A female ‘cult member’ has pleaded guilty to murder after luring her victim and his girlfriend into the woods and fatally shooting him in August 2022.
Yasmine Hider, 21, accepted charges of murder, kidnapping and robbery for the murder of student Adam Simjee in court on Wednesday and now faces life in prison for her heinous crime.
The horrific incident occurred on August 14, 2022, when Florida student Simjee, 22, and his girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus, 20, were driving near Cheaha State Park, Alabama.
The young couple was stopped by Hider, who enticed them to stop and get out by asking if they could help get her car going again. Hider robbed them and then shot Simjee as he pulled out his own gun in an attempt to defend himself and his girlfriend.
Krystal Diane Pinkins, who along with Hider is affiliated with Rashad Jamal’s University of Intelligence “cult,” faced her own trial earlier this week and was convicted of murder, robbery and unlawful use of a firearm during a violent crime for her involvement in the incident in the Talladega National Forest.
Female ‘cult’ member Yasmine Hider, 21, pleaded guilty to murdering student Adam Simjee, 22, as he and his girlfriend tried to help Hider who had lured them into the woods
Yasmine Hider (left), 21, pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday to murder, kidnapping and robbery for the murder of student Adam Simjee and faces life in prison for her heinous crime. Her accomplice Krystal Pinkins (right), 37, faced similar charges a few days earlier
The young couple was driving to hike and see the waterfalls at Cheaha State Park when Hider stopped them and asked for their help with her car problems.
Pinkins, 37, was convicted after four days of testimony after evidence showed she assisted in Hider’s crimes by providing the firearm, planning the robbery and keeping vigil in the woods nearby. The North Alabama DA Office.
The young couple was driving to hike and view the waterfalls at Cheaha State Park.
Simjee stopped on the side of the road to help Yasmine Hider, who told the couple her car had broken down and Mikayla Paulus helped her friend work on the car for an hour until they realized it wouldn’t start – at which point Hider pulled a gun on the duo and forced them into the woods.
Hider asked the couple to drop their mobile phones and hand over their bank details – before Simjee pulled out a gun to protect himself and his girlfriend.
Simjee was fatally struck in the crossfire and was pronounced dead on the spot.
The robber was sent to hospital to treat her wounds, where she was later charged with murder.
Simjee and Paulus were getting ready to start the school year at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
In a heartfelt tribute to her longtime lover, Paulus said her “world ended” when Simjee died on August 14.
“My raison d’etre, my soulmate, my life partner, the future father of my children, died in the middle of a state park in Alabama.
“The victims of this terrible crime were simply good Samaritans,” said FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.
Simjee took out his own gun to defend him and his girlfriend from their kidnapper, but Hider fatally shot him
Peeples said: “Today’s verdict sends a strong message that individuals who commit these crimes will be held accountable for their actions. I would like to thank the many local, state and federal resources that came together to seek justice for the victim. I hope today’s verdict can bring further healing to the families and friends who will be forever affected.”
The “cult” Hider and Pinkins are associated with is the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult that preaches to African Americans and Latinos and believes they are the natural Earth beings, not white people, according to Fox news.
The group is led by Rashad Jamal White, also known as Rashad Jamal by his followers.
He recently claimed that he, and blacks and Latinos, are “gods.”
Jamal is also currently in custody on child molestation and child abuse charges.
In January, another follower of the ‘cult’, Damien Winslow Washam, 24, was accused of killing his mother with a sword and wounding his disabled uncle and brother.
In a heartfelt tribute to her longtime lover, Paulus said her “world ended” as Simjee died on August 14. ‘My raison d’être, my soulmate, my life partner, the future father of my children, died in the middle of a state park in Alabama
Washam led police on a chase after fleeing the home where he allegedly stabbed his mother. Mobile County Capt. Paul Burch said he had “absolutely no regrets.”
The sword was found in his car.
Washam’s father, Hubert, told Vice’s Motherboard that his son played a lot of video games — he learned about the “cult” through a Call of Duty chat — and was a normal person before he got involved with Jamal’s preaching.
He reportedly heard about the University of Cosmic Intelligence through a Call of Duty chat and quickly became obsessed with obtaining energy from the sun, Fox News reported.
He listened to those conspiracy videos and it was stupid,” his father told Motherboard. ‘It was stupid. I’ve been trying to watch some of these videos but I can’t even listen to them, it’s so stupid. Lizard people and aliens.”
After he started watching Jamal’s video, he reportedly started doing “crazy things,” smoking marijuana again and selling his PlayStation. He also became obsessed with Egyptian gods and the underworld and began buying edged weapons.
Damien Washam and the two women involved in Simjee’s murder had connections to University of Cosmic Intelligence leader Rashad Jamal White – who his followers call Rashad Jamal. He is currently in custody on charges of child molestation and child molestation, which he denies
In January, another follower of the ‘cult’, Damien Winslow Washam, 24, was accused of killing his mother with a sword and wounding his disabled uncle and brother.
His father would later find out that he had purchased a gun, the sword, and thousands of dollars worth of crystals from the University of Cosmic Intelligence store.
‘He was acting strange. He became very strange,” his father told Motherboard. “And it didn’t seem, you know – it was strange, but it wasn’t a mental illness for us. It was more like: I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it.’
Washam’s motive is still unknown.
The murder of the college couple by Hider and Pinkins occurred eight months after Washam’s sword murder.
An account set up to help Simjee’s family raise money for his funeral costs. As the account raised more than $12,000 as of Thursday, a new goal of $30,000 has been set to help pay for Paulus’ counseling and other costs as she tries to move forward.