Mica Miller Update: Pastor John-Paul Miller's Alibi Gets Boost
Mica Miller's estranged husband, pastor John-Paul Miller, spent the night in Charleston, South Carolina, at the time of his wife's death, police said Tuesday.
Mica Miller, 30, was found dead in Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27. The Robeson County Sheriff's announced Tuesday in a Facebook post that she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office released more details and a timeline surrounding the death investigation in a Facebook post that said: "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."
Amid the investigation, Mica Miller's friends have said they don't believe she took her own life. Mica and John-Paul Miller were in the process of getting divorced when she died.
"The investigation also revealed that Miller and her estranged husband [John-Paul Miller] had been separated and were involved in the legal system," the Robeson County Sheriff's Office Facebook post says. "This information led to the investigators confirming the whereabouts of Miller and a female that he is allegedly romantically involved with. Investigators were able to confirm that both individuals were not in North Carolina on the night before and the day of the Miller's death. Investigators learned through interviews that John-Paul Miller was at an athletic event in Charleston on the day of Mica Miller's death."
The press release also said that John-Paul Miller's vehicle was observed traveling on Highway 17 Bypass, in Horry County, South Carolina, at 2:22 p.m. on the day of Mica Miller's death. The post says that John-Paul Miller "was accompanied" while traveling to and from the event in Charleston.
John-Paul Miller has been contacted for comment via an email to the church.
On Tuesday, Robeson County officials also met with the parents and immediate family members of Mica Miller. According to the sheriff's office, John-Paul Miller was given the opportunity to attend a separate meeting and Miller indicated through his attorney that he would not come to North Carolina to meet with investigators.
John-Paul Miller, a pastor at Solid Rock at Market Common church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, reportedly announced Mica Miller's death at the end of a service, saying she had taken her own life after struggling with mental illness.
"I got a call late last night, my wife has passed away," he said, telling congregants not to discuss it while in the church. "It was self-induced and it was up in North Carolina."
He was released from his duties "for a time of healing, counsel and guidance, pursuant to our governing instrument," WPDE-TV in Conway, South Carolina, reported on Monday.
On March 22, Mica Miller posted a video on Facebook offering advice for those who may be in an abusive relationship.
More than a week prior to posting the video, she told a police officer that she was "afraid for her life." Two incident reports from March 11 detail Miller's reports about someone following her, deflating her tires and harassing her, WPDE reported.
Later that day, Miller reported to police that the suspect she believed was responsible for slashing her tires had pulled up next to her pump at a gas station and tried to talk to her. She told the man to go away and said she did not want to talk, the report said.
Mica Miller served John-Paul Miller with divorce papers on April 25, according to a sworn affidavit from her sister, Sierra Francis. Francis said her sister was "hopeful" about her future after her divorce and had plans to move to Kenya to do missionary work.
In the affidavit, Francis also said that her sister warned family members that "if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP."
"First, let me say on behalf of the Robeson County Sheriff's Office that our sincere condolences are being sent to the family and friends of Mica Miller," Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in Tuesday's statement. "This incident has garnered much attention from across the Carolinas and beyond. I want to assure everyone that a very methodical investigation was conducted by our Criminal Investigations Team and Crime Scene Investigative Team."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
Update: 5/7/2024, 5:16 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information.
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