Pastor's wife took own life two days after filing for divorce following cheating discovery
Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic abuse and suicide, which some readers may find distressing.
A new Netflix documentary is covering the heartbreaking case of a woman who died by suicide just two days after filing for divorce from her husband.
Mica Miller was found dead at 30-years-old in a North Carolina state park on 27 April, 2024, with evidence later coming out that she faced abuse from what had been her soon-to-be ex-husband John-Paul Miller.
John-Paul Miller was the local pastor and first met Mica when she was 13 years old and he was a fully grown adult, with Netflix’s new doc Death of the Pastor’s Wife detailing the coercive control she suffered at the hands of her husband in the lead up to her death.
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John-Paul was later arrested for cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators, though he has plead not guilty and is set for trial in October. He has not been charged with any crimes in relation to her death, which was ruled a suicide.
Who was Mica Miller and what did she say about her marriage prior to her death?
Mica Miller was described by her brother Nate Francis as being a ‘talented singer’, telling Netflix’s Tudum that she ‘loved singing’.
She was one of six siblings in a close-knit family and worked as a graphic designer and creative director.
Mica became married at 18 to her first husband, but began having an affair with John-Paul when she was 20 and he was 35. She called 911 immediately prior to dying by suicide to inform them of her location so her family would know the location of her body and not think she’d gone missing.
Her sister, Sienna Francis, stated in a sworn affidavit that Mica had told her: “I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was [John-Paul].”
In this affidavit she also said that ‘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 FBI’s federal indictment against John-Paul detailed his abuse, stating that he cyber-stalked her, deflated her tires, harassed her, and exerted control over her finances when she tried to leave him.
Where is John-Paul Miller now and what have viewers said about the Netflix doc?
John-Paul Miller is not in jail after paying a $100,000 bond ahead of his upcoming criminal trial in two months.
He continued working as a pastor immediately after his wife’s death, announcing her ‘self-inflicted’ death to his church the next day. This sermon was posted online, but has since been deleted.
Death of the Pastor’s Wife has received widespread praise for how it shines the light on his abuse and the horrific situation Mica was in prior to her death.
One comment on Reddit said: “Recently the newer Netflix documentaries haven’t been hitting for me, but this one was really well done.”
Another said: “This was a really sad documentary and I am so angry I can't even put into words how I am feeling. Poor Mica. She deserved so much better.”
A third posted on X: “this Death of a Pastor’s Wife doc on Netflix is INSANE.”
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.
Michael Slavin