We knew this case wasn’t going to just disappear. We didn’t expect these twists and turns! For some background…
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller shocked his congregation on Sunday, April 28 by telling them during a sermon that he’d just learned his wife had died by suicide the previous day. The announcement was as unexpected as it was, well… inappropriate. He made a point of telling the Solid Rock churchgoers she’d been dealing with mental health problems for some time, saying:
“You all knew she wasn’t well mentally and she needed medicine that was hard to get to her. I’m sure there will be more details to come, but keep her family in your prayers.”
The whole thing felt way too personal to tell a church congregation, especially as it was caught on camera for the church’s livestream. We also can’t get over how a loving husband could be delivering a sermon the day after getting this news!
Speaking of news… He was, for several days, the only one telling that exact story. Mica Miller‘s death was confirmed, but details about how she died were being kept pretty quiet by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. It’s since been confirmed Mica’s body was found at the Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, about an hour and a half north of Myrtle Beach. She died of a single gunshot wound.
It has also now been confirmed Mica’s death is being ruled a suicide. Robeson County Medical Examiner Dr. Richard Johnson told local outlet WPDE on Monday:
“Based on the nature of the wound, that it is consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And it was not in the back of the head, as it has been speculated.”
Apparently authorities met with her family Tuesday morning. Too bad they had to hear about it from ol’ JP though, huh?
Video: Terrifying Moment Man Tries To Shoot Pastor Captured On Livestreamed Sermon!
There are a lot of reasons this story has people raising an eyebrow. The big one? Mica had recently left her husband. He didn’t mention in his sermon or the obituary he was allowed to write for some reason. But she had even very recently filed for divorce! Nor did he have room in that obit for the fact he met Mica when she was just 14 years old — and he was already her pastor. Oh, and he was married with five kids.
Then there was the fact she had been talking about “leaving a dangerous situation.” On her Facebook she wiped all traces of the time she spent with her estranged husband. She made videos speaking directly to other women out there stuck in abusive relationships — and how escaping didn’t go against God, no matter how much the guy might say so.
Getting a picture here? Well, let’s let her family spell it out. In an affidavit after Mica’s death, her sister Sierra Francis said in court documents that Mica had feared for her life. She even said the words:
“Mica stated to me on many occasions, ‘If I end up with a bullet in my head, it was JP.'”
Whoa. This is the exact situation we’re in now. It looks like a suicide — but she warned her fam it wouldn’t be?? In fact, several of her loved ones have spoken out, saying they don’t believe the suicide story! A couple who spent a lot of time with Mica and JP went on NewsNation and spilled about “red flags” they saw in the relationship — and in his treatment of women in general. Allicia Young, sitting beside her husband, told the outlet:
“I absolutely do not believe that she took her own life.”
See their thoughts on the matter from having spent time with this pastor (below):
Yeesh! These are people who spent time with him, knew him as a pastor… and they think he might have been responsible for Mica’s death? That’s certainly the underlying sense we get from their interview.
In addition to all the friends and family speaking out, we have it from Mica’s own lips. She spoke to a police officer from the Horry County Police Department on March 11 about harassment she was facing after leaving her pastor husband. He wrote in his incident report:
“The victim advised me she was afraid for her life.”
Naturally all this context has led to widespread suspicion. Abused women are most likely to be killed by the men abusing them — particularly in retaliation when they finally leave. It makes sense folks reading all the sordid details of the story online would worry she was the victim of foul play.
Related: Youth Pastor Gets Plea Deal After Copping To ‘Repeated Sexual Assault Of A Child’
But the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office is trying to put a stop to the theorizing — by true crime aficionados and family members alike. On Tuesday they released all the evidence that’s led them to believe this was definitely a suicide.
They’ve pieced together surveillance footage that seems to account for Mica’s entire schedule that fateful Saturday. And shockingly that includes her driving to Dick’s Pawn Shop and purchasing a handgun at 12:13 p.m.
She is seen driving multiple times over the next hour or so. Then, at 2:54 a 911 call is placed, apparently by Mica. The report says she “threatened suicide” to the dispatcher, asked if her phone could be traced, and then hung up. The operator tried to call back but couldn’t reach her.
Deputies were immediately dispatched to the location of the call for a wellness check. A search ensued. Around 4 p.m. a man approached detectives with Mica’s bag. He told them he was fishing when he heard crying and then a gunshot. Then he found the bag at the water’s edge.
At 4:23 p.m. another man placed a call to 911 telling them he’d found a body. Around three hours later, the handgun that matched the serial number of the one Mica bought was found in the water.
It seems unlikely there was any other explanation than suicide, right?
As for JP the possibly abusive estranged husband? The cops want everyone to know they checked him out, too. Apparently he’s already dating another woman just weeks after his wife left. Investigators confirmed neither the pastor nor his new girlfriend were in North Carolina on either the day of Mica’s death or the night before. That Friday, JP apparently traveled to Charleston to watch a sporting event. During the trip he was constantly with other people.
It seems pretty solid — he couldn’t have been there when Mica was shot.
But what about the claims the 30-year-old had been harassed in the weeks after leaving JP, either by him or other members of the church? After all, she told police she was “afraid for her life.” That has to mean something, right? Maybe. But it doesn’t mean she was murdered. Near as investigators can tell, this is ultimately something she did to herself, as difficult as that must be for everyone to hear. We mean, they even have her buying the gun. It’s pretty hard to refute.
So what about the allegations of abuse and grooming? We’ve seen even worse accusations lobbed at the pastor on social media than in interviews with the local news. Heck, if multiple people who knew the man personally — including church members — heard the news and assumed he murdered his wife? Surely someone should look into him a bit more, right? If the claims are true, could he still bear some responsibility?
Well, it remains to be seen if there will be any legal ramifications to the backlash against JP. We do know he was relieved of his duties as a pastor by the Solid Rock church. A notice sent to church members said he was released for “a time of healing, counsel, and guidance, pursuant to our governing instrument.” Hmm. That’s pretty vague. Did the church get wind of the allegations and suspend him??
Innerestingly the Solid Rock church’s website is apparently also facing some kind of reckoning. The URL now redirects to a page that reads, “This Account has been suspended.” Huh. Not sure what that’s about.
We wonder if anything else will come of the public outcry, the #JusticeForMica movement that’s sprung up in South Carolina and on social media. But one thing is for sure, local authorities have made it as clear as possible why they’ve ruled how they have.
What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? What more should be done? Should investigators look into claims of grooming?? Let us know in the comments…
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Mica Miller/Facebook/Solid Rock/YouTube.]
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