Man who promised spiritual ritual accused of molesting boys

SOUTH SALT LAKE — A man who claimed he could "cleanse" the home of a woman and her two sons through what police called a voodoo ritual was arrested after police say he sexually molested the boys.

Jose David Morales-Hernandez was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of four counts of sodomy on a child and five counts of aggravated sex abuse.

When police arrested Morales-Hernandez at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, he was dressed in drag and using the name Nicole Morales, said South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller.

The man told the victims he was a "divine master" and could spiritually cleanse their house, Keller said. On Morales-Hernandez's business card, written all in Spanish, he called himself "el divino maestro" and said he could perform several functions, including card readings and speaking to the dead.

From March 24-26, the man visited the woman's home after he was referred to her by a friend. He was a transient, and the mother had to pick him up the first time he came over, Keller said.

As part of the house-cleansing process, the man had the mother and two boys, ages 12 and 13, strip to their underwear, Keller said. He would take the boys individually into a back room, close the door and then give them massages and molest them, Keller said.

The younger boy recently told his mother what had happened. The boys told police they were sexually assaulted four times during a three-day period, Keller said.

When police were notified, they set up a sting to catch the man. On Wednesday night, the man arrived at the victims' house believing he was going to "cleanse" the house. When he got out of his taxi, he was arrested.

Morales-Hernandez is from Guatemala, according to jail records. When he was arrested, he had a fake South American ID, Keller said. The numbers on his business card were no longer in use, Keller said, so investigators were unsure Thursday where the man was living.

Detectives are concerned there might be other victims and are asking anyone who has had contact with the man to contact them at 801-840-4000.

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com