Alleged California ‘cult’ leaders arrested for killing member 3 years after he went missing
Two senior figures of a “cult-like” religious organization just outside Palm Springs have been taken into custody on Thursday on charges that they may have murdered a fellow member.
The group, known as “His Way Spirit Led Assemblies,” has been followed by law‑enforcement since May 2023, when former member Emilio Ghanem—who was 40 at the time—went missing shortly after leaving the community. According to the Redlands Police Department, investigators discovered Ghanem’s rented Nissan Frontier in Grand Terrace on Aug. 1, 2025, which contained both evidence and personal effects. That finding shifted the case from a missing‑persons inquiry to a potential homicide.
Police arrested Darryl Martin, 58, and Rudy Moreno, 43, at the group’s headquarters for murder and firearms offenses. They face no bail. The duo was detained near the cult’s headquarters, which sits about 45 miles from Palm Springs and 75 miles from Temecula.
Martin runs the organization with his wife, Shelly Bailey “Kat” Martin. Shelly, who identifies herself as a “prophetess,” formerly shared that the group stored food, water, and other supplies in preparation for the end times. An ex‑member told ABC7 that the leaders collected all of the organization’s earnings, reportedly exceeding $2 million annually.
Ghanem had been a devout member for about twenty years. He originally worked in Nashville, operating a pest‑control firm, before returning to California to open a satellite office. Employees at the company, once called Fullshield Inc. and now Maxguard, reportedly were involved with the cult, although the business declined to comment.
Martins have previously faced scrutiny; on Aug. 27 they were detained once again on suspicion of illegal weapons possession, but no charges were filed. Shelly was released after a “medical episode,” police said.
Investigators suspect Martin may also be linked to the death of a four‑year‑old in Colton and the abandonment of two men, though no formal charges have yet been announced.
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