Harrowing true story of pastor's wife Mica Miller as Netflix documentary drops
Warning: The following article mentions suicide
Mica Miller was the wife of pastor and church leader John-Paul Miller, who led the congregation at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
She was closely involved in the church, serving as a worship leader and working with its women’s ministry.
However, behind the church’s public image, something very concerning unfolding, according to friends and loved ones.
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Tragically, Mica was found dead at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina at the age of 30 on April 27, 2024. Her death was ruled a suicide. Shortly before her death, she had called 911 and indicated that she intended to take her own life.
But questions surrounding Mica’s death continued to grow, particularly among her family and friends, who raised concerns about her relationship with John-Paul and allegations of stalking and controlling behaviour.
The case is now the focus of a new Netflix docu-series, Death of the Pastor’s Wife, which examines Mica’s life, her marriage to John-Paul and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Miller has not been charged in connection with Mica’s death. He was federally indicted in December 2025 on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
In the series, Mica's family and friends say that her faith was being used against her and that she was trapped inside a marriage that became more controlling.
The people who knew Mica said the suicide ruling brought few answers and instead prompted a deeper questions.
The documentary examines these questions, tracing the events that led to Mica’s death. Her journals, text messages and performance footage are featured in the episodes, alongside police reports and other records. It also features JP’s videotaped sermons and text messages, offering different perspectives on the relationship and the events that preceded Mica’s death.
According to Mica’s sister Anna, who is featured in the documentary, of the six Francis siblings, Mica was the one who embraced the church most completely, making it her 'lifestyle' and rising to lead the choir as a teenager.
“My whole family is very musically talented, but Mica has the best voice,” her brother, Nate Francis, recalls in the docu-series. “She loved singing.”
Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Mica moved with her family to Myrtle Beach. She married her first husband, Jeremy, aged 18 in a ceremony officiated by JP, who was 15 years her senior, and later began working as the pastor’s assistant.
A few years into Mica’s marriage to Jeremy, Mica's sister Sierra says JP began testing the boundaries of that authority. He initially texted Mica to express his appreciation, before the messages became 'more romantically' charged, Sierra recalls, and 'kind of spiralled from there.'
In July 2015, JP stood before his congregation and confessed to what he described as a 'moral failing' in his marriage. Both his marriage and Mica’s subsequently broke down. But JP continued pursuing the relationship.
They eventually married but according to accounts from those featured in the series, JP allegedly exerted control over nearly every aspect of Mica’s life and the documentary lays out the acts he allegedly did during her lifetime.
In December 2025, a federal grand jury indicted JP on two counts. The first, a cyberstalking charge, alleges a pattern of harassment toward Mica between November 2022 and her death, including allegations that he tracked her, sent a barrage of text messages and phone calls, shared a nude photograph of her without her consent and tampered with her car. The second charge alleges that he made false statements to federal investigators.
JP pleaded not guilty and has not been charged in connection with Mica’s death.
Death of the Pastor's Wife is streaming on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film
Greg Harris