Police have arrested a third person in connection with the murder of a Tennessee man who was affiliated with the Inland Empire religious group “His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.”

Ramon Ruiz Duran Jr., 44, was arrested in Nashville on Monday, Jan. 12, when detectives traveled to Tennessee, according to a statement from the Redlands Police Department. He was taken into custody at his place of work with help from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Duran was transported back to San Bernardino County and booked at the West Valley Detention Center for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He remains behind bars in lieu of $1 million bail. 

CBS LA spoke with Duran’s nephew, a former member of the religious group, who provided an in-depth look at the group’s inner workings in December after their leaders were charged in two separate murder investigations. He said that he wasn’t surprised by his uncle’s involvement in the incident. 

Police have been investigating the disappearance of 40-year-old Emilio Salem Ghanem for years, after he was last seen at a Starbucks on May 25, 2023. 

He was reported missing by family members shortly after he left the religious group. Investigators say that he returned to Southern California to garner business for his pest control business. He had previously worked for a similar company named Fullshield, Inc., now known as Maxguard, which is owned by the group’s leaders.

In the time since he was reported missing, Redlands detectives have located the truck Ghanem was renting, burned in the Mojave Desert, with “additional evidence,” leading to their classification of the case as a murder. 

In early August 2025, several leaders of the religious organization were arrested as the investigation into Ghanem’s disappearance continued. A week after those first search warrants were served, detectives then served separate warrants in Laguna Hills, which led to the arrest of group leaders Darryl Muzic Martin, 57, and Shelly Bailey “Kat” Martin, also known to members as “The Prophetess,” 62. 

Months later, police arrested Shelley Bailey “Kat” Martin and Rudy Moreno for Ghanem’s murder. Charges were filed against the three on Dec. 16, 2025. Duran is now the third person arrested in connection with his death, but he has not yet been charged. Police said the case will be presented for filing in the coming days.

At the time that murder charges were filed for Ghanem’s murder, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office also filed charges against Darryl Muzic Martin, “Kat” Martin and Andre Thomas for the murder of 4-year-old Timothy Thomas, who died in January 2010 after he was placed in the temporary custody of the Martins. At that time, investigators determined that he died due to child neglect, but no one was ever charged, and his death was eventually ruled a natural cause from a ruptured appendix. 

Thomas’ case was reopened in 2025 after detectives discovered new leads and evidence, police said. The new information included Ghanem’s disappearance and his connection to His Way Spirit Led Assemblies.

The religious group has also been connected to the disappearance of 41-year-old Ruben Moreno, who was reported missing in 2019 but has not been seen since 2017. His brother, Rudy Moreno, was charged with Ghanem’s murder. Claremont police have been investigating his disappearance and say they’re working in correspondence with other local agencies investigating Ghanem’s murder.

Tennessee Basketball held as much as a 17-point lead over Kentucky in the first half and even took an 11-point lead into the halftime break, but were unable to secure the rivalry victory on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats chipped away and eventually took the lead for the first time in the final minute. Kentucky outscored Tennessee by 13 points in the final 20 minutes and did so with timely second-chance points throughout the half.

The Vols held the lead in the final minute of the game, but a sequence that saw a bad turnover from Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a trip to the foul line, and an untimely offensive rebound ultimately led to Tennessee squandering the lead to Kentucky for the final 34 seconds.

Gillespie finished with a game-high 24 points while freshman Nate Ament put up 17 of his own. Ament’s 35 minutes on the court were the most by any player on either side in the game.

After the contest, RTI’s Ryan Schumpert and Ric Butler broke down their thoughts on the Vols’ loss in the Food City Center.

More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Basketball Collapses In Loss At Kentucky

Check out the RTI: Reaction below:

Is the transfer portal more enticing than the NFL draft?

Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter might think so.

Carter, who originally declared for the draft this upcoming spring, has now opted to stay in college and enter the portal, On3 reported Friday.

The 21-year-old notified his former coaches at Tennessee and emailed the school’s athletic director, per the outlet.

Carter cited his desire to complete his college degree and play a healthy season as his reasons for staying back in school.

“Just the simple fact of me being able to go and finish my degree I only have a couple credit hours left,” Carter told On3. “I’ll be the first in my family to graduate college. I just want to go and have a full season healthy.

“I had been dealing with turf toe in my feet all year and wasn’t able to play to my expectation. Being able to come back and have a full year of training and sharpening my tools and being a better linebacker and setting out to do everything I want to accomplish this next year.”

Carter added that although he prefers to transfer to an SEC program, he is open to playing anywhere.

“I would love to stay in the SEC,” Carter said. “But I’m willing to go anywhere.”

Carter established himself as one of the Volunteers’ top defensive players during his junior campaign, leading the program with 76 total tackles, along with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

When initially declaring for the draft through an Instagram post in December, Carter explained it was a difficult decision.

“Tennessee has truly become home for me, and that’s what has made this decision so difficult,” Carter wrote. “I want to start by thanking my coaches for believing in me, pushing me, and holding me to the highest standard every single day.

“Thank you to the trainers, strength coaches, academic team & support staff that made sure I was completely taken care of on and off the field. … To the University of Tennessee & the Greatest fan base in the country, thank you for the opportunity to be a Vol! The college experience, game day atmosphere and relationships developed will last a lifetime.

“Playing for the Power T meant everything to me.”