February 19, 2024 • 22 mins
Welcome to Episode 119 of our series, "Gone But Never Forgotten", where we unpack the heartbreaking yet inspiring tale of Adam Simji, a 22-year-old finance student whose life was tragically cut short when he tried to help two seemingly stranded women. Known for his selfless heroism, Adam's story is a chilling reminder of the dystopic state of our society, yet also highlights the resilient human spirit.
The scene unfolds in Talladega National Forest in 2022, where Adam and his girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus, are on an adventure. The couple sees a woman in distress and attempts to assist, unknowingly walking into a terrifying ambush laid by Yasmin Marie Adele Hider and Crystal Diane Pinkins. In a shocking turn of events, Adam is fatally shot in the attempt and one of the women flees the scene, with the duo later being apprehended and their insidious intent brought to light.
Both women targeted good Samaritans alongside the highway, using distress as a bait to rob them, a plan that led to the tragic end of Adam's life. In an eerie twist, the narrative reveals their association to the controversial University of Cosmic Intelligence, a potentially cult-like group led by Rashad Jamal White, adding a chilling dimension to their crime.
Despite the horror and loss, this episode paints a picture of resilience, notably embodied by Mikayla's bravery in the face of adversity and her determination to bring the culprits to justice. Join us as we dissect this tragic tale, offering insights into crime, sacrifice, and the navigation of a seemingly dangerous world that still harbours Good Samaritans like Adam Simji. Intro Music: Provided by Gallagher Music Social Media for GBNF: GBNF on Facebook GBNF on Twitter GBNF on Instagram GBNF on TikTok GBNF on Youtube GBNF on Patreon
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I highly doubt that I need to tell you, the listener, that we're living in a
world that is often described as a dystopian nightmare.
If you're unfamiliar with the term dystopian, it describes what's supposed to
be an imagined world or segment of society where people live dehumanized lives
(00:20):
and lives are filled with fear and dread.
It refers to a very unfair world that is filled with suffering and terrible events.
Authors and Hollywood alike have been showing us varying degrees of dystopia for many, many years,
and sadly the real world that we all live in has started to resemble just that
(00:46):
more and more, it seems, with each and every passing year.
This week, I'm going to share a story that lays that out for you.
This week, we talk about Adam Simji, a young man who was in university and who
was out adventuring and hiking with his long-term girlfriend in 2022,
(01:08):
when he made the decision to
stop and help two women who appeared to be in peril and in need of help.
That humanitarian and helpful thought
eventually led to his death in a
shootout that took place because he was a hero through and through hello my
(01:28):
name is Lance and welcome to episode 119 of gone but never forgotten we are
truly living in a dystopian nightmare the murder of Adam Simji.
Music.
(02:27):
Adam Simji was 22 years old at the time of his death, and make no mistakes about
it, he died a hero, much in the same way that he lived his entire life.
Adam was from Florida, and he was a student at the University of Central Florida
where he was studying finance. finance.
(02:47):
Adam was also in a long-term relationship since high school with Michaela Paulus,
who was also a student at UCF.
Michaela and everyone that knew Adam said that he was the type of person who
would do anything to help someone in need.
He was always willing to go above and beyond for his family,
(03:09):
for his friends, and even for co-workers and customers at Lowe's, where he worked.
Adam was also known for helping out homeless people by treating them to a meal at a restaurant,
and he was someone who would always pull over on the side of the road to help
if he could, which sadly will come into play in this story.
(03:33):
To Adam, helping people was not something that you did once in a while.
He believed that if he had the means and the time to help someone,
he should. His instinct, when there was any kind of trouble,
was to help everyone that he possibly could.
Michaela says that she even recalls a time when Adam saw concrete pouring out
(03:57):
from a truck that was driving, and he pulled over and helped the workers to
load the concrete back into the truck.
Adam has been described as introverted. However, he was known as a smart,
determined, creative, and hilarious young man.
All in all, what we're about to talk about is certainly made infinitely more
(04:21):
horrible when you realize that once again we lost a very young person who had
his entire future ahead of him,
and he was the type of person that we certainly need more of in the world around us.
On August 14th of 2022, Adam and Mikayla were enjoying one last outing before
(04:44):
they were to return to the University of Central Florida for their Fall 2022 semester.
They chose to drive through Talladega National Forest near Cheehaw State Park
as they were making a concerted effort to seek out and take photos of waterfalls in the area.
(05:05):
They were traveling and spending the nights in Adams' 2010 white Chevrolet Uplander.
As they were driving through the park, they came across a blue XB Scion on the
side of the road, and they saw a woman who was attempting to flag down a vehicle for help.
As I just mentioned, scenarios like this one were Adam's specialty.
(05:29):
He was very well known for helping out, and in doing so, again,
he pulled his car over, and he and Michaela got out of the car and approached the woman.
Woman. The woman told them that her car had broken down, and so Adam and Michaela
made the one-eighth of a mile walk to the vehicle to see if they could help get the car started.
(05:53):
Adam would try using jumper cables on the vehicle, and when he was unable to
get the Scion to start, Michaela made a phone call to her father, who was a mechanic,
to see if he could possibly help them out with another way that they could get the car started.
This really was two fantastic human beings attempting to help a complete stranger
(06:17):
who was seemingly just stranded within the park.
Michaela's father would send over a few YouTube videos to watch to see if they would help at all.
And after Michaela had watched those videos and they'd tried everything that
they could to start the car, Michaela kept searching on her phone for new ideas that might help.
(06:39):
Adam and Michaela spent over an hour trying to help start that vehicle,
and then suddenly, everything changed.
The woman who had flagged the car down pulled out a gun, and she told Adam and
Michaela to empty their pockets and to give everything to her,
and then walk off, down the road, off the road, and into the forest.
(07:03):
Adam responded by telling the woman that everything that he and Michaela owned
was inside of the van, and he told her that everything that they had was hers.
Clearly, Adam and Michaela did not want any kind of trouble at all.
As the woman was momentarily looking away, Adam pulled out his gun that he was
(07:25):
carrying on his person, and he told her to drop her weapon. The woman turned
around and looked at Adam and asked him if he was serious.
She could not believe that he was carrying a weapon, and she could not believe
that the tables had been turned on her so easily.
She raised her weapon at Adam, and she started to fire, and Adam immediately
(07:49):
returned fire as a shootout ensued on that backcountry road in the middle of the park.
Unfortunately, Adam was hit very early in that gunfight and he fell to the ground,
returning fire one more time at the woman as he fell.
After all of the shooting stopped and it was evident that Adam and the woman
(08:10):
were both injured, the woman looked at Adam and asked him why he shot at her.
She told he and Michaela that it wasn't supposed to be like this,
obviously hinting at the fact that she did not intend to fire her gun or injure
anyone. Not that that mattered.
Allegedly, that is when a second woman was seen nearby and she looked at the
(08:33):
first woman, injured on the ground, and the woman that was injured asked the
woman in the forest what she was supposed to do next.
With that question, the second woman turned around and ran off into the forest,
leaving her supposed friend, Adam, and Michaela alone at the scene of the crime.
(08:54):
Meanwhile, Michaela was making a 911 call and attempting to save Adam's life
as it was evident to her that Adam was certainly dying.
While Michaela was on the phone with 911, Adam began to fall in and out of consciousness
and the 911 operator advised her to apply pressure to the gunshot wound with
(09:15):
a cloth of some kind and to start doing chest compressions if Adam stopped breathing.
Michaela removed her shirt to use it to apply pressure, and she began doing
chest compressions on Adam when he did indeed stop breathing.
When the first responders arrived at the scene, they found that the woman had been shot four times.
(09:38):
However, she was still alive.
Adam, though, unfortunately had lost his life in the time between being shot
and the arrival of of the first responders, succumbing to a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
When the first responders arrived, Michaela identified the woman as the shooter,
and she also said that there had been a second woman in the forest and that
(10:03):
she had fled the scene after the shootout.
The woman that was still on the scene was seated on the ground several feet
away, and she was leaning against against a fallen tree.
She had three gunshot wounds to her abdomen and one gunshot wound to her upper right leg.
Immediately after being identified as the shooter, the woman said that she knew
(10:24):
that she was going to prison, and she asked the responders how long she would go to prison for.
She also told officers that she was living at an encampment in the woods and
that she She and the other woman had been trying to get a ride to get food when
they had hatched the plan to steal from anyone that stopped to help them.
(10:45):
All of that was caught on one of the officer's body cams.
The woman who had been armed and who had shot and killed Adam was identified
at the scene as 21-year-old Yasmin Marie Adele Heider.
She also identified that the other woman that had run off into the forest was
36-year-old Crystal Diane Pinkins.
(11:08):
Investigators headed out into the forest to attempt to locate Crystal,
and approximately six hours after the shootout, they did locate an encampment.
And they located Crystal, who was seemingly alone at the base camp.
When they attempted to arrest her, however, a five-year-old child,
which was Crystal's son, came out of the forest and he was armed with what was
(11:32):
later determined to be a loaded shotgun.
Officers told the child to put the gun down, but he continued to approach with
the gun in hand until he was nearly beside his mother, and then he did put the gun on the ground.
Crystal was arrested and charged with suspicion of endangering the welfare of
a child as a charge to hold her in custody while they collected evidence and
(11:57):
attempted to figure out just what had happened in that forest.
She would later be charged with murder, two counts of kidnapping,
and two counts of robbery.
Meanwhile, Yasmin had been taken to a hospital in Birmingham,
Alabama, and her life was saved through surgery.
She was also held on suspicion of murder, two counts of kidnapping,
(12:21):
and two counts of robbery.
Five days after the murder on August 19th of 2022 while she was at UAB Hospital,
Yasmin would further incriminate herself after she waived her Miranda rights.
Yasmin said that she was waiting on the side of the road to get someone to stop
(12:42):
so that she and Crystal could steal a car and go get food for themselves and the five-year-old boy.
She told officers that Crystal had in fact been the person that was with her
at the time of the murder and that the gun was provided by Crystal and the plan
was entirely Crystal's.
(13:03):
Yasmin would go on to ask if Adam had died, and when she found out that he had,
she said that she had not intended to hurt anyone, and she didn't want to hurt anyone.
She also said, quote.
(13:24):
Eventually, Yasmin would make a plea deal where she agreed to a sentence of
35 years in prison, and in return, she would testify against Crystal in court.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor of the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Alabama accepted the plea deal and
ordered Yasmin into the custody of U.S. Marshals.
(13:47):
The deal would see Yasmin plead guilty to second-degree murder in the death
of Adam, the kidnapping of Michaela, and robbery.
In court for Crystal's trial, Yasmin testified that the vehicle belonged to
Crystal, who was a native of Memphis, Tennessee.
Yasmin said that she and Diane lived in the base camp that investigators had
(14:10):
found, and she said that the entire plan, as I said, was Crystal's.
She also testified, as I said earlier, that Crystal had watched everything take
place before she ran off to escape into the forest.
In July of 2023, a federal magistrate judge determined that Crystal was fit
(14:32):
to stand trial, and her trial was set for September 25th of 2023.
Her trial would be before a jury and would last for four days,
with the jury ultimately finding her guilty of second-degree murder,
robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime.
(14:52):
She was found not guilty of the charge of kidnapping on September 29th of 2023.
After Yasmin's guilty plea and Crystal being found guilty, Michaela spoke out and said, quote,
This marks the beginning of a chapter for me, a chapter in which the people
responsible for taking Adam's life have been held accountable.
(15:17):
I have been dreading the day I'd have to go to trial since the first week of the tragedy.
Yes, I had to relive the worst moments of my life, but I feel a sense of peace
at the outcome and also gratitude for my support system, who has been there
for me every step of the way.
I would not have been able to make it through my testimony or those five grueling
(15:42):
days in court if not for these incredible people who fought for me,
cried with me, made me laugh,
and constantly reminded me that my life is worth living.
Crystal would have her sentence in hearing on January 4th of 2024,
and she was sentenced to life in prison.
(16:05):
After the trials were finished, FBI Special Agent Carlton Peoples,
who was in charge of the case, said, The victims of this terrible crime were
simply being good Samaritans.
Today's verdict sends a strong message that individuals who commit these crimes
will be held accountable for their actions.".
(16:29):
Both women were also reportedly a part of the University of Cosmic Intelligence,
which is a cult that is led by Rashad Jamal White.
The cult started as an online and YouTube community, and Rashad is an Atlanta-based
social media influencer,
rapper, and supposed guru whose teachings mix New Age mysticism,
(16:53):
polygamy, and Afrocentric and Black nationalist ideals. deals.
Rashad and his followers believe that they are demigods that transcended and descended from aliens.
They refer to themselves as gods and goddesses.
I should mention that this supposed god is currently being held on charges of
(17:15):
child abuse in Georgia, so I'll leave that right there.
The cult, of course, has stated that it did not have any knowledge of the murder or plans.
What an incredible story, right? I mean, here you have two women that had a
plan to try and get some sympathy so that they could steal a car and they could
(17:37):
steal money to feed themselves and their family.
Two people who had nothing but the illest intentions, and two women who were
seeking a good Samaritan to victimize.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if the plan was to hurt or murder anyone.
That is only the difference between first and second degree murder.
(18:01):
These two women had a plan, and at least two guns, and they found a victim who
only wanted to help them.
Adam Simji was, and always will be remembered as, a hero.
This is a man who we mentioned off the top had a love for his fellow humans.
(18:21):
He fed the homeless, he helped the helpless, and in this case he stopped to
help someone else who seemingly needed it.
Even when things went awry, as he stared down the barrel of a gun,
he made a decision to do what he could do to try and save himself and Michaela,
and ultimately, he paid the ultimate price.
(18:44):
I cannot even begin to understand how awful all of this would be to go through.
The fact that Michaela was able to testify and see this case through is also
a testament to how strong she is, and it shows why Adam knew that she was worth saving.
He loved her with all of his heart, and now there is a generation of children that Adam will not have,
(19:08):
and all because two women had seemingly chosen to live off the grid and try
to eke out an existence largely at the expense of other people.
Michaela has said many times that Adam is a hero, and that is absolutely true.
From where I sit, Michaela is a hero as well.
(19:28):
She ensured that Yasmin and Crystal will pay for their crimes.
The human condition just seems to get worse and worse in the world around us, doesn't it?
We're living in a world where you hear of messes like this one far too often.
Innocent people losing their lives as a part of some devious plot. lot.
(19:49):
And sadly, we had one of these cases very near to home just last year,
when a police officer was dispatched to a scene where there was a car in the ditch,
and when he arrived, he was shot and killed by another deranged person who needed
to exact some kind of justice in their own mind.
(20:11):
What can I say to end this episode? Don't help people? Ugh.
Doesn't it seem like that's the case more and more, though?
It's unsafe to be a good person in a world that seems to be filled more and
more with evil people who have bad intentions.
I can't say that, though. All that I can say is that I hope that each and every
(20:34):
one of you listening to this episode and every episode will continue to be a
good person and continue to try and light up the world around you.
We can all be better, and all we can do is hope that eventually trends start to go the other way.
We need to stop hurting, killing, and seeking evil as a society.
(20:58):
We really are all in this together. We're all struggling in our own ways,
and we can all still continue to be good to one another and continue to be better, so please do.
Also, please reach out to me on social media with cases that you would like
to have me cover, and let me know what you think of the episodes that I do cover.
(21:22):
I've made some changes to our YouTube feed, starting with last week's episode
on Scott Sessions, as I try to expand things here with GBNF to grow the podcast,
and so that I can focus more time on telling you stories like this one.
So please, support the pod by following, liking, sharing, and conversing on social media.
(21:46):
If you do feel inclined to help out beyond that, we have a Patreon page that
I plan to start using more and more, and of course, like every creator,
I would never turn down a one-time donation to help with the show.
But, that's enough pandering for this week.
Thank you so much for listening to the show, and I will see you next time on
(22:10):
Gone But Never Forgotten.
I highly doubt that I need to tell you, the listener, that we're living in a
world that is often described as a dystopian nightmare.
If you're unfamiliar with the term dystopian, it describes what's supposed to
be an imagined world or segment of society where people live dehumanized lives
(00:20):
and lives are filled with fear and dread.
It refers to a very unfair world that is filled with suffering and terrible events.
Authors and Hollywood alike have been showing us varying degrees of dystopia for many, many years,
and sadly the real world that we all live in has started to resemble just that
(00:46):
more and more, it seems, with each and every passing year.
This week, I'm going to share a story that lays that out for you.
This week, we talk about Adam Simji, a young man who was in university and who
was out adventuring and hiking with his long-term girlfriend in 2022,
(01:08):
when he made the decision to
stop and help two women who appeared to be in peril and in need of help.
That humanitarian and helpful thought
eventually led to his death in a
shootout that took place because he was a hero through and through hello my
(01:28):
name is Lance and welcome to episode 119 of gone but never forgotten we are
truly living in a dystopian nightmare the murder of Adam Simji.
Music.
(02:27):
Adam Simji was 22 years old at the time of his death, and make no mistakes about
it, he died a hero, much in the same way that he lived his entire life.
Adam was from Florida, and he was a student at the University of Central Florida
where he was studying finance. finance.
(02:47):
Adam was also in a long-term relationship since high school with Michaela Paulus,
who was also a student at UCF.
Michaela and everyone that knew Adam said that he was the type of person who
would do anything to help someone in need.
He was always willing to go above and beyond for his family,
(03:09):
for his friends, and even for co-workers and customers at Lowe's, where he worked.
Adam was also known for helping out homeless people by treating them to a meal at a restaurant,
and he was someone who would always pull over on the side of the road to help
if he could, which sadly will come into play in this story.
(03:33):
To Adam, helping people was not something that you did once in a while.
He believed that if he had the means and the time to help someone,
he should. His instinct, when there was any kind of trouble,
was to help everyone that he possibly could.
Michaela says that she even recalls a time when Adam saw concrete pouring out
(03:57):
from a truck that was driving, and he pulled over and helped the workers to
load the concrete back into the truck.
Adam has been described as introverted. However, he was known as a smart,
determined, creative, and hilarious young man.
All in all, what we're about to talk about is certainly made infinitely more
(04:21):
horrible when you realize that once again we lost a very young person who had
his entire future ahead of him,
and he was the type of person that we certainly need more of in the world around us.
On August 14th of 2022, Adam and Mikayla were enjoying one last outing before
(04:44):
they were to return to the University of Central Florida for their Fall 2022 semester.
They chose to drive through Talladega National Forest near Cheehaw State Park
as they were making a concerted effort to seek out and take photos of waterfalls in the area.
(05:05):
They were traveling and spending the nights in Adams' 2010 white Chevrolet Uplander.
As they were driving through the park, they came across a blue XB Scion on the
side of the road, and they saw a woman who was attempting to flag down a vehicle for help.
As I just mentioned, scenarios like this one were Adam's specialty.
(05:29):
He was very well known for helping out, and in doing so, again,
he pulled his car over, and he and Michaela got out of the car and approached the woman.
Woman. The woman told them that her car had broken down, and so Adam and Michaela
made the one-eighth of a mile walk to the vehicle to see if they could help get the car started.
(05:53):
Adam would try using jumper cables on the vehicle, and when he was unable to
get the Scion to start, Michaela made a phone call to her father, who was a mechanic,
to see if he could possibly help them out with another way that they could get the car started.
This really was two fantastic human beings attempting to help a complete stranger
(06:17):
who was seemingly just stranded within the park.
Michaela's father would send over a few YouTube videos to watch to see if they would help at all.
And after Michaela had watched those videos and they'd tried everything that
they could to start the car, Michaela kept searching on her phone for new ideas that might help.
(06:39):
Adam and Michaela spent over an hour trying to help start that vehicle,
and then suddenly, everything changed.
The woman who had flagged the car down pulled out a gun, and she told Adam and
Michaela to empty their pockets and to give everything to her,
and then walk off, down the road, off the road, and into the forest.
(07:03):
Adam responded by telling the woman that everything that he and Michaela owned
was inside of the van, and he told her that everything that they had was hers.
Clearly, Adam and Michaela did not want any kind of trouble at all.
As the woman was momentarily looking away, Adam pulled out his gun that he was
(07:25):
carrying on his person, and he told her to drop her weapon. The woman turned
around and looked at Adam and asked him if he was serious.
She could not believe that he was carrying a weapon, and she could not believe
that the tables had been turned on her so easily.
She raised her weapon at Adam, and she started to fire, and Adam immediately
(07:49):
returned fire as a shootout ensued on that backcountry road in the middle of the park.
Unfortunately, Adam was hit very early in that gunfight and he fell to the ground,
returning fire one more time at the woman as he fell.
After all of the shooting stopped and it was evident that Adam and the woman
(08:10):
were both injured, the woman looked at Adam and asked him why he shot at her.
She told he and Michaela that it wasn't supposed to be like this,
obviously hinting at the fact that she did not intend to fire her gun or injure
anyone. Not that that mattered.
Allegedly, that is when a second woman was seen nearby and she looked at the
(08:33):
first woman, injured on the ground, and the woman that was injured asked the
woman in the forest what she was supposed to do next.
With that question, the second woman turned around and ran off into the forest,
leaving her supposed friend, Adam, and Michaela alone at the scene of the crime.
(08:54):
Meanwhile, Michaela was making a 911 call and attempting to save Adam's life
as it was evident to her that Adam was certainly dying.
While Michaela was on the phone with 911, Adam began to fall in and out of consciousness
and the 911 operator advised her to apply pressure to the gunshot wound with
(09:15):
a cloth of some kind and to start doing chest compressions if Adam stopped breathing.
Michaela removed her shirt to use it to apply pressure, and she began doing
chest compressions on Adam when he did indeed stop breathing.
When the first responders arrived at the scene, they found that the woman had been shot four times.
(09:38):
However, she was still alive.
Adam, though, unfortunately had lost his life in the time between being shot
and the arrival of of the first responders, succumbing to a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
When the first responders arrived, Michaela identified the woman as the shooter,
and she also said that there had been a second woman in the forest and that
(10:03):
she had fled the scene after the shootout.
The woman that was still on the scene was seated on the ground several feet
away, and she was leaning against against a fallen tree.
She had three gunshot wounds to her abdomen and one gunshot wound to her upper right leg.
Immediately after being identified as the shooter, the woman said that she knew
(10:24):
that she was going to prison, and she asked the responders how long she would go to prison for.
She also told officers that she was living at an encampment in the woods and
that she She and the other woman had been trying to get a ride to get food when
they had hatched the plan to steal from anyone that stopped to help them.
(10:45):
All of that was caught on one of the officer's body cams.
The woman who had been armed and who had shot and killed Adam was identified
at the scene as 21-year-old Yasmin Marie Adele Heider.
She also identified that the other woman that had run off into the forest was
36-year-old Crystal Diane Pinkins.
(11:08):
Investigators headed out into the forest to attempt to locate Crystal,
and approximately six hours after the shootout, they did locate an encampment.
And they located Crystal, who was seemingly alone at the base camp.
When they attempted to arrest her, however, a five-year-old child,
which was Crystal's son, came out of the forest and he was armed with what was
(11:32):
later determined to be a loaded shotgun.
Officers told the child to put the gun down, but he continued to approach with
the gun in hand until he was nearly beside his mother, and then he did put the gun on the ground.
Crystal was arrested and charged with suspicion of endangering the welfare of
a child as a charge to hold her in custody while they collected evidence and
(11:57):
attempted to figure out just what had happened in that forest.
She would later be charged with murder, two counts of kidnapping,
and two counts of robbery.
Meanwhile, Yasmin had been taken to a hospital in Birmingham,
Alabama, and her life was saved through surgery.
She was also held on suspicion of murder, two counts of kidnapping,
(12:21):
and two counts of robbery.
Five days after the murder on August 19th of 2022 while she was at UAB Hospital,
Yasmin would further incriminate herself after she waived her Miranda rights.
Yasmin said that she was waiting on the side of the road to get someone to stop
(12:42):
so that she and Crystal could steal a car and go get food for themselves and the five-year-old boy.
She told officers that Crystal had in fact been the person that was with her
at the time of the murder and that the gun was provided by Crystal and the plan
was entirely Crystal's.
(13:03):
Yasmin would go on to ask if Adam had died, and when she found out that he had,
she said that she had not intended to hurt anyone, and she didn't want to hurt anyone.
She also said, quote.
(13:24):
Eventually, Yasmin would make a plea deal where she agreed to a sentence of
35 years in prison, and in return, she would testify against Crystal in court.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor of the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Alabama accepted the plea deal and
ordered Yasmin into the custody of U.S. Marshals.
(13:47):
The deal would see Yasmin plead guilty to second-degree murder in the death
of Adam, the kidnapping of Michaela, and robbery.
In court for Crystal's trial, Yasmin testified that the vehicle belonged to
Crystal, who was a native of Memphis, Tennessee.
Yasmin said that she and Diane lived in the base camp that investigators had
(14:10):
found, and she said that the entire plan, as I said, was Crystal's.
She also testified, as I said earlier, that Crystal had watched everything take
place before she ran off to escape into the forest.
In July of 2023, a federal magistrate judge determined that Crystal was fit
(14:32):
to stand trial, and her trial was set for September 25th of 2023.
Her trial would be before a jury and would last for four days,
with the jury ultimately finding her guilty of second-degree murder,
robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime.
(14:52):
She was found not guilty of the charge of kidnapping on September 29th of 2023.
After Yasmin's guilty plea and Crystal being found guilty, Michaela spoke out and said, quote,
This marks the beginning of a chapter for me, a chapter in which the people
responsible for taking Adam's life have been held accountable.
(15:17):
I have been dreading the day I'd have to go to trial since the first week of the tragedy.
Yes, I had to relive the worst moments of my life, but I feel a sense of peace
at the outcome and also gratitude for my support system, who has been there
for me every step of the way.
I would not have been able to make it through my testimony or those five grueling
(15:42):
days in court if not for these incredible people who fought for me,
cried with me, made me laugh,
and constantly reminded me that my life is worth living.
Crystal would have her sentence in hearing on January 4th of 2024,
and she was sentenced to life in prison.
(16:05):
After the trials were finished, FBI Special Agent Carlton Peoples,
who was in charge of the case, said, The victims of this terrible crime were
simply being good Samaritans.
Today's verdict sends a strong message that individuals who commit these crimes
will be held accountable for their actions.".
(16:29):
Both women were also reportedly a part of the University of Cosmic Intelligence,
which is a cult that is led by Rashad Jamal White.
The cult started as an online and YouTube community, and Rashad is an Atlanta-based
social media influencer,
rapper, and supposed guru whose teachings mix New Age mysticism,
(16:53):
polygamy, and Afrocentric and Black nationalist ideals. deals.
Rashad and his followers believe that they are demigods that transcended and descended from aliens.
They refer to themselves as gods and goddesses.
I should mention that this supposed god is currently being held on charges of
(17:15):
child abuse in Georgia, so I'll leave that right there.
The cult, of course, has stated that it did not have any knowledge of the murder or plans.
What an incredible story, right? I mean, here you have two women that had a
plan to try and get some sympathy so that they could steal a car and they could
(17:37):
steal money to feed themselves and their family.
Two people who had nothing but the illest intentions, and two women who were
seeking a good Samaritan to victimize.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if the plan was to hurt or murder anyone.
That is only the difference between first and second degree murder.
(18:01):
These two women had a plan, and at least two guns, and they found a victim who
only wanted to help them.
Adam Simji was, and always will be remembered as, a hero.
This is a man who we mentioned off the top had a love for his fellow humans.
(18:21):
He fed the homeless, he helped the helpless, and in this case he stopped to
help someone else who seemingly needed it.
Even when things went awry, as he stared down the barrel of a gun,
he made a decision to do what he could do to try and save himself and Michaela,
and ultimately, he paid the ultimate price.
(18:44):
I cannot even begin to understand how awful all of this would be to go through.
The fact that Michaela was able to testify and see this case through is also
a testament to how strong she is, and it shows why Adam knew that she was worth saving.
He loved her with all of his heart, and now there is a generation of children that Adam will not have,
(19:08):
and all because two women had seemingly chosen to live off the grid and try
to eke out an existence largely at the expense of other people.
Michaela has said many times that Adam is a hero, and that is absolutely true.
From where I sit, Michaela is a hero as well.
(19:28):
She ensured that Yasmin and Crystal will pay for their crimes.
The human condition just seems to get worse and worse in the world around us, doesn't it?
We're living in a world where you hear of messes like this one far too often.
Innocent people losing their lives as a part of some devious plot. lot.
(19:49):
And sadly, we had one of these cases very near to home just last year,
when a police officer was dispatched to a scene where there was a car in the ditch,
and when he arrived, he was shot and killed by another deranged person who needed
to exact some kind of justice in their own mind.
(20:11):
What can I say to end this episode? Don't help people? Ugh.
Doesn't it seem like that's the case more and more, though?
It's unsafe to be a good person in a world that seems to be filled more and
more with evil people who have bad intentions.
I can't say that, though. All that I can say is that I hope that each and every
(20:34):
one of you listening to this episode and every episode will continue to be a
good person and continue to try and light up the world around you.
We can all be better, and all we can do is hope that eventually trends start to go the other way.
We need to stop hurting, killing, and seeking evil as a society.
(20:58):
We really are all in this together. We're all struggling in our own ways,
and we can all still continue to be good to one another and continue to be better, so please do.
Also, please reach out to me on social media with cases that you would like
to have me cover, and let me know what you think of the episodes that I do cover.
(21:22):
I've made some changes to our YouTube feed, starting with last week's episode
on Scott Sessions, as I try to expand things here with GBNF to grow the podcast,
and so that I can focus more time on telling you stories like this one.
So please, support the pod by following, liking, sharing, and conversing on social media.
(21:46):
If you do feel inclined to help out beyond that, we have a Patreon page that
I plan to start using more and more, and of course, like every creator,
I would never turn down a one-time donation to help with the show.
But, that's enough pandering for this week.
Thank you so much for listening to the show, and I will see you next time on
(22:10):
Gone But Never Forgotten.
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