Leaders of 'cult-like' Calif. group charged with murder of 4-year-old boy

"The leaders of a mysterious "cult-like" California religious group allegedly tied to the death of a 4-year-old boy and a man who disappeared from a coffee shop have been charged with murder. The arrests of leading members of what authorities are calling a "religious high-control group" named His Way Spirit Led Assemblies are connected to the alleged murder of Emilio Ghanem, 40, who went missing in 2023, and the alleged murder of 4-year-old Timothy "Timo" Thomas."

"The group's leader, Shelley "Kat" Martin, 62, who was referred to as a "prophetess" within the group, and another member, Rudy Moreno, 43, were arrested for their alleged involvement in Ghanem's homicide, the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office announced this week. Martin, her husband Darryl "Muzic" Martin, and Timo Thomas' father, Andre Thomas, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the boy's death in 2010."

"Operating out of Southern California's Inland Empire for at least 15 years, His Way Spirit Led Assemblies was described as "cult-like" and preparing for "end times," by a former member who spoke with KTLA-TV earlier this year. Ghanem, a former member of the group, vanished on May 25, 2023, after last being seen at a Starbucks in the city of Redlands in San Bernardino County, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles."

Leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies were arrested and charged in connection with two killings: the 2023 disappearance and alleged homicide of 40-year-old Emilio Ghanem and the 2010 death of 4-year-old Timothy "Timo" Thomas. Shelley "Kat" Martin and Rudy Moreno face charges tied to Ghanem's alleged homicide. Shelley Martin, her husband Darryl "Muzic" Martin, and Andre Thomas, the child's father, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in Timothy's death. The group operated in Southern California's Inland Empire for at least 15 years and was described as cult-like and preparing for end times. Ghanem had recently left the group and was seen at a Redlands Starbucks before vanishing.

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