Law&Crime Sidebar - 10 Haunting Details of Mica Miller's Pastor Husband Revealed by Ex-Wife: 'Deviant Behavior'

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

Mica Miller, 30, took her own life in April. Since there, her husband John Paul Miller, a pastor at a South Carolina church, has been scrutinized. New documents filed in family court by Miller’s ex-wife, Alison Williams, give new insight into Miller’s previous relationships, as well as the apparently volatile last few years of Miller’s life. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber breaks down what the new filings reveal, as Williams seeks full custody of her children.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you’ve used Incognito mode in Google’s Chrome browser, find out if you have a claim in a few clicks by visiting https://www.incognitoclaims.com/sidebar/?v=sb14HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael DeiningerScript Writing & Producing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. What is part of the question here is what part of the marital estate belongs to Micum. And that's what we've got to get to next. We are learning brand new allegations regarding a South Carolina pastor accused of pushing his wife to take her own life. We got our hands on court documents filed by John Paul Miller's ex-wife and may give insight to what his relationship was like with Micah Miller in the last parts of her life. Plus, we learned what will happen to evidence from the scene as her family faces off with her husband.

Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. hey everybody this is a law and crime legal alert google incognito tracked users browsing data without their knowledge yep well mass tort alliance one of our legal sponsors is actually helping users file for compensation due to google users privacy issues surrounding google incognito so if you've used google incognito any time since 2016 you can start your claim in less than 10 questions at incognito claims.com slash sidebar. We have been closely following the story of Micah Miller here on Sidebar. This is the 30-year-old woman who was married to John Paul Miller, a pastor at Solid

Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And out of the blue back in April, John Paul Miller announced during a sermon that Micah was dead. He said that she had taken her life at a state park in North Carolina. And Micah, we know, was seen on security video, purchasing a gun at a pawn before she drove to Lumber River State Park where she was found dead. There is even a very chilling 911 phone call that was released where you hear Micah telling dispatch that she is going to kill herself and wants her family to know where to find her.

The medical examiner eventually ruled Micah's death a suicide, self-inflicted gunshot wound. But after the news broke of Micah's death, her family and friends seemingly were immediately suspicious. Friends, family, they allege that John Paul, who is 14 years older than Micah, they alleged that he groomed her from the time that she was a teenager and he was a youth pastor. They also claim that John Paul was abusive toward Micah. And in fact, Micah had posted on her social media in the weeks before her death, offering her support to victims. So you don't have to stay in a abusive relationship, whether that's sexual, whether that's somebody forcing you to take illegal drugs or alcohol abuse or physical abuse, psychological abuse, making you think that this is all

your fault or you're a bad mom or you're a bad wife or you're a bad husband or you're not giving it your all when you know you are. God hates divorce, but why? According to everybody I've asked and the scriptures that I've found, it's because it hurts people. But does abuse hurt people? How do you think God feels about that? That video is from March of this year.

Micah took her own life in April. John Paul and his father, though, and we have to be clear about this, they have both maintained that Micah suffered from severe mental health issues and she may not have been taking her medication. It should also be noted that evidence supports that he wasn't even in North Carolina when Micah died. And to be clear, he has not been criminally charged with anything in connection with Micah's death, and there is nothing to indicate that he is being investigated in connection with Micah's death. But we are now getting a better idea of what life may have been like in the Miller household over the last year or so.

thanks to something that we weren't quite expected. Documents filed in family court by John Paul's ex-wife, Allison Williams. So we're going to take a closer look at those. At the end of May, Williams filed a verified complaint in support of a request to modified custody, child support, and alimony. And we learned from these filings that Allison and John Paul were married for 16 years and share four children together. Two of those children are now emancipated, according to court records, and two are still minors. The divorce was finalized in October of 2015. But according to the final legal agreement, the parents shared joint custody of their children

with Allison being the primary custodial parent. The kids live with Allison and would have visits with John Paul. Now, the first claim listed in this filing is for modification of child custody. That final divorce order stated that any sort of changes requested on either side would have to go to mediation first. But this complaint from May states, quote, that plaintiff asserts that based upon the exigent circumstances that currently exist and the possible imminent danger and harm that could be caused to the minor children, it is not in their best interest to delay these matters from being addressed by the court on an expedited basis and good cause exists for the court to waive this requirement. It continues. Plaintiff alleges that since the entry of the party's prior final order, excuse me, defendant has exhibited increasingly unstable behaviors, failed to provide a safe and stable environment for the minor children during his periods of visitation, and has exposed and involved the minor children in incidents of domestic dispute and discord which have been traumatic to the minor children and not in their best interest. It appears as though defendant's mental health has increasingly deteriorated, and he has exhibited behavioral patterns that are erratic and irrational. At times, he has foregone his designated periods of visitation based upon his own assertions of not being mentally well enough for the children to be in his care.

Wow. So for these and other reasons, Allison is requesting that the court grant her sole custody of the two minor children. Now, John Paul had told people that it was Micah's mental health that was. suffering and perhaps it was, but according to Allison Williams here, it seems that he was also struggling. At least that's what she's claiming. And then from there, the affidavit takes a turn. It says, quote, plaintiff further alleges that based upon information and belief that since the entry of the party's prior final order, despite his representations otherwise, defendant has failed to seek treatment for his deviant sexual addictions and behaviors, which he admittedly

confessed to both plaintiff and former elders of his church. Based upon information and belief, defendant has continued to engage in deviant sexual behaviors and has exposed the party's children to an immoral and unsafe environment. Wow. Deviant sexual addictions and behaviors. Complaint references a separate document that goes into more detail, and we're going to get to that in a moment, but wow. The affidavit then talks about Micah, who Allison says was having.

an affair with John Paul while he was still married. And I'm going to get into that a little bit more, too. But it says, quote, The current wife of defendant Micah Miller was recently found deceased, the tragic facts and circumstances of which have become a major focus of social media, local, and national news. Against the objections of the plaintiff, the defendant has discussed this matter with the children.

Plaintiff further alleges that prior to the death of Micah Miller, she confided in plaintiff, sharing intimate details regarding the behavior, of the defendant and concerns regarding the safety of the minor children while in the care of the defendant. The plaintiff contends that until the time of Micah Miller's death, she provided a safety net for the children during their periods of visitation with defendant, and based upon her recent tragic death, that is no longer possible. So Allison asked the court to require John Paul to undergo a full and complete psychological and parental fitness evaluation. And until then, she wants his visitation rights suspended.

These are very serious allegations, by the way. Now, in her second claim, Allison requests a guardian ad litem to be appointed. And generally, a guardian ad litem is somebody who's appointed by the court to represent the interests of someone who can't do it on their own. So she's asking for a guardian ad litem to be appointed to investigate what would be best for the kids here. Now, the third cause of action, the third claim, asks for or seeks a modification.

of alimony and child support, saying that there has been a substantial change of circumstances, namely that John Paul is now making more money. And she's also asking for a restraining order. So essentially, he can't talk bad about her to the kids or discuss any of these legal cases to them. I mean, she mentioned how traumatic this is. And also, interestingly, she apparently wants to stop John Paul from allowing the kids to talk with his father, their grandfather, Reginald Wayne Miller, who we've talked about.

on previous sidebars. Remember, he told the media that Micah was a very, very sick young woman. So it's interesting that, you know, she doesn't want these kids exposed to him. So that's a lot to digest, but we're not done because in the accompanying affidavit that Allison Williams submits, there is even more. At the beginning of the affidavit, Allison says, quote, I have a voluminous amount of evidence to support the concerns and allegations contained in my verified complaint in motion. However, until such time as proper safety measures are in place, I am strictly limiting the amount of information shared in this affidavit and provided to the court. She states that in 2015, J.P. was the pastor of Solid Rock Ministries, and I served as

his assistant to pastoral duties. We separated after I learned J.P. was having an adulterous affair with our former nanny, Micah Miller, who joined our church at the age of 15, was married to JP's best friend who was also on the church staff and serving as our church worship leader at the time of the affair. J.P. told me that in addition to his affair with Micah, he'd employed prostitutes and been sexually inappropriate with several underage female members of our church. He blamed his immoral sexual behaviors on the sexual abuse he experienced for years by his father, Wayne Miller. The church requested that J.P. enrol in an extensive sexual addiction program. However, despite him promising that he would, to my knowledge, that never happened. By the way, that adds to the

idea of why she is advocating that the kids not be exposed to J.P.'s father. I mean, that is a very serious allegation against him. But the filing goes on to state, quote, after J.P. informed me that he had been inappropriate with minor female members of our church and disclosed to me the identity of these girls, I immediately contacted them to encourage them to come forward. Although each shared with me detailed accounts of what JP did to them, they were too scared of JP to make a police reporter testify in court. When I learned they were too fearful to report JP, I went to the police department for the purpose of making a report and requesting an investigation.

However, I was in essence told by police officials that nobody would believe me because J.P. was a well-known pastor, and we were in the middle of a divorce. Following my divorce from J.P., he married his then paramour, Micah Miller. Prior to my knowledge of this sexual relationship with Micah during our marriage, both she and her husband at the time, Jeremy became very close to my family. Micah did not have a close relationship with her mother, and to some degree, I took her under my wing as an older daughter. So that might explain or might help to explain why Micah would have felt comfortable,

confiding in Allison about any alleged abuse she may have been suffering or any irrational behavior on John Paul's part. Again, these are just allegations, but I have to make that point. The affidavit continues, quote, JP and Micah began having severe marital difficulties and our children were placed directly in the middle of this discord. JP would preach sermons on the Sundays our children were with him and present in the congregation, disparaging Micah and indicating she had mental health issues and eventually putting her in a mental hospital. The children were subjected to J.P. calling Micah crazy one day, and then her being

back in the home at their next visit with their father assuring them she was fine. They never knew what to expect, and the intense unpredictability and marital discord between J.P. and Micah negatively impacted them all. On one occasion, while picking up our daughter, I observed holes in their walls, hinges off the doors, and pieces of paper taped to the wall with negative affirmations about Micah. J.P. told me and our children that Micah was delusional and speaking different languages and seeing things that were not there. J.P. agreed it was not safe for our children to be in his home. So at this point, Allison says the kids stopped staying overnight and instead would just spend a few hours at a time with John Paul and he would then take them back to Allison's.

And then you got to hear this. Quote, J.P. began spending time with his new Paramore Susie, who was the mother of one of the boys that plays on our son's soccer team. J.P. began using our son to facilitate time so he could spend with Susie, which our children were well aware of, their friends talked about it, and it caused them a tremendous amount of embarrassment. When I learned JP was exposing our children to yet another one of his adulterous affairs, I confronted JP and Susie and told them not to let it happen again. JP called me the day Susie's husband died in an alleged drowning accident, extremely upset and asking me to pray, which was incredibly bizarre. Based upon information and belief, just two

weeks prior to this incident, Susie's husband had confronted JP and asked him to leave his wife and children alone. It's chilling to know that the spouses of both Susie and JP are dead from tragic events. Hmm. What exactly is she saying there? Now before we get to this next part of the affidavit, a little bit of background. So our court research and reporting indicates that in 1998, Miller was charged in South Carolina with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, which is currently defined as when someone unlawfully injures another person and great bodily injury to another person results, or the act is accomplished by means likely to produce death or great bodily injury.

Now, he ended up pleading guilty in 1999. He was sentenced to 500 hours of community service, and he was put on probation. His four-year prison sentence was suspended. but then in 2022, South Carolina court records indicate that Miller was pardoned for that assault and battery case, and that is what Allison talks about next. Quote, he informed me, meaning John Paul, informed me that he was getting into buying guns and shooting and he had purchased a gun safe for his home. As a convicted felon, he is not allowed to have weapons.

However, he managed to get a police chief from the church to assist with expunging his record. Further, he was given a special police badge that says, pastor, to utilize. it if he ever gets pulled over, so they'll let him go. Allison says, quote, I was married to JP for 16 years. Although my story and what I live through with JP is different in some ways, many of the details shared with me by Micah are so similar to my own experiences with JP that I know she was being truthful. Based upon information and belief, JP's mental health and deviant sexual addictions have

only worsened since the time we were married, and I do not believe our children are safe in this care. Wow. So with that, here's the question. Why does all this matter? Well, aside from the fact that this, of course, matters for the lives of Allison Williams and the couple's children. This matters in terms of the Micah story because we are trying to understand what the possible dynamic was between Micah and John Paul. There have been allegations that even if he didn't pull the trigger, John Paul is somehow responsible for what happened to her. responsible for her mental state now to be clear these are just allegations from williams we cannot verify all of these details this is one-sided and by the way even if some of this is true

with respect to what maybe what williams experienced we don't know exactly if this is what micah experienced but there is another reason this is all important one the fact that in south Carolina, my understanding is there is no statute of limitation on criminal cases. Prosecutors can bring cases for all different sorts of crimes at any point in time if the evidence is there. That's my understanding of South Carolina law. And a lot of what was just alleged could potentially be criminal conduct. So is it possible, John Paul could be brought up on charges?

It's a question I have to ask. But remember, he's innocent until proven guilty. He's not been charged with anything. anything. But all of this from Ms. Williams is also important in terms of an ongoing legal battle. What do I mean? Micah's sister, Sierra Francis, who we've spoke to previously on an episode of Sidebar, was appointed to represent Micah and her estate. And on Wednesday, her attorney met with John Paul's attorney as they tried to resolve issues over what Micah left behind. And during a news conference afterwards, Family Attorney Regina Ward gave an update. We were prepared

today to bring forward our clients affidavit as well as other supporting affidavits as well as I'm sure that Mr. Miller and his attorney were too. However, under the circumstances, we've decided to enter into this agreement. One of the primary issues that we were seeking a court order from the judge is possession of Micah's personal property that's being held in the possession of Robeson County Sheriff's Department. That property will be released from the Robeson County Sheriff's Department or if they've put that property with somebody else, another investigative authority, when all authorities are finished with that property and have no use, no longer any use for it, in other words, they've finished up whatever investigations or whatever they need that property

for, then that property is going to be turned over to my office. It will not be released to Mr. Miller. And that does not mean that he doesn't have the right to see what's on a cell phone, which we're all interested in looking at. We also don't know what else may have been in the purse or the wallet or anything like that. He, his lawyer would be able to ask us about having access to it too.

But right now, we are very satisfied and happy that he has been advised by his attorney to allow us to get that property in our possession. Ward also explained that there were restraining orders in place on both sides. At this particular case, the restraining order basically is saying that the parties are mutually restrained from contacting the other, that all communications will be handled through the attorney's offices, so there's no need for any direct communication. We're also under a mutual restraint to not go into the area of a person's residence or where

they work. And if they do, they are to return and leave, but the other person is there. So whoever is there first gets to stay and the other one needs to return, turn around and lead. Well, everyone is also restrained for making any, you know, threatening, any physical harm or anything like that. By us entering into these restraining orders, please do not misconstrued. That does not mean specifically that someone has already done this types of behaviors. These are formalities that are put into place to protect all parties prior to anything like that happened. So we have not, let me make it clear, not had any problems with Mr. Miller trying to contact anybody or anybody trying to violate any of these terms. These are put in the

place as a formality on the front end for the protection of all parties involved. It also makes clear what the boundaries are. And then if anyone violates what's written in this court order, they'll have an opportunity to file a contempt action or a rule to show calls. No one goes to jail on site for violating this particular type of restraining order. And it also seems that the family is pushing new legislation. According to Ward, they are looking to pass something called Micah's Law, aka the coercive control bill, which according to Ward has been sitting dormant since 2020. And she claims the law would address patterns of domination, intimidation, manipulation in relationships that don't just manifest through physical violence. But again, John Paul Miller

hasn't been found guilty. He hasn't been found liable with respect to any of these allegations. So not sure that title, Micah's law would necessarily work if this legislation does in fact move forward. Now, look, we are going to continue to follow the Micah Miller story. A lot of disturbing details. But once again, thank you for joining us here on Sidebar as we cover this. Please subscribe on a podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. Podcasts or Spotify.