Final movements of pastor's wife before he announced her death to shocked congregation

Warning: The following article contains mention of domestic abuse and suicide that some readers may find upsetting

A new documentary reconstructs the tragic story of Mica Miller, the wife of a South Carolina pastor who died by suicide days after filing for divorce.

The case made headlines back in 2024 when John-Paul Miller announced the death of his wife as suicide from his pulpit during a sermon, before the coroner officially ruled it as such.

The incident prompted Mica’s family to urge authorities to look into her death, with the case now becoming the subject of the new Netflix documentary, titled Death of the Pastor’s Wife.

The doc looks back on Mica’s final days before she died by suicide after filing for divorce and alleging abuse at the hands of John-Paul, who was 15 years her senior.

The affidavit accompanying the filing noted: “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.”

Worn out by the alleged abused endured in her relationship with the pastor - which had started as an affair when she was 18 and they were both in other marriages - Mica filed for divorce in mid-April of 2024 following a dismissed attempt the year prior.

With a hearing set for June, Mica moved out of their house and started working at a café. Two days after filing for divorce, however, she was found dead in a playground in North Carolina after making a distress call to the authorities.

The documentary follows Mica after she filed for separation for the last time on 15 April, 2024. According to the affidavit, John-Paul was served the papers on April 25, notifying him of the hearing.

Mica was found dead two days later, on April 27, 2024.

(Netflix)

The timeline of Mica’s final movements

At 11.38 am, Mica left her residence, as seen on her ring camera. At 12.12 pm, Mica was seen buying a firearm and ammunition at Dick’s Pawn Shop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She left the store by 12.34 pm and drove to a North Carolina state park.

At 2.54 pm, Mica called 911 to announce that she was going to take her own life and asked operators to trace her call so her family would be able to find her body.

While her death was ruled a suicide, her family has since campaigned to change South Carolina’s law concerning coercive abuse.

“The police weren’t able to do a single thing for Mica,” Mica’s sister Anna says in the series. “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.”

Mica's family have thrown their support behind 'Mica's Law' to update the state's definition of abuse in South Carolina (Netflix)

Mica's Law explained

Dubbed ‘Mica’s Law’, South Carolina’s SB 702 is a piece of legislation which, according to Death of the Pastor's Wife filmmakers, aims to criminalise coercive control and add psychological, emotional, and financial abuse to the state’s definition of domestic violence. The legislation would also mandate training for law enforcement so officers can recognise these forms of abuse.

Where is John-Paul Miller now?

In December 2025, the US Attorney’s Office indicted John-Paul for alleged cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. He pleaded not guilty and has not been charged in connection with Mica’s death.

His federal trial has been postponed several times since the indictment, and he remains out on bond, having since remarried.

Death of the Pastor's Wife is streaming now on Netflix.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.