JP Miller's criminal past was left out of Netflix's Death of a Pastor's Wife

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic abuse and suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Netflix’s latest true crime documentary follows the death of Mica Miller, the wife of a prominent South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller who is alleged to have abused her prior to her death.

Many watching the new true crime doc, called Death of a Pastor’s Wife, will be left with questions around details not included in the Netflix doc, and John-Paul’s criminal past, for which he was pardoned just a couple years before Mica’s death, is one of these details.

Death of a Pastor’s Wife is currently the number one documentary on Netflix, and tells the story of Mica’s relationship with John-Paul, and her family and friends’ allegations that he emotionally and sexually abused her in the lead up to her death by suicide.

In 2025, John-Paul was arrested and charged with cyberstalking by the FBI, but he has pled not guilty and continues to maintain his innocence.

Whilst the pastor remains out on bail, having also been charged with making false statements to federal investigators - a charge he also pleaded not guilty to - his criminal past was wiped clean in 2022 when he was pardoned for his previous felony charges.

Miller was convicted of driving with a suspended license and a serious assault and battery charge

The former pastor’s two convictions took place in the 1990s, with a conviction for driving under suspension in March of 1998, and an assault and battery charge of ‘high and aggravated nature’ in June of 1999.

The assault charge is the more serious of the pair, with court records, per local newspaper the Post and Courier, stating that he hit a woman with his truck and drove for 100 yards with her on the hood of his car.

He accused her of harassing him and refusing to get off his car, though these convictions were not included in the documentary.

John-Paul and Mica first met when she was 13, before she became his assistant five years later (Netflix)

He was pardoned in 2022 after it was stated that he had been a ‘law abiding citizen’ after satisfying his sentences for the two charges.

He received a four-year suspended sentence, three years of probation, and 500 hours of community service for hitting the woman with his car.

Producers of the Netflix documentary are supporting ‘Mica’s Law’

Mica’s Law is a proposed piece of legislation sponsored by her family which calls for greater protections from abuse when a victim is married to the perpetrator.

Mica had reported John-Paul to the police for stalking and harassing her, which he denies. However, her reports didn’t meet South Carolinas’ legal threshold for a crime because they were married.

Mica’s sister, Anna Francis, 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.”

Mica Miller died two years ago by suicide (Netflix)

Mica’s Law, more formally known as South Carolina’s SB 702, would look to criminalise coercive control and, according to the doc’s filmmakers ‘add psychological, emotional, and financial abuse to the state’s definition of domestic violence’, also requiring training for officers to recognise less physical forms of domestic abuse.

The bill did not pass in the 2026 legislative session, but co-sponsor state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch claimed he intends to introduce it in the upcoming session.

John-Paul Miller's criminal trial is expected to begin in October 2026.

Death of a Pastor’s Wife is available to stream on Netflix now.

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.

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.