Shivangi Sinha
In April 2024, when news broke that Mica Miller, the wife of John Paul Miller, had taken her life, it was quite shocking. There had been alleged troubles in their marriage in recent times, and she had reportedly even served him with divorce papers. Though the cause of her death was officially ruled as suicide, friends, family, and many others who had followed the case rallied against the judgment and demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted into Miller. Netflix’s ‘The Death of the Pastor’s Wife’ gives the whole timeline of the case and features the various accusations that have been leveled against the pastor in recent times.
John Paul Miller Knew Mica Since She Joined His Church as a Teenager
John Paul Miller is the son of Reginald Wayne “Reg” Miller, a South Carolina pastor. In 1972, Reg started his own church, Florence Tabernacle, in Florence, South Carolina. By the mid-1970s, he had also started a Bible college and had a decent-sized following. Around 1979, John Paul was born and grew up in a deeply religious environment. He had an affinity for music and was a great piano player. He would often sing in his father’s church, though in later years, he claimed that his childhood was far from ideal. Miller has accused his father of abuse and said that he struggled to get away from it.
In 2006, after Reg was arrested, John Paul struck out on his own path. He founded Solid Rock Ministries in May 2006 and delivered his first few sermons at the Socastee Public Library. Eventually, Solid Rock Church began operating out of a former Air Force chapel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. John Paul attracted a large number of followers himself. He first met Mica Harris when she joined his church as a teenager at 15 years old. At the time, he was married to Alison Miller and had five children of his own. John Paul encouraged Mica to take part in the musical activities of the church. In 2012, when she married Jeremy Deas, it was the pastor who officiated the wedding himself and blessed the couple.
In 2015, rumors started circulating that Mica and John Paul were having an affair. Shortly after, John Paul divorced his wife, and Mica also left her marriage. On November 7, 2017, 23-year-old Mica and 38-year-old John Paul got married and started their life together within the church. He always said that their time together was happy and content, but Mica’s friends shared a different version of events. They accused him of grooming her from a young age. Her siblings said that John Paul had been a mentor in Mica’s life and allegedly used that position to manipulate her. In October 2023, Mica filed for divorce for the first time, but in February 2024, the plea was dismissed.
John Paul Miller Faced Accusations From Mica’s Family After Her Death
In late February 2024, it was John Paul Miller who filed for separation from Mica, but the case was also dismissed without prejudice in March 2024. In the same month, Mica allegedly found razor blades in the tires of her car and told the police that it had happened to her before. She also said that she suspected her husband might be involved in it. Meanwhile, John and Mica continued to work together at the church. They even signed a postnuptial agreement stating that they would not speak negatively about the church and would keep their personal matters away from the public. Mica filed for separation for the last time in April 2024. According to the documentary, John Paul was served the papers on April 25, 2024.
On April 27, 2024, Mica called 911 herself and said that she was going to take her life. Before any help could reach her, her remains were found at a North Carolina state park. On April 28, 2024, John Paul announced during his sermon that Mica had passed away. Soon, her family took to social media and said that Mica had allegedly been subjected to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during her marriage. They accused the pastor of forcing her to engage in sexual acts she was not comfortable with and even blamed him for controlling her treatments. Court records and police reports describe Mica being involuntarily hospitalized for 48 hours in late 2023. In the documentary, clips of her alleging that John Paul took her purse and car keys while she was hospitalized have also been featured.
Even though Mica’s death was ruled a suicide, the traction on social media about the case continued to grow. Protesters gathered outside Solid Rock Church, but John Paul refuted the claims and allegations. He said that his wife was getting treatment for mental health issues and that her actions had been a result of her not adhering to the same. Mica’s family, in turn, accused him of constantly harassing and threatening her since she decided to leave him. In November 2024, federal agents executed a search warrant at John Paul’s home. On November 6, just days later, he was arrested and charged with a single count of third-degree assault and battery, related to an alleged incident with a protester and not Mica.
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John Paul Miller is Awaiting Trial on Federal Charges Today
In February 2025, the Solid Rock Church’s place at the former Air Force chapel was sold, and the church shifted to a new location. The number of followers also appeared to have dwindled significantly. Since 2025, two women identified as Jane Does have filed separate lawsuits alleging that John Paul sexually assaulted them. In December 2025, John Paul was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts: cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. The indictment alleges that he sent unwanted and harassing communications to Mica Miller from November 2022 until her death, and that he also engaged in other forms of alleged harassment, including tracking her vehicle and interfering with her finances.
At his arraignment in January 2026, John Paul pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $100,000 bond with conditions including staying away from victims and their families and wearing an ankle monitor. Since June 2025, John Paul has also been married to Suzie Skinner, another member of his church. Her former husband, Chris Skinner, died in a drowning incident in a community pool in 2021. The circumstances surrounding his death have also attracted public speculation, although such speculation should not be presented as an established fact. John Paul has not been charged in connection with Chris Skinner’s death or Mica’s death. He remains presumed innocent of the federal charges unless proven guilty in court, and the case is still ongoing.
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