Reason why ‘Mica’s law’ bill didn’t pass as Death of the Pastor's Wife doc sheds light on alleged coercive control
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Mica Miller’s family wants to introduce a new law in her honour, criminalising coercive control and adding psychological, emotional, and financial abuse to South Carolina’s definition of domestic violence.
Her story has been thrown into the spotlight following Netflix’s Death of the Pastor’s Wife documentary, which looked into her relationship with her husband, church pastor John-Paul Miller, and her tragic suicide.
Mica died on 27 April, 2024, aged just 30, two days after she served her husband with divorce papers.
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Before she was found dead at Lumber River State Park, across the state line in North Carolina, she called 911 and said: "I’m about to kill myself, and I want my family to find me."
In the documentary, Mica’s family and friends accuse John-Paul of abusing Mica for years, allegedly using coercive control.
According to the accounts in the series, he exerted control across nearly every domain of her life, both during their relationship and afterwards, such as allegedly planting tracking devices on her car, slashing tyres and sending barrages of unwanted calls and texts.
In the handwritten affidavit that accompanied her file for divorce, as per Tudum, Mica wrote: “Since the day we became husband and wife, I have been abused in every way I can think of - emotionally, sexually, spiritually, financially, and physically.”
John-Paul was later arrested for cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators - he has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial in October.
The pastor has not been charged with any crimes in relation to her death, which was ruled a suicide.
What is coercive control?
As explained by Refuge: “Coercive control is an act, or a pattern of acts, of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation that abusers use to harm, punish or frighten survivors.”
Women’s Aid outlines that it works to limit someone’s human rights by ‘depriving them of their liberty and reducing their ability for action’.
This controlling behaviour is designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday behaviour.
Common examples of coercive behaviour include:
- Isolating you from friends and family
- Depriving you of basic needs, such as food
- Monitoring your time
- Monitoring you via online communication tools or spyware
- Taking control over aspects of your everyday life, such as where you can go, who you can see, what you can wear and when you can sleep
- Depriving you of access to support services, such as medical services
- Repeatedly putting you down, such as saying you’re worthless
- Humiliating, degrading or dehumanising you
- Controlling your finances
- Making threats or intimidating you
What is Mica’s Law and why hasn’t it passed yet?
Because Mica and John-Paul were married, the stalking and harassment she reported to police did not meet South Carolina’s legal threshold for a crime.
Her sister Anna said in the series: “The police weren’t able to do a single thing for Mica.
“Because you’re married to someone, that’s not harassment in South Carolina. That’s why ‘Mica’s Law’ is so important to us as a family.”
Following Mica’s tragic death, her family have proposed ‘Mica’s Law,’ also known as South Carolina’s SB 702, which aims to criminalise coercive control.
The bill would also add psychological, emotional, and financial abuse to the state’s definition of domestic violence and mandate training for law enforcement so officers can recognise these forms of abuse that leave no visible marks.
‘Mica’s Law’, which has yet to actually pass as a law, would make coercive control a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
During the 2026 legislative session, SB 702 was stalled; however, as per Tudum, its co-sponsor, state Senator Stephen Goldfinch, has said he intends to reintroduce it in the next one.
As per PrimeTimer, it reached a subcommittee hearing in April 2026, but stayed in the Judiciary Committee without a full vote.
Goldfinch said that redistricting took over the calendar and the bill ‘never fully formed’ before the session ended.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
Topics: True Crime, Documentaries, Netflix, Real Life
Madison Burgess