This article mentions suicide and domestic abuse. Please read with caution.
Pastor John-Paul (JP) Miller stood before his congregation at Solid Rock church in South Carolina on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Handsome and young, Miller’s shirt was untucked, and he was casually dressed — more like a father at his kid’s afternoon soccer game than a man of the cloth.
“We’re not going to do altar call today,” Miller told those gathered. “Instead, I’m going to have you stand up and I’m going to make an announcement. And after the announcement, I’m going to ask that you leave church quietly and don’t talk about the announcement here in the building.” Miller then told the crowd that his wife, 30-year-old wife, Mica Miller, had taken her own life the previous day. “I’m gonna take a little bit of a break,” Miller said.
In the weeks following Miller’s announcement, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, where Mica died, confirmed Mica’s cause of death was indeed suicide. Security camera footage showed Mica purchasing the gun, according to The Daily Beast. Mica also reportedly made a 911 call before she died, telling dispatch what she planned to do. In the meantime, JP’s alibi was confirmed, the sheriff’s office said.
But despite the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office conclusion, Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis, told the press that before she died, her sister told her, ” … if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP.”
A history of mental illness
In his Solid Rock at Market Commons church remarks, JP Miller mentioned his wife, Mica Miller — who worked at the church and was well-known to those there that day — had a history of mental illness, and it was difficult to get her to take the medication that she needed. In an interview with The Christian Post, JP revealed that Mica had been diagnosed with “bipolar II, schizophrenic, and dependent personality disorder,” and that Mica refused to take the lithium used to treat those conditions.
Miller and Mica married in 2017 and were married to other people when they met. According to Miller, Mica had attempted suicide in the past, and in the weeks before Mica died, he had taken her to probate court to try and get her institutionalized, Miller said. “I have 48 text messages that I sent out saying she needs her lithium; somebody help me, please. And no one believed me,” he added.
A sister’s suspicions
But according to Myrtle Beach Online, Mica and JP Miller’s marriage was not what it seemed. Mica had sought a divorce in the past, had filed for separation, and had sought a restraining order against her husband, although it’s unclear if it was ever served. At the same time, the Robeson County Sheriff’s office confirmed that JP was in a romantic relationship with another woman, and was with that woman in Charleston on the day Mica died.
Furthermore, a few months before her death, Mica reported razor blades in her car tire and that she knew who did it, although the name of that person was redacted in the police report released to the press. Mica also said she was being followed, and that she told the police she was “afraid for her life.” Before her death, Mica Miller shared a final Facebook post stating she had been “going through a lot” and had to keep “her circle close.”
Mica also captioned her final selfie, “When terrible terrible TERRIBLE things happen to you… (y’all know what I’m talking about) RPF: resting peace face.” Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis, filed an affidavit seeking to become the administrator of her sister’s estate. “I know my sister to have expressed the abuse and violence against her by her husband to others, including family members and members of the church congregation,” the affidavit said.
JP Miller was “released” from Solid Rock at Market Commons
As suspicions grew, and the Mica and JP Miller story went viral online, it was reported that JP was released from Solid Rock at Market Commons. With the Robeson County Sheriff’s verdict that Mica did take her own life, however, the case, for now, seems closed.
“This incident has garnered much attention from across the Carolinas and beyond. I want to assure everyone that a very methodical investigation was conducted. Unfortunately, rumors and conspiracy theories were spreading quickly, and assumptions were being made. However, in the end, we must make decisions based on the facts, and evidence that has been gathered,” Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said.
But according to Mica’s friend, Kenn Young, “[Mica’s death] has to be at least looked into deeply. There’s got to be some accountability here. Because yeah, a tragic life was lost, and it’s not just as simple as mental health issues.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.