]

see how much money they were making. Yeah, yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

You have to wonder. So he moves to Nashville. He starts his own pest control company. The problem arises when he comes back to California, back to the Inland Empire in May of 2023. According to the LA Times, he returned to reconnect with former clients.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And I saw another outlet that said he had returned to start like a second branch of this pest control company. But. But I couldn't confirm that, so I don't know. Exactly.

[Pasha Eaton]

And so he leaves the church in April 2023, moves to Tennessee, comes back to the Inland Empire area, and reconnects with past clients of the.

[Hannah Smith]

The pest control company.

[Pasha Eaton]

The pest control company in May. So just a few months later.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

And on May 8, 2023, he was served with a cease and desist letter from Falshield, the group accusing him of trying to steal their clients. Seventeen days after that, he disappeared.

[Pasha Eaton]

And he was in the Inland Empire when he disappeared?

[Hannah Smith]

Yes, he was still in the Inland Empire. He was last seen at Starbucks in the 600 block of Redlands Boulevard in Redlands, California on May 25, 2023. His family last heard from him at 6:40pm that same day by phone. So you have to imagine he had reconnected with his family. So they were in touch with. He was driving a white Nissan Frontier pickup truck with a California license plate, which was a rental car.

[Pasha Eaton]

Redlands, California is in the Inland Empire. It is. Okay. I pictured it as like more north, but I think I'm confusing with Redding. Okay, so Redlands and his family, are they members of.

[Hannah Smith]

I don't think his family were members. I don't know for sure. But it said that he moved back to Nashville, Tennessee and reconnected with his family.

[Pasha Eaton]

I see. Okay.

[Hannah Smith]

So I wonder if he hadn't talked to his family in a long time.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, good point.

[Hannah Smith]

And then he reconnected with them, but then he goes back to the Inland Empire for some reason. So that's in May, in August of 2023. The truck was located in the Mojave Desert. One source said it had been burned and his body was not found in the truck. So it was abandoned and burned. But I do think that investigators found some evidence there because shortly after the Redlands PD announced that they're treating this as a potential homicide case. They got search warrants for the religious group's properties in Hemet and Anza, which are both in the Inland Empire. And they found several illegal firearms, including, quote, converted fully automatic rifles, short barreled rifles, and unserialized ghost guns, along with electronic devices and other Digital evidence, according to police.

[Pasha Eaton]

Has he been found?

[Hannah Smith]

He has not. Okay. It's interesting because he hasn't been found, but Shelly Martin and a member named Rudy Marino were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Emilio Gannim, is what one outlet reported. And, like, they have been charged with murder. So I'm not totally sure how that works. But obviously there's so much in the investigation that we don't know and that won't be public until this is done. But I do think that there's reason to believe that he's been killed. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

And, you know, this is all just happening as of a few months ago, this arrest. But so often in cases like this, the defense will say, well, you haven't found him, so how can you even say that he's dead? But it sounds like he was starting the next chapter of his life. He had moved away. He had left this oppressive group. He was starting this new business. Those are, to me, just a civilian signs that someone is energized and planting new roots.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And like trying to create a life after he's been in this high control group 23 years. Yeah. And probably not been able to, like, save money or do anything like that. So. Yeah, I mean, you know, we don't actually know where he is or if he's alive. If anyone has any information about Emilio Salem Gannim, his disappearance or his whereabouts, they are urged to contact the Redlands Police Detective Bureau. So all of these arrests happen in December of 2025. Shelly Martin Catt, former member Andre Thomas and Daryl Martin were all arrested for their involvement in the 2010 death of Timothy Thomas. Shelly Martin and this member, Rudy Marano were also arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Emilio Gannim and other various weapons charges. There's two other members who were arrested on charges related to felons in possession of firearms after they searched the homes that are owned by this group. And it's also noted that at the time of arrest, victim advocates from the DA Bureau of Victim Services and the DA Crisis Response K9 were present to assist members of this high control group with food, water, and contacts for additional resources.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh.

[Hannah Smith]

So when they went in, I don't know what they found in the houses, but they went in ready to help people.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right.

[Hannah Smith]

Which is cool. I'm glad they did that.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah.

[Hannah Smith]

So these are the only cases that have been charged, but there is another person who is missing.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, no.

[Hannah Smith]

Who is potentially connected. We don't know. There's no evidence so far to show that His Way Spirit Led Assemblies is responsible for his disappearance. But, you know, there are some connections. And once all of this came out, investigators shared information about him. He also was living in the Inland Empire and was a member of this group. His name is Ruben Moreno, who's 41. He was last seen in 2017 at a home in Claremont, California. He was living in a house with other members of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

[Pasha Eaton]

So he was an active member when he went missing.

[Hannah Smith]

So he hasn't actually been seen since 2017.

[Pasha Eaton]

Do you know when he was reported missing in 2019?

[Hannah Smith]

His family, which makes me wonder if he just hadn't been in contact with his family for so long. They didn't know for two years that he was missing, but eventually they realized he was, I assume because they reported him missing in 2019. Right.

[Pasha Eaton]

And then you have to ask, and I'm sure investigators who have looked into his disappearance are asking, why was he not reported missing earlier?

[Hannah Smith]

Why wasn't he reported missing by the people he was living with?

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, right.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean, this is someone who has, I assume if they're a member of this very controlling cult like organization, I guess there's the possibility people leave and they don't say anything because they're trying to escape.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, maybe that was the assumption.

[Pasha Eaton]

Maybe that was the assumption. But also, it's like you would think that people would still be concerned for someone's wellbeing. Either way, it doesn't add up. And also, you know, this would be the third suspicious death disappearance of someone connected to this group. And usually there are no coincidences.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So as far as we know, the police don't have any leads on Ruben Moreno's whereabouts, but he is described as a Hispanic man who is 5ft 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. It says his family and loved ones have not heard from him and are concerned for his well being. Anyone who knows Moreno's whereabouts or has information on his disappearance is asked to call the Clermont Police Department and tips can be submitted anonymously.

[Pasha Eaton]

Gosh, that is so sad.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So I really hope that's able to be solved and his family can get answers about where he is and what's happened to him. The same with Emilio. And. And so there's a lot that we don't know and that hopefully we will find out if this goes to trial or whatever happens with the case. But it's something that I've been really interested in and want to follow along as it happens. And so I Decided to cover it today.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, thanks so much for doing that. Deep dive into it. I had seen headlines about this, but I didn't know much more than that. And you know, I think in the media a lot of times these sort of cult like deeply quote religious groups are in ultra rural settings or in the deep South. And you know, these groups are everywhere.

[Hannah Smith]

Everywhere. This is a huge metropolitan area.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right? This is a huge metropolitan area and it's diverse and we need to believe people because these places are everywhere and they will take anyone who is willing to believe what they're saying and pay them usually. I mean, I don't know what's going on here, but it seems like that's where this is going to lead. But I'm sure we'll be following along and maybe we'll have an update for listeners.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay, Pesha, we're back.

[Pasha Eaton]

We're back.

[Hannah Smith]

I actually have an update for you.

[Pasha Eaton]

Oh, I love updates.

[Hannah Smith]

So sometimes we record these off records a little bit ahead of time for our production schedule. And so since we actually recorded this, there has been an update in the case. So I wanted to just kind of run you through that.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, tell me.

[Hannah Smith]

Okay. Okay. In early February, Shelly Cat Martin and Darrell Music Martin, along with co defendants appeared in San Bernardino County Superior Court for a preliminary hearing. This hearing, they were facing murder charges in the death of that four year old boy, Timothy Thomas. And they all pleaded not guilty.

[Pasha Eaton]

I mean that is just like unthinkable.

[Hannah Smith]

So this makes me think there's going to potentially be trial. Yeah.

[Pasha Eaton]

If they're pleading not guilty and they're being charged with something that just sad and serious, then I would think it will go to trial. But I have to wonder what kind of evidence have they had all these years or what kind of evidence did they just get? Because they must have been prepared for them to plead not guilty and then they have to be ready to go to trial if you don't drop charges like that.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And it'll be an interesting case because this is from an LA Times article and there was nothing written about, you know, their defense strategy. But I imagine with that case because he died of a ruptured appendix and their religious beliefs were that they didn't believe in doctors or anything like that. Right. So I wonder if they're gonna try to have some religious defense, religious freedoms defense or something.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And you know, I've seen cases like that pop up where parents don't seek medical help for their children for religious reasons. And you know, I can't think of like the exact way things have played out off the top of my head. But I would imagine in California they're gonna be, you know, maybe held more accountable than in some other states, I'm guessing. But I would hope so. I mean, personally, that would be my hope. I think when you are caring for a child, it's your responsibility to do everything in your power to help them.

[Hannah Smith]

I agree.

[Pasha Eaton]

Like, they can't decide for themselves. And so bring in the experts.

[Hannah Smith]

They also, like, aren't young enough to decide what their spiritual beliefs are.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right, exactly.

[Hannah Smith]

So get them medical care.

[Pasha Eaton]

Get them medical care. Yeah. That's unbelievably sad and also just so strange because you have this convoluted relationship between his parents, the child's parents, and these religious leaders and who's responsible. Yeah, I imagine that's a difficult aspect of. But it's horrible.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. And so this article did confirm that one of the defendants is Andre Thomas. So Andre Thomas has also been charged in Timothy Thomas death. And it was confirmed that he was the father of Timothy Thomas. So a former member testified for two hours, Kelly Bird. Which is interesting because I had read this person named Brie Byrd had spoken out to an outlet. We talked about that in this episode. So I'm curious.

[Pasha Eaton]

Maybe they're related.

[Hannah Smith]

Relation is. Yeah. So throughout that testimony, we found out more information about his way Spirit Led assemblies, which is really interesting. We found out that it was actually founded in Nashville in 1998. I had been unaware of that. So it started in Nashville and then they relocated to California in the year 2000. And it was located in various homes in the Inland Empire since.

[Pasha Eaton]

Okay, so founding a church in Nashville and moving it only two years later, I just wonder about that because I would think moving any sort of group, community, business, whatever it is, from Tennessee to California, that's no small thing, I would imagine it requires you to start all over. So I wonder sort of why they

[Hannah Smith]

would do that and how many people were part of the group at that point. Like, how many people moved, made the move to California.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And this is just, I guess, me guessing, but I would think they would have more people sort of looking for a group like theirs in the south than in California. I don't know.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, I don't know. So Nashville had popped up before because the man who went missing, Emilio Gannim, the police are investigating it as it was a homicide. So remember, he left the group and moved back to Nashville. So he's like, from Nashville.

[Pasha Eaton]

Right.

[Hannah Smith]

So it turns out that he joined in Nashville and then he followed the Martins to California. So he had been part of this for so long.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah. And you have to think, like, that's a very, very close relationship if you're following them all that way. Like, I don't know anyone who has followed their church to a different state. But that could just be, like, I don't know people like that. Maybe it's more common than I realize. But still, I mean, picking up and moving to be closer to your church, many, many states away, away from your family, that is a big commitment.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, it really is. So another update. This was not based on court testimony, but this is based on an interview that the Times did with a former member, Anthony Duran. He said, quote, you had no choices in anything. Just confirming, yet again, what we've heard is that they were very controlling about even where you went, at what time, you know, when you went to work, when you came home.

[Pasha Eaton]

And it's so easy to say this on the outside of a group like this, but what is the intention behind that level of control? You know, like, what could be a good reason? Yeah, I've seen these things get passed off as like, I'm keeping you safe. I'm protecting you.

[Hannah Smith]

But it's not that.

[Pasha Eaton]

It's never that.

[Hannah Smith]

No. He gave more information about the pest control business, Fullshield. He said that men in the group were forced to work for Fullshield. He said he was paid $12 an hour and required to work shift of up to 17 hours. He was paid in checks, but sometimes told then he wasn't allowed to cash them.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, it's, like, inhumane, illegal, and it would make it really hard to leave that situation. You're sleep deprived, you're exhausted, you're impoverished. Like, you have no money to speak of, no savings. Where are you gonna go?

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah, exactly. But Anthony is the one that we spoke about who did leave the group. And it sounds like he made this plan after years of working for Fullshield and sort of making some money, but oftentimes not even getting paid. He somehow persuaded this was, according to his interview with the Times, the Martins, to allow him to finance a work truck in his name. So that allowed him to have a mode of transportation that was in his name. So he used that. And then in the middle of the night in 2020, he left. And he was, I believe, 20 years old at the time.

[Pasha Eaton]

Wow.

[Hannah Smith]

Yeah. So that is like, he had to plot and plan his exit.

[Pasha Eaton]

Thinking of having to do that as a legal adult. Like, you're 20 years old and you have to do that. Something bad is going on.

[Hannah Smith]

Totally. So that's just the information that has come out from that preliminary hearing and I'm sure there will be so much more to come.

[Pasha Eaton]

Yeah, well, thank you for that update. We'll be following the case.

[Hannah Smith]

Thanks for listening.

[Pasha Eaton]

See you next week. If you have a story for us, we would love to hear it. Our email is the knifexactlyrightmedia.com or you can follow us on Instagram henifepodcast or bluesky@ the knife Podcast this has been

[Hannah Smith]

an exactly right production, hosted and produced by me, Hannah Smith and me, Patia Eaton.

[Pasha Eaton]

Our producers are Tom Bryfogel and Alexis Amorosi.

[Hannah Smith]

This episode was mixed by Tom Breyfogle.

[Pasha Eaton]

Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain.

[Hannah Smith]

Our theme music is by Birds in the Airport.

[Pasha Eaton]

Artwork by Vanessa Lilac.

[Hannah Smith]

Executive produced by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark and Danielle Kramer.

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