CultNEWS101 Articles: 2/18/2026
Patrick Ryan
US: ‘Cult-Like’ Leader Accused of Murder Claimed God Spoke Through Her: ‘Her Body Would Start Thrashing’
"A leader of a “cult-like” religious group accused of murder claimed that God spoke directly through her, according to a former congregation member.
On Thursday, February 5, Kelli Byrd appeared in court to testify against Shelley Bailey “Kat” Martin, who previously held a leadership position at His Way Spirit Led Assemblies. While the church was founded in Tennessee in the late ‘90s, the congregation moved to the San Bernardino County area in Southern California in 2000, where the group remained for more than 20 years.
In her testimony, Byrd stated Martin had told churchgoers she had the “gift of prophecy” and referred to herself by the title “Prophetess Kathryn.” She would then allegedly deliver messages she claimed were directly from God to the members of the group."
"Dariyn Girton gave thousands of dollars to Christian fringe group Shincheonji, believing it would help her secure her place in the "Kingdom of Heaven".
Ms. Girton spent three years inside the Melbourne branch of Shincheonji, which has been described by former members as an "apocalyptic Christian cult".
When Ms Girton was recruited in 2021, she was pressured to give a portion of her income to the church.
Ms Girton was forced to leave her full-time job to keep up with increasing demands of the church, and took drastic measures to ensure she could continue paying tithes.
"I ended up selling a lot of my personal possessions, like my gold jewelry," she said.
Ms. Girton said at times, she did not even have enough money to buy food.
"You're forced to think 'I'm not storing up treasures on Earth but I'm storing up treasures in Heaven, so none of this matters,'" she said."
Featuring Interview Guest Robin Boyle-Laisure, JD: Attorney, Law Professor, Member of the Board of Directors for the International Cultic Studies Association, and Author.
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultinte...@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Ashlen Hilliard (ashlen.hilli...@gmail.com)
Joe Kelly (joeke...@gmail.com)
Patrick Ryan (pryan...@gmail.com)
If you do not wish to be subscribed to this list, or you think you are being maliciously subscribed to the list, or have any other questions, send them to: pryan...@gmail.com or send an email to: cultnews101...@googlegroups.com.