Female 'cult member' who lured college students into the woods by pretending to be a stranded driver before killing one in gunfight pleads guilty to murder

A female 'cult member' has pleaded guilty to murder after luring her victim and his girlfriend into a forest and fatally shooting him in August 2022.

Yasmine Hider, 21, accepted murder, kidnapping and robbery charges for killing college student Adam Simjee in court on Wednesday and now faces up to life in prison for her horrific crime.

The heinous incident took place on August 14, 2022, when Florida college students  Simjee, 22, and his girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus, 20, were driving near Cheaha State Park, Alabama.

The young couple were flagged down by Hider - who tricked them into pulling over and getting out by asking if they could help jump-start her car. Hider robbed them and then shot Simjee as he pulled out his own weapon in an attempt to defend himself and his girlfriend.

Krystal Diane Pinkins, who has been connected to Rashad Jamal's University of Intelligence 'cult' alongside Hider, faced her own trial earlier this week and was convicted of murder, robbery and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence for her involvement with the incident in the Talladega National Forest.

Pinkins, 37, was sentenced after four days of testimony after evidence found that she aided in Hider's crimes by providing the firearm, planning the robbery and watching nearby in the woods, according to Northern Alabama's DA office.  

The young couple had been driving to hike and see the waterfalls at Cheaha State Park.

Simjee pulled over to the side of the road to assist Yasmine Hider, who told the couple that her car had broken down and Mikayla Paulus helped her boyfriend work on the car for an hour until they realized that it wouldn't start - at which point Hider pulled out a gun on the duo and forced them into the woods.

Hider asked the couple to drop their cell phones and hand over their banking information - before Simjee pulled out a gun to protect himself and his girlfriend.

Simjee was fatally hit in the crossfire and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The robber was sent to the hospital to treat her wounds, where she was later charged with murder.

Simjee and Paulus were getting ready to begin the school year at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

In a heartfelt tribute to her longtime lover, Paulus said her 'world ended' the say Simjee died on August 14.

'My reason for being, 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 being good Samaritans', said FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.

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 continued healing to the families and friends who will be forever impacted.'

The 'cult' that Hider and Pinkins have been connected to is the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult that preaches to African Americans and Latinos and believes they are the natural earthly beings, not white people, according to Fox News.

The group is led by Rashad Jamal White - known as Rashad Jamal to his followers.

He recently claimed he, and blacks and Latinos, are 'gods.'

Jamal is also currently detained on accusations of child molestation and child cruelty.

In January, another of the 'cult's' followers Damien Winslow Washam, 24, was accused of killing his mother with a sword and injuring his disabled uncle and brother.

In a heartfelt tribute to her longtime lover, Paulus said her 'world ended' the say Simjee died on August 14. 'My reason for being, 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 pursuit after fleeing the home he allegedly stabbed his mother in. Mobile County Captain Paul Burch said the he had 'absolutely no remorse whatsoever.'

The sword was found inside his car.

Washam's father, Hubert, told Vice's Motherboard that his son used to play a lot of video games - he learned about the 'cult' through a Call of Duty chat - and was a normal person before he got into Jamal's preaching.

He had reportedly learned about the University of Cosmic Intelligence through a Call of Duty chat and soon became obsessed with getting energy from the sun, Fox News reported.

He was listening to those conspiracy kind of videos and it was dumb as hell,' his father told Motherboard. 'It was stupid. I tried to look at some of these videos and I can't even listen to them, it's so dumb. Lizard people and aliens.'

After he started watching Jamal's video, he allegedly started doing 'crazy-a** stuff' and smoking marijuana again and sold his PlayStation. He also became obsessed with Egyptian gods and the underworld and started buying edged weapons.

Damien Washam and the two women involved in the killing of Simjee had connections to the University of Cosmic Intelligence leader Rashad Jamal White - who goes by Rashad Jamal to his followers. He is currently detained on accusations of child molestation and child cruelty, which he denies

In January, another of the 'cult' followers, Damien Winslow Washam, 24, was accused of killing his mother with a sword and injuring his disabled uncle and brother.

His father would later find out he had purchased a gun, the sword and thousands of dollars of crystals from the University of Cosmic Intelligence's store.

'He was acting strange. He got really strange,' his father told Motherboard. 'And it didn't seem like, you know - it was strange, but it wasn’t like a mental illness to 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 came eight months after Washam's sword-murder.  

An account that was set up to help Simjee's family raise money for his funeral costs. Since the account raised more than $12,000 as of Thursday, a new goal of $30,000 has been issued to help pay for Paulus' counseling and other expenses as she tries to move forward.