'Soldiers of Christ' killing unsettles Korean Americans in Georgia and stokes fear of cults

Rev. Byeong Cheol Han poses for a portrait at Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Atlanta Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Chamblee, Ga. The slaying of a South Korean woman during an initiation process for a group that called itself Soldiers of Christ has shocked the large Korean American community in metro Atlanta. Community leaders say Korean Americans need to be more vigilant to protect against religious cults and the possible exploitation of new arrivals from South Korea. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)y

Just days into the admission process for Soldiers of Christ, Sehee Cho was faint and feeble.

The 33-year-old had come to the Atlanta suburb of Lawrenceville from South Korea in July to heal from a traumatic experience. Instead, police say, the Soldiers group led by two Korean American brothers held her captive for weeks, torturing and starving her until she died.

Officers discovered her decaying body, weighing just 70 pounds (32 kilograms), in September in the trunk of a car, and prosecutors have charged the brothers, their mom, a third brother and three others with murder.