What to Know
Police in North Carolina found Mica Miller’s body in Lumber River State Park about an hour from her home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on April 27, 2024. Mica Miller was just 30 years old when she allegedly died by suicide. She’d served her husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, with divorce papers just two days before she was found dead.
Many believed her estranged husband had something to do with her death from the moment they heard the news. The new Netflix documentary, “Death of the Pastor’s Wife,” offers insight from Mica Miller’s family and those close to her, and explains why they believe John-Paul Miller is hiding something.
Mica Miller and John-Paul Miller Met Through Church.
John-Paul Miller was 15 years older than Mica Miller, and the pair met at Solid Rock Church when she was a teenage worship leader. John-Paul Miller officiated Mica’s first marriage when she was just 18, but things soon began to change between the pastor and the worship leader. The pair had an affair that broke up their marriages and made Mica Miller a stepmother to five children. In the documentary, we see John-Paul Miller regularly speaking about God, lust, and sex to his congregation in a way that made many uncomfortable.
Those close to Mica Miller claim John-Paul forced his wife to have sex with him multiple times a day and even paid others so he could watch her have sex with them. He allegedly took photos of his wife naked and during sex, threatening to share them as a means of control.
Mica Miller felt she was doing God’s will.
As a faithful woman and a pastor’s wife, Mica Miller often spoke about her life in vlogs posted to social media. She confided in friends about small details that raised concerns. Mica Miller told one friend she’d begun taking testosterone just to keep up with her husband’s sexual escapades. Mica Miller’s siblings Destinee Barrientos, Abigail Francis, Sierra Francis, and brother Nate Francis all spoke with Netflix about their sister and alleged mental health struggles.
John-Paul Miller reportedly told her family she’d had an adverse reaction to anesthesia during a breast augmentation and began having mental health issues shortly thereafter. John-Paul Miller told Mica Miller’s family she had bipolar disorder following a stay in a mental institution. Her family claimed she’d never had a mental health diagnosis before marrying the pastor.
Mica Miller tried to leave.
After years of alleged mental and sexual abuse at the hands of a man preaching love at Solid Rock Church, Mica Miller left her husband in late 2023. The pair reconciled in February 2024, and a court dismissed the separation filing. But just two months later, in April 2024, she filed for separation again. This time, Mica Miller warned those closest to her that if anything ever happened to her, John-Paul Miller did it.
“He’s going to put a bullet in my head and tell everybody I killed myself,” Mica Miller’s friend Bruna Pabon shared in the documentary.
She reportedly shared a similar statement with family. Mica Miller called 911 and told a dispatcher that she was going to kill herself and asked if they could trace her phone. Hours later, police found Mica Miller dead with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. One that her family claims John-Paul Miller put in her head.
John-Paul Miller denies allegations against him.
@rileyluenews One year after Mica Millers death, JP marries the woman he was having an alleged affair with. #truecrimecommunity #truecrime #truecrimestory #micamiller ♬ original sound – RileyLueNews
In December 2025, police arrested John-Paul Miller on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. He posted a $100,000 bond and was told to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor, per The Post and Courier. John-Paul Miller still preaches, but Solid Rock Church closed down following his wife’s death.
He married Suzie Skinner in June 2025, and she now helps him preach at various pop-up events around Myrtle Beach. He has not been charged in his wife’s death.
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