CultNEWS101 Articles: 2/13/2026

[Patrick Ryan]

His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, UFO Cult, Doomsday Comedy, New Zealand

LA Times: Leader of cult-like group charged with murder claimed God spoke through her, former member says

"Shelley Bailey “Kat” Martin taught members of her secretive religious group that she was like the character Neo from the Matrix — awoken from this realm by God and transformed into a perfect being, according to testimony from a former member.

The self-proclaimed “Prophetess” appeared in San Bernardino Superior Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing alongside four other defendants to face murder charges in the death of a 4-year-old boy and a former group member. The other defendants are her husband, Darryl Muzic Martin, 58, current member Rudy Moreno, former member Ramon Ruiz Duran Jr. and former member Andre Thomas, prosecutors say.

The Martins are leaders of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, a religious group that imposed excessive control over members’ lives and finances and operated for years across the Inland Empire, prosecutors say.

Shelley Martin, 62, Rudy Moreno, 43, and Ramon Ruiz Duran Jr., 44, are charged with murdering former member Emilio Ghanem, who disappeared in 2023 shortly after parting ways with the group. Shelley Martin, Darryl Martin and Andre Thomas are charged with murder in the death of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas while he was in the temporary custody of the Martins in 2010, according to the Colton Police Department. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Attorneys representing the defendants declined to comment to The Times or did not respond to requests for comment.

Former group member Kelli Byrd testified for two hours on Thursday, providing a rare glimpse inside the religious group that had operated in secret for decades.

Byrd told the court that Shelley Martin referred to herself as Prophetess Kathryn, claimed she was a physical embodiment of the Holy Spirit and that God spoke directly through her.

When the group gathered for worship a “gift of prophecy” would occur through Shelley Martin. Her body would start thrashing and her voice would become deep and low as she shared “a word from the throne of God,” Byrd said.

Byrd’s description of the powerful prophetess differed dramatically from the sullen appearance of Shelley Martin in court Thursday, where she sat glumly in a forest green jumpsuit, her long blond curls grown out to reveal dark black roots. Her husband and the other defendants in the case watched Byrd‘s testimony in silence from their respective seats.

His Way Spirit Led Assemblies was founded in Nashville in 1998, relocated to California in 2000 and has been located in various homes in the Inland Empire since around 2004, Byrd said.

Former members and law enforcement have described the group as cult-like."

The Spokeman-Review: This day [Februay 6] in history: A ‘UFO cult’ was looking for members to take to the ‘next level’ in Spokane

"From 1976: Robin and Benji, two leaders of a “UFO Cult,” arrived in Spokane to “reaffirm a message brought by Jesus.”

However, they claimed that earthlings had gotten Jesus’ message wrong, and none had ever made it to the “next level.” Robin and Benji said they would help people get there in a meeting to be held in Spokane.

“You must take your physical body to the ‘next level’ – you don’t die – and then you must go up in a physical vehicle,” Robin said.

They claimed to be messengers from two other cult leaders, known as “the two,” who had convinced 20 residents of Lincoln County in Oregon to reach heaven in a flying machine.

From 1926: The mystery surrounding the missing $2,000 from the Spokane County Auditor’s Office was solved with the arrest and confession of Ralph Burnett, deputy county auditor.

“I alone am guilty of the crime,” Burnett said in court. “ … I have never been arrested before. I am guilty and am ready to pay the penalty. I have no more to say.”

After his guilty plea, he was sentenced to “not less than two years and no more than 15 years in the state reformatory at Monroe,”

The prosecutor hinted that Burnett’s motive resulted from a romance he was carrying on with a married woman. Also, Burnett’s wife had divorced him several years ago, and he had been paying her a monthly alimony.

Review: Doomsday Comedy – comedy is tragedy plus freedom

"...Doomsday Comedy bravely takes on a completely uncontroversial topic: religion. All of the performers, and much of the crowd, once adhered to some form of Christian fundamentalism.

Doomsday Comedy is devised by ex-Jehovah’s Witness Jonas Skogstroll, a Norwegian goat farmer and comedian who’s in New Zealand to peacefully protest Jehovah’s Witness conventions. The Ōtautahi Christchurch show is the last stop on a four-date New Zealand tour. Thanks to the Decult network getting the word out to former cult members, this is a sold-out event filled with understanding people. I feel a little out-of-place – the only time I ever went to church, at age 10, I responded to “Peace be with you,” with, “Thanks.”

Our emcee is Snap, a seasoned pro who’s particularly at ease with political material. He opens the night with a Brian Tamaki jab and it’s clear we’re in good company. He is the only one on the lineup not from a “culty background,” though, ironically, his Facebook page describes him as “Comedian / Cult Leader.” Snap smartly takes this opportunity to do some crowdwork, since you’d be hard-pressed to find an audience with a better range of life stories."

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