Police knew there was more to Mica Miller’s death. How FBI linked her SC husband
A Myrtle Beach pastor was in the national spotlight after the death of his wife gave rise to controversy and suspicion about his possible involvement. Now, more than a year later, he faces federal charges surrounding her death.
This is how he got here.
When Mica Miller took her life in a North Carolina state park in April 2024, her husband, John-Paul Miller, came under scrutiny. It began when he announced her death from the pulpit of his then church, Solid Rock.
Mica Miller had filed for divorce several times before her death, and the couple was estranged at the time. Mica Miller contacted the police several times about being followed and harassed by her husband, telling them she feared for her life.
John-Paul Miller denied wrongdoing, blaming his wife’s death on her mental health, but protestors and law enforcement suspected there was more to the case.
Federal indictment places additional suspicion on John-Paul Miller
Before his wife’s death, Miller was known in the community primarily as the pastor at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common. Following the discovery of Mica’s body in 2024, suspicions arose among community members and Mica’s family that Miller had something to do with the death.
Theories and rumors swirled on the internet, and the couple’s tenuous relationship was picked apart and talked about in the media and podcasts.
Now, a federal grand jury in Columbia has brought a two-count indictment against Miller, 46, for cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators related to Mica Miller, according to a press release sent Thursday from the office of the United States Attorney District of South Carolina.
The indictment claims that Miller engaged in harassment of Mica beginning in November 2022 up until her death, including calling her more than 50 times in one day and posting a nude photo of her online without consent. It also alleges that he interfered with her finances and her vehicle’s tires.
When Miller was interviewed about these occurrences, he lied about all of them, the indictment says. He had purchased a tire deflation device despite claiming that he did not interfere with Mica’s tires, and hired a private investigator, whom he claimed was hired to prevent her from purchasing firearms, to cyberstalk Mica over alleged adultery.
“The defendant’s alleged actions were predatory, measured, and inflicted profound trauma to the victim, her family, and loved ones,” FBI Columbia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Kevin Moore said in a statement about the indictment. “While this indictment marks the first phase of the criminal process, it represents a crucial step toward accountability. We hope this step offers a measure of peace as the healing continues for the family.”
When asked if the FBI plans to pursue further criminal charges against Miller, FBI Columbia Field Office spokesperson Kevin Wheeler said he was unable to comment. He noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office makes determinations on charges.
The FBI has not outright said that Miller’s actions may have caused Mica Miller to take her life, however, it has long been an accusation by her family and those protesting for justice in the case.
In November 2024, crowds gathered to watch as the FBI searched John-Paul Miller’s Azalea Lakes Boulevard home in The Market Common area. The reasons for the search remain unknown. The Sun News requested the incident report related to the search, but never received it.
John-Paul Miller’s attorney Nathan Williams declined to comment on the indictment prior to court proceedings. His other attorney, Andrew Moorman, did not immediately respond for comment on Friday.
Another of Miller’s attorneys, Russell Long, stated in a text message on Friday that he will not be commenting on the case “anytime soon.”
A current phone number for John-Paul Miller could not be located.
Miller’s arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026, in federal court in Florence. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for cyberstalking and two years in prison for giving false statements. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.
Robeson County Sheriff suspected more behind Mica Miller’s death
On April 27, 2024, Mica Miller contacted Robeson County, North Carolina, police expressing concern that she might harm herself.
Deputies with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to Lumber River State Park near Orrum, North Carolina, to conduct a welfare check on her. They found her dead in the water with a gunshot wound that appeared self-inflicted, and the firearm nearby.
The death was later ruled a suicide.
Earlier that day, Mica could be seen on surveillance footage released by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office entering Dick’s Pawn Shop in Myrtle Beach and leaving after buying a firearm and ammunition. It remains unknown why afterward she traveled more than 65 miles to the North Carolina state park to take her life.
However, in the ensuing investigation, authorities uncovered information that “warranted further review” of the victim’s husband, John-Paul Miller, according to a statement released Thursday by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. The police suspected that this information was informative of the “broader circumstances” around Mica’s death, the statement reads.
On May 6, 2024, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina and requested that federal authorities step in to investigate allegations reported in the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction. The suspicions of Wilkins and his team ultimately led to the indictment of cyberstalking and making false claims to federal investigators.
Wilkins said in the statement that during the investigation, conspiracy theories and rumors ran wild, but his office made decisions based solely in facts and verified information.
“This case underscores the seriousness of domestic violence abuse and related offenses and serves as a reminder that such behavior has no place in our society,” Wilkins said in the statement.
The statement does not share details about what information led to the request for federal assistance, but police reports show that on March 11, Mica’s tires were slashed when she was at the Springmaid Pier around 1:30 a.m. She reported this to Horry County Police, The Sun News previously reported.
Later that morning, around 11:30 a.m., she again called the police about harassment, saying a man whom she has been avoiding came up to her at a gas station and tried to speak with her. He had also allegedly been calling and texting her despite the fact she had blocked his number. She told police she feared for her life.
Mica Miller said she had tried to get a restraining order against the suspect, who was not named in the police reports. A mechanic also found a GPS tracker on her car, The Sun News previously reported.
Mica Miller’s family raised suspicious about abusive relationship
Mica Miller’s family made it known that they did not approve of Mica and John-Paul’s relationship. Sierra Francis, Mica’s sister, previously told The Sun News she believed that John-Paul Miller abused Mica and had groomed her since she was a younger member of the church.
The couple’s romantic relationship began as an affair when Mica was 20, in 2015, according to a previous interview with John-Paul. They were both married at the time and later divorced their spouses to marry each other. They married in 2017.
Mica filed for divorce in October 2023, but later dismissed it. In February 2024, John-Paul filed for separation, but also dismissed it. Mica filed for separation once more in April 2024, serving the papers two days before her death, according to family court records.
Records also show that at the time of John-Paul’s separation filing in 2024, the couple had been living apart since early February.
Mica Miller’s family also filed a lawsuit against John-Paul Miller following her death. The suit was settled in July 2024, and the terms of the settlement were sealed under a confidentiality agreement.
Regina Ward, the attorney representing Mica Miller’s family, was unavailable for comment on Friday as her office was closed.
Mica’s family were not the only ones who felt that John-Paul’s involvement in his wife’s death ran deep. Mica’s story became a national conversation topic, sparking TikToks, Facebook groups and more that circulated around the hashtag #JusticeForMica. The tag became a rallying cry among those who wanted justice served in Mica’s case.
