GUILTY AL - Adam Simjee, 22, a carjacking turned robbery turned child in the woods with a gun, 2022

[Curious_in_NC]

I’m not so sure, as flagging random motorists down on a ruse and holding them at gunpoint and shooting to kill would generally not reflect desperation. They would reflect criminal thinking.

Desperation might have looked more like flagging a motorist down, no ruse, and simply asking for help. Clearly this young couple was willing to be helpful.

According to this article, Sinjee spent some time attempting to fix the suspect's car and he even called someone for tips on that before she decided to rob them. This suggests that if the car could have been repaired, maybe there might have been a different outcome. So it's not clear robbery was her initial plan. MOO To be fair, this is the only source I can find reporting this sequence of events.

"Adam being the person he is, stopped to help them," according to information on a page set up to help Simjee's family. "He and Mikayla tried to help the woman and even reached out to family for tips to help get the car started. When nothing else could be done, they offered to get help from the ranger station.

"This is when she pulled a gun and asked for banking information," the page, organized by Pilar Renteria Pilar Renteria, detailed.

Murder probe leads to discovery of 'off grid' camp in Talladega forest, child with gun

Two people are charged with murder after an apparent robbery in the Talladega National Forest, where a camp and an armed 5-year-old were found.

www.gadsdentimes.com

 

[RickshawFan]

According to this article, Sinjee spent some time attempting to fix the suspect's car and he even called someone for tips on that before she decided to rob them. This suggests that if the car could have been repaired, maybe there might have been a different outcome. So it's not clear robbery was her initial plan. MOO To be fair, this is the only source I can find reporting this sequence of events.

"Adam being the person he is, stopped to help them," according to information on a page set up to help Simjee's family. "He and Mikayla tried to help the woman and even reached out to family for tips to help get the car started. When nothing else could be done, they offered to get help from the ranger station.

"This is when she pulled a gun and asked for banking information," the page, organized by Pilar Renteria Pilar Renteria, detailed.

Murder probe leads to discovery of 'off grid' camp in Talladega forest, child with gun

Two people are charged with murder after an apparent robbery in the Talladega National Forest, where a camp and an armed 5-year-old were found.

www.gadsdentimes.com

I read this, too.

The perps weren't willing to go to the Ranger station to get help with their car. That says to me fixing it was not the priority, but bank info at gunpoint was.

 

[evilwise]

I read this, too.

The perps weren't willing to go to the Ranger station to get help with their car. That says to me fixing it was not the priority, but bank info at gunpoint was.

They probably hate "cops" including forest rangers who are the crunchiest hippies in the entire spectrum of authority figures - but people are even shooting at firefighters and emts these days, who literally are not authority figures at all.

 

[justtrish]

I once camped for 6 weeks on National Forest land while I was homeless. I was actually working at the time, and managed to put away enough money for security payment on an apartment to fix my situation.
The camping was breathtaking.... I was by a lake with Cascade volcanoes in the background. Alpenglow every night. Fires weren't permitted, but I didn't need one of those anyway: I have all the gear I need. It was up in the mountains, though, and I had to bail when it began to snow.
But it was a legit Forest Service numbered free spot (I overstayed my 2 weeks, though), and I wasn't toting a gun.
So, I understand the need to camp while getting a life back together. I just don't understand any of the rest of this case.

I wonder what these women were doing....? No word?

Reading your post brought up some emotions. America really is a land of opportunity. I know it has so many things that can be done better and if we all could learn to communicate with each other more and less speaking at each other, I think we can see some of these things fixed or at least steps taken in the right direction. Your story shows that there are ways and not all are simple or easy, but there are ways to better your life while working hard to do so. I just want to say I think what you did shows your true spirit to succeed and have no excuses. Thank you for sharing that.

It also shows a possible way for those in a similar situation as you were to get back on their feet. I know locations are a big part of that because colder areas wouldn't be as possible in the winter, but often people being able to dig themselves out of a situation goes a long way for them to feel like they can tackle challenges. This would require safe accessible places for them to camp. Anyway before I'm off on another topic. It just is an interesting idea.

I also think women camping in the wilderness it might make sense to have a gun for protection from wildlife as well as human predators (but seems these women were the ones that were predators themselves ) I just feel like the way the camp was worded sounded more like a place where more than just 2 women an a 5 year old were living. I don't know if others were scared off by the gunshots or if they were warned by the woman that ran back to camp and they split before police arrived. I do find it concerning that a 5 year old had a shot gun. I'm curious to hear more about this.

 

[justtrish]

They probably hate "cops" including forest rangers who are the crunchiest hippies in the entire spectrum of authority figures - but people are even shooting at firefighters and emts these days, who literally are not authority figures at all.

I think if they were illegally camping and trying to stay unnoticed, then the thought of alerting rangers might have really set her off. I do think robbery was the plan from the beginning, but maybe she thought hey if he can fix the car too that is even better. So she let him try and then when it became clear he wasn't going to be able to fix it she moved on to the rest of the plan.

 

[evilwise]

I think if they were illegally camping and trying to stay unnoticed, then the thought of alerting rangers might have really set her off. I do think robbery was the plan from the beginning, but maybe she thought hey if he can fix the car too that is even better. So she let him try and then when it became clear he wasn't going to be able to fix it she moved on to the rest of the plan.

I'm thinking she for whatever reason thought she desperately needed a car so when Adam was giving up on getting hers running she decided to take his. Leading them into the woods and demanding things like the pin for their debit card led him to the conclusion it was her intention to kill them so he shot her then tried to run back to their car but because he didn't shoot her enough to be sure she was really really down, she was able to shoot him in the back as they fled. That's pretty speculative but it's the story my mind puts together based on the limited information available.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I read this, too.

The perps weren't willing to go to the Ranger station to get help with their car. That says to me fixing it was not the priority, but bank info at gunpoint was.

With the gag order, we're not likely to hear any more details about how this unfolded. I've never robbed anyone, but if I ever did, I probably wouldn't let the potential victim first call their relatives describing me and my broken car, probably along with our location. @caradana suggested mental illness as a factor. At the least, these were two women who didn't think real good.

 

[RickshawFan]

Reading your post brought up some emotions. America really is a land of opportunity. I know it has so many things that can be done better and if we all could learn to communicate with each other more and less speaking at each other, I think we can see some of these things fixed or at least steps taken in the right direction. Your story shows that there are ways and not all are simple or easy, but there are ways to better your life while working hard to do so. I just want to say I think what you did shows your true spirit to succeed and have no excuses. Thank you for sharing that.

It also shows a possible way for those in a similar situation as you were to get back on their feet. I know locations are a big part of that because colder areas wouldn't be as possible in the winter, but often people being able to dig themselves out of a situation goes a long way for them to feel like they can tackle challenges. This would require safe accessible places for them to camp. Anyway before I'm off on another topic. It just is an interesting idea.

I also think women camping in the wilderness it might make sense to have a gun for protection from wildlife as well as human predators (but seems these women were the ones that were predators themselves ) I just feel like the way the camp was worded sounded more like a place where more than just 2 women an a 5 year old were living. I don't know if others were scared off by the gunshots or if they were warned by the woman that ran back to camp and they split before police arrived. I do find it concerning that a 5 year old had a shot gun. I'm curious to hear more about this.

Thanks.
I was lucky with weather, I had a car, the site was spectacular, other campers were nice, and I eventually got housing help from a social services organization.

The problem with camping as a temporary solution to housing is that you have to have wheels. You somehow have to get access to get your daily needs met, such as food and fuel. Most campgrounds are too far away from social services, medical care, school, jobs, etc., the very things you need to get back on your feet. And then there's the bad weather issues.

IMO towns should have "safe space" campgrounds. Even $5 per night might work, and w/contract and month to month lease, assigned spot. The best would be parking garages in winter. It would be great in town if the spots were separated by fencing, so they'd be like cages. That way, you wouldn't have stuff stolen, could leave for work, lock yourself in at night, etc. IMO

I don't think these women were camped for this reason, otherwise I think they would enthusiastically have done whatever it took (including going to the ranger station) to get their car fixed. With a car, they might have had a viable existence in the woods, at least for a time.

 

[ClaireNC]

Was the car even theirs? Or was it someone else’s broken down car that was being used as a decoy to lure in unsuspecting tourists to rob? Is this something that they’ve done before? Or a tactic that the people living off the grid in the area use to lure victims?

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I'm thinking she for whatever reason thought she desperately needed a car so when Adam was giving up on getting hers running she decided to take his. Leading them into the woods and demanding things like the pin for their debit card led him to the conclusion it was her intention to kill them so he shot her then tried to run back to their car but because he didn't shoot her enough to be sure she was really really down, she was able to shoot him in the back as they fled. That's pretty speculative but it's the story my mind puts together based on the limited information available.

Here's another account that makes the robbery sound even more chaotic:

The woman then pulled out a gun and ordered them into the woods, they [CCSO] said, and Simjee produced a weapon he was carrying.

“Adam pulled out his gun and told her to get on the ground and that’s when she started messing around with her gun. It jammed once but they both shot at each other and she was shot a few times and he was shot only once,” Simjee’s 20-year-old girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus, told WBMA-TV.

Florida college student shot dead by would-be robber while hiking with girlfriend

The couple was driving on a National Forest Service road when a woman flagged them down and asked for help with her car, sheriff’s officials said. The woman then pulled out a gun.

www.wesh.com

 

[Curious_in_NC]

There is a Facebook profile for a Krystal Pinkins from Memphis TN, which matches up with news reports that she is from there. The picture looks like her and details suggest the age is close (36). The last posts were made in 2019. She describes herself as a freelance writer and motivational speaker who graduated from McNally Smith College of Music, a now defunct and pretty expensive for-profit college in MN. There is nothing obvious to suggest what led her to the woods of Talladega AL.

 

[ClaireNC]

Yasmine Hider, the woman accused of posing as a stranded driver, murdering Florida college student outside Cheaha State Park has been booked into the Clay Co. Jail.

https://www.facebook.com/StephenQuinnTV/posts/619823223095838

 

[caradana]

I look at that woman’s face, so childlike. I see why they pulled over.

what predated this with that woman, in her mind. I wonder.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I look at that woman’s face, so childlike. I see why they pulled over.

what predated this with that woman, in her mind. I wonder.

I only found one Yasmine Hider on Facebook. At first I rejected it as being her, as she describes herself as a Recruitment Manager at a marketing company in Oklahoma. But after seeing her booking picture, I'm pretty sure it's her. Although her current profile pic looks a bit different, her middle initial, age (20), and older pictures all look like a match. Started college in 2020, said she wanted to open her own bakery, but then her last post was in 2021. Like Pinkins, how she ended up involved in this senseless tragedy in Alabama is a mystery. Neither had suggestions of anything on FB related to camping or off the grid lifestyles. Maybe they joined some kind of cult.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

There is a Facebook profile for a Krystal Pinkins from Memphis TN, which matches up with news reports that she is from there. The picture looks like her and details suggest the age is close (36). The last posts were made in 2019. She describes herself as a freelance writer and motivational speaker who graduated from McNally Smith College of Music, a now defunct and pretty expensive for-profit college in MN. There is nothing obvious to suggest what led her to the woods of Talladega AL.

There is also a LinkedIn account for a Krystal Pinkins from Memphis. The profile picture looks like the same person, same approximate age, however none of the history information is the same as in the FB profile. It does mention a degree in sound recording from U Arkansas Pine Bluff and some connection to Hennepin Co. in MN. Neither FB nor LinkedIn has much, if any, fact checking mechanism, so it's hard to say how much of this info is factual.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Seems like I was just scratching the surface. This Vice article investigated the suspects' social media posts much more thoroughly. Lots of odd stuff here, including the following. It sounds like something sort of cult-like was involved, although its alleged leader is currently incarcerated elsewhere:

Both Pinkins and Hider had seemingly, based on their social media posts, become fans of something called The University of Cosmic Intelligence (UCI), the project of a man named Rashad Jamal White. (The Memphis real estate agent who tagged Hider in a photo is also an admirer of this man, who goes by Rashad Jamal, and has posted seemingly on his behalf.) Jamal is a content creator who describes himself on Instagram as an “Author / Poet / Revolutionary / Luminous Being” and uses the UCI’s Instagram and YouTube accounts to both share his music videos—these feature him in the company of multiple women and covering such subjects as “Kundalini Energy”— and make videos about things like cleansing his chakras, aimed at awakening Black and Latino people whom he refers to as “carbonated beings.” On Twitter, he focuses largely on the virtues of polygamy.

Suspects in Bizarre ‘Off-Grid’ Alabama Shooting Posted About New Age Conspiracy Theories, Followed a Controversial Content Creator

Yasmine Hider went from a hard-working college student in Oklahoma to adrift with Krystal Pinkins, a former home health aide; both women were arrested after the shooting death of college student Adam Simjee in Alabama.

www.vice.com

 

[Laughing]

And here I am, a mere Retired Soccer Mom.

Not making light of Mr. Sinjee's death, but at Luminous Being I had to wonder if that guy knew or corresponded with Chad Daybell & Lori Vallow -- he's a Prophet & she's a Goddess, at least according to them:

Found Deceased - ID - Joshua Vallow, 7, Tylee Ryan, 16, Tammy Daybell, 49, Charles Vallow, 62, Oct 2019 *Arrests* #66

Lori Hellis refiled her motions on August 24. Her latest newsletter at the link:

www.websleuths.com

jmmh ymmv lrr

 

[Coppertop15]

I drank 5 Diet Pepsis today. I'd say I'm pretty carbonated.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Simjee's doesn't appear to be the only murder in Alabama connected to Rashad Jamal White and the UCI.

Followers of social media spirituality influencer accused of 2 murders in Alabama: 'I am a god'

Several followers of a social media influencer who calls himself a "god" have been accused of two separate murders in Alabama. The leader is currently in a Georgia prison on charges of child molestation and child cruelty.

www.fox5atlanta.com

In January, Damien Winslow Washam, 24, was charged with murder, attempted murder, attempt to elude and other crimes after he allegedly killed his mother with a sword on Jan. 16. He also allegedly injured his uncle, who has cerebral palsy, and his brother on the same evening.

Washam fled the scene and refused to stop as authorities chased him, according to the Mobile County Sheriff's Office. Saraland police set up spike strips that ultimately ended the pursuit. Mobile County Capt. Paul Burch told The Associated Press that Washam "had absolutely no remorse whatsoever and that’s probably the most shocking part of it."

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Adam Simjee: UCF student leaves a light

Adam Simjee was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He was a Florida native and UCF finance student traveling with his girlfriend in Alabama on Aug.

www.nicholsonstudentmedia.com

Adam will always be remembered by the people around him and the lives he touched. He was kind to everyone, even strangers, and inspired those closest to him.

“It has been an honor to have watched him grow up to become this great man he grew up to be,” Pilar Renteria said. “He would’ve done good things in his future.”