Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #58 - Stephen Smith UPDATE And Why the Strongest Lead in the Case Is Marred by Integrity Questions + JP Miller Cries Harassment in Wake of Mica Francis’ Death

Episode Date: July 11, 2024

Tragically this week, two abused women were failed by the justice system and allegedly killed by their partners — Lauren Johansen of Mississippi Stephanie Francis of Rhode Island. On today’s episode we’ll get into that and a lot more on why our justice system needs to be paying attention. Investigative reporters Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell give an update in the Stephen Smith case during the ninth anniversary of his mysterious death. Why did Highway Patrol stop looking into Stephen’s death right after receiving its strongest lead to date?  Mandy and Liz look into the track record of the police officer behind a tip that introduced two new names into the investigation in 2015. Also on today’s episode, 911 calls and police records show the chaos of Pastor JP Miller’s life in the aftermath of two big scandals he brought onto his church — his 2015 affair with Mica Francis and Mica’s recent death. After combing through dozens of reports involving the church, True Sunlight has a better picture about how JP and those in his circle have regarded the backlash. In one harrowing call to police — in which JP claims to be followed by an armed individual — police get a taste of JP’s flair for drama and the many contradictions of his personality.  Lots to learn in this 58th episode of True Sunlight and more to come as Alex Murdaugh's appeal clock ticks down, Buster's defendants' responses are imminent and the FBI continues to look into Mica's case... Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ Episode Resources: Mica's List & Mica's Law, Documents Lauren Johansen - WLOX article Buster Murdaugh's Defamation Case  If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Join Luna Shark Premium today at Lunashark.Supercast.com. Premium Members also get access to searchable case files, written articles with documents, case photos, episode videos and exclusive live experiences with our hosts on lunasharkmedia.com all in one place. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3BdUtOE. And for those just wanting ad-free listening without all the other great content, we now offer ad-free listening on Apple Podcast through a subscription to Luna Shark Plus on the Apple Podcasts App. Or become a Premiere Member on YouTube for exclusive videos and ad-free episodes. SUNscribe to our free email list to get that special offer for first time members, receive alerts on bonus episodes, calls to action, new shows and updates. CLICK HERE to learn more: https://bit.ly/3KBMJcP Visit our new events page Lunasharkmedia.com/events where you can learn about the upcoming in-person and virtual appearances from hosts! And a special thank you to our sponsors: Microdose.com, PELOTON, and VUORI. Use promo code "MANDY" for a special offer! *** ALERT: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email [e-mail] and we'll send fun merch to the first listener that finds something that needs to be adjusted! *** For current & accurate updates: TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Benefits vary by card, other conditions apply. I don't know how many more horrific cases of the U.S. justice system, failing victims, we have to expose before real change occurs. But we are going to keep dragging these stories into the sunlight until something gives. My name is Mandi Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murders Podcast.

True Sunlight is a Lunashark production written with journalist Liz Farrell. Before we get started, I wanted to say thank you to some of our earliest Lunashark Premium members, Louisa K, Janna W, and Sherry B. Also to some of the amazing new members, Pamela M, Mary J, Cynthia G, Jodi S, and John G. Your support allows us to file foyers, explore new evidence, and give voice to more victims. But most of all, your support keeps us motivated. Thank you. This week, we were reminded yet again

that the Micah Francis story is unfortunately not at all unique. In fact, I want to tell you about two horrific stories of domestic abuse victims who were both failed by the system. And this is the part I hate. They were both murdered this month allegedly by men who showed a predictable pattern of escalating behavior The first case I need you to know about is a Lauren Johansson case out of Nashville in Mississippi 22 year old Lauren Johansson a Mississippi nursing student was brutally murdered on July 3rd after her ex-boyfriend Bryson Rivers was let out of jail just a few days before

for allegedly kidnapping, stalking, and beating her in December. Nashville judge Cheryl Blackburn lowered this man's bond after he spent five months in jail, and no one told Lauren or her family until it was too late, according to Lauren's father, who spoke with WLX reporters in Nashville. In December, Lauren's father, Dr. Lance Johansson, attended River's bond hearing, and he told

Judge Cheryl Blackburn that if the court lets Rivers out, he would kill Lauren. Blackburn, like far too many judges that we talk about on this podcast, apparently did not care enough about Lauren to value her safety or her life because in April she quietly agreed to reduce Rivers Bond from $250,000 to $150,000, according to WLOX's reporting. It should be no surprise to anyone who listens to this podcast that Blackburn apparently has a checkered past as a judge. The Nashville Banner reported in April that several defense attorneys filed motions

to challenge Blackburn's competency after her recent stroke. Personally, I am questioning her competency based on this decision alone. The December incident was violent and serious, according to reports obtained by News Channel 5 in Nashville. While Rivers was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated stalking in the incident,

it sounds like he should have been charged with attempted murder too. Here is what News Channel 5 reported incident, it sounds like he should have been charged with attempted murder too. Here is what News Channel 5 reported on that December incident. While the couple was leaving downtown, they got in the car where police said Rivers began hitting the victim as he was driving and took her phone. Rivers eventually stopped the car in a parking lot where the assault continued, causing the victim to nearly lose consciousness.

Metro said they were contacted and told Rivers was holding Johansson hostage. When officers found the couple, Johansson was banging on the car window and screaming for help. Officers said Johansson had a laceration to her head. Her eye swollen shut and the vehicle had blood spattered at the front. Her court records. Officers told the court they searched the vehicle and found a pistol covered in blood on the floorboard.

There was blood everywhere according to the reports. She told police that she was hit over 100 times and the beating lasted longer than an hour. She said that she was trying to scream at other cars for help and he covered her mouth. This all happened because Rivers allegedly got angry that Lauren was allegedly talking to another man. Like a lot of victims of coercive control, Johansson's statement changed to authorities. In court, Lauren claimed that she started the fight and that she hit him when evidence showed the exact opposite. This case is a perfect example of why the justice system needs a coercive control overhaul.

Because of course she said that. And that should not be used in court to help free her abuser. Oh, and something else that should surprise no one who's been listening to this podcast for at least a few episodes, the ankle monitoring system failed to protect Lauren, too. Lauren's father told WLX reporters that on July 1,

he was notified by the Nashville District Attorney's Office with a voicemail that said that Bryson Rivers was released from custody and somehow, despite the strict conditions of his bond, he wasn't being tracked via ankle monitor. The next day, July 2nd, Lauren's father noticed that her Life360 app was turned off. This is an app that families use to keep track of each other via GPS. He immediately filed a missing persons report in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, according to reporting by WTVF.

On July 3, Harrison County, Mississippi police found Lauren's body wrapped in sheets and trash bags in the backseat of her car in the middle of a cemetery. Once again, Lauren was beaten in a vehicle, just like she was in December, but this time, police couldn't save her before it was too late. Bryson Rivers was charged with murder and he is being held in a Mississippi jail on a $1 million bond. Lauren's father told local media this week, the criminal justice system in Nashville failed my daughter and our family and he is absolutely correct. If the criminal justice system in Nashville valued Lauren's life, I believe that they would have charged Rivers with attempted murder in December and held him without bond until his trial. That's all it would have taken

for Lauren Johansson to be alive today. But they also failed to protect Lauren's life in other ways too. They failed to notify her family when her abuser's bond was reduced to an amount that he could afford. They failed by allowing him to cross state lines and allegedly commit a murder when he should have been heavily monitored by police. When Judge Cheryl Blackburn lowered his bond, which was already too low given the horrifying incident that occurred, she essentially gave Bryson Rivers a nod and told him that he could get away with more.

And Lauren lost her life because of that decision. I urge every Tennessee resident listening to this podcast to write to your lawmakers immediately to call for the removal of Cheryl Blackburn from the bench. We cannot afford to lose another life because a judge doesn't care enough about victims. We hope that this case propels the states of Tennessee and Mississippi to pass necessary coercive control laws that will save countless abused women's lives. And my god, can we please fix the ankle monitoring system to actually protect victims instead of

giving them a false sense of security? Again, the maddening part about Lauren's death is not only how easy it could have been prevented, but how her murder and slow motion story is not unique at all. On Saturday, July 6, 44-year-old Stephanie Francis was allegedly killed by her estranged husband in her Hopkinton, Rhode Island home while her children were in the home. Stephanie's estranged husband, Joseph Francis, was out on bail for domestic violence charges stemming from an incident in May.

According to reporting from the Providence Journal, in May, Joseph got angry at his wife who he was in the process of divorcing for being on the same dating website that he was on and he got violent. Stephanie had a no contact order for Joseph from that incident, but of course, it did nothing to protect her. Data from the Violence Policy Center estimates that approximately three women a day are killed by an intimate partner in the United States alone. Imagine for a second if men were being killed by women who displayed a specific pattern

of behaviors at that rate and think about how many laws would change and how many rights women would lose to prevent future deaths. Stephanie Francis and Lauren Johansson are two of too many women killed every day in murders that could be prevented if our laws changed. We need Micah's law in every state and in every country. We are sick and tired of hearing about murders that could have been prevented. Right now, only seven states have coercive control laws. Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington, and New Jersey.

However, the hundreds of thousands of you listening to this episode could change that and save several hundred women every year from being murdered. That is the part that we have to focus on. That we can change this with sunlight and with peskiness from our Lunar Shark Army. Hope is a powerful tool and something that the Goodell boys can never take from us. And speaking of hope, we still have a whole lot of hope that the Stephen Smith case can be solved. This week on July 8th marked nine years since Stephen Smith was left for dead on a Hampton County

road. And as you're all very well aware, the Smith family still doesn't have any answers about what happened to Stephen or who did this to him. It's been a while since we've given you all an update on the Smith case. Part of that is because there's been no update. Not officially from law enforcement anyway. The other part is that we're still working behind the scenes to comb through all the available evidence and information and make sense out of what is already known. So, in honor of the anniversary of Stephen's death and in dishonor of law enforcement's seemingly consistent failure

to do their jobs to the fullest extent in this case, we want to give you a look into one of the things we found in our digging. Over the past few years, we talked a lot about the November 2015 article that was written in the Hampton Guardian. The last time we brought it up actually was a few weeks ago when Buster filed his defamation case against documentary filmmakers along with long-time Hampton County newspaper reporter Michael DeWitt who appeared in a Netflix documentary and talked about being the editor at the time this article was written.

Like we've said, the article all but said the Murdoch's name when talking about those who were responsible for Stephen's death. The article actually referred to the culprits being, quote, several local Hampton County youths from prestigious families. In the Netflix documentary, DeWitt seemed to be admitting that this reference included the Murdochs. But also in that article, the coroner for the first time put on the record that his hypothesis of Stephen's death was that he had been hit by the side view mirror of a truck. Since Stephen's exhumation last year, we now know that he was likely hit by a fixed

object protruding from a vehicle that was going at a high rate of speed. But at the time of this article, the only thing law enforcement had was a vehicle that was going at a high rate of speed. But at the time of this article, the only thing law enforcement had was a notion that Steven had been hit by a baseball bat or something similar. That is what investigators were being told by people they were interviewing. And those people were really just offering their accounts of what the rumor mill was saying. Additionally, investigators seemed certain that this case was not a hit and run and belonged with Sled instead. Now, shortly after this

article came out, the State Highway Patrol investigator working on Stephen's case received a tip that a young man named Sean Connolly had hit Stephen with his truck's side view mirror, according to the case file. A few weeks after that, the same investigator interviewed a Hampton police officer who had come forward to say that his former stepfather had passed on information to him, saying that a young man named Patrick Wilson had told him that Sean Connolly had hit Stephen. Flash forward to today, Sean vehemently denies this account and, according to a source close to the case, has met with Sled agents and offered up evidence that contradicts the account

that Highway Patrol was given in 2015. But his and Patrick's name are still associated with Steven's death investigation. To this day, Sled has not named any person of interest or any suspect in Stephen's death. They've also not exonerated anyone. You might remember a jailhouse call between Ellic and Buster in January 2022 in which Ellic mentioned Sandy's then-fired attorney Andy Savage and asked Buster if Sled had announced there was no connection between the Murdochs and Stephen's death which is something that Andy had told a news reporter at the time. The answer to that is still no. Buster's response to

Elic by the way was I personally wouldn't count on Sled to help us in any way. Which is always notable because up until Elic's arrest I think the Murdochs were still counting on Sled to be there for them. Now there's a lot more here about Patrick Wilson and Sean Connolly that we need to talk about right after a short commercial break. Let's take a pause so I can tell you about this amazing new sponsor, Lumen. Lumen is the world's first handheld metabolic coach.

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Thank you, Lumen, for sponsoring this episode. Okay, so going back to the tip about Patrick Wilson and Sean Connolly. On December 21, 2015, Highway Patrol investigator Michael Duncan called the Hampton police officer who said his former stepfather had told him he knew who killed Stephen. That former stepfather's name is Darryl Williams and the police officer's name is Nick Ginn. All of this went down right after that news article came out. We're obviously not sure if those two things are tied, but the timing of it is notable. According to the case file, on December 18, 2015, Highway Patrol investigator Todd Proctor received information from Duncan that Patrick

Wilson told Daryl Williams that Sean had struck and killed Stephen. Duncan told Proctor that Patrick attended a Christian school in Ridgeland, but that Daryl didn't know which one. So Proctor tries calling Daryl Williams, but Daryl doesn't pick up. Proctor notes, quote, I could not get Daryl to return any of my calls. He doesn't note how many times he tried to call or when those calls were. Proctor also finds out which school Patrick attends and goes there, but Patrick was absent that day. There does not appear to be follow up to any of that, at least according to the case file. Proctor notes that, quote, Mr. Williams stated that the reason he was passing this information on was because Randy Murdoch told him to call.

Again, that information apparently came from Duncan to Proctor. It's not clear whether Duncan spoke with Darryl directly, because Duncan's notes do not include anything about Darrell. In fact, Duncan's handwritten notes end on December 7, 2015, 11 days earlier. So, according to a source close to the case, Darrell's account of what Patrick had told him in the late fall of 2015 changed significantly by the time it made its way to Highway Patrol, and that new account allegedly left out the name Paul Murdoch. It's not clear why Paul's name would have been mentioned along with Patrick's and or Sean's. Now, the Patrick Wilson-Sean Connolly theory has always been a strange one. First, we have

to talk about the timing of this information. Then, there's the note in the case file about Daryl Williams bringing this information forward at the behest of Alec Murdoch's brother. This is something that Daryl apparently now says isn't true, by the way. And then there's this weird conveyance of information. The case file does not include an interview with Darryl Williams. It instead includes an interview with someone who was purportedly told this information by a man who was told this information. And again, Duncan, the man who conducts this interview with Nick and who told Proctor about Darryl Williams doesn't make any note of how he learned of Darryl or what Darryl had to say.

On top of all of this, Patrick Wilson was facing attempted murder charges at the same time this story was emerging. Those charges were dropped by the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office in 2016. According to the Public Index and other documents, Patrick was being represented by ELEC's best friend Corey Fleming, who, as you all know, is currently serving time in federal prison for being a very good little crime helper for Ellic. Another notable fact is that after Stephens death, a couple of motor vehicle accident lawsuits were filed by members of PMPD on behalf of clients against people whose names

were associated with what happened that night. At the end of July 2015, one man had two lawsuits filed against him by a PMPED attorney. And in August of 2015, one month after Stevens' death, Sean Connolly had a case filed against him by a plaintiff who was represented by Randy Murdoch. Is it weird that PMPAD files car wreck lawsuits in Hampton County? No, not at all. It is literally their job. Like I said, the timing of these particular complaints

and who they were against is merely notable. The next odd occurrence is that in a recording of the phone interview with Nick Ginn, the Highway Patrol investigator notes he's calling Nick at the Hampton Police Department, but the number he says he's dialing actually belongs to the Gooding and Gooding law firm in Allendale. This is possibly a mistake made by the investigator because when Duncan is put on hold there is a beeping that seems more indicative of calling a law enforcement agency. It is unclear how the investigator came to say that number instead of the number to Hampton Police. But it is possible he had both written

down in his notebook and simply recited the wrong digits. Still, it's worth mentioning. So when Nick picks up the phone he says Sergeant Ginn as if he's picking up a call at his own desk but then he tells the investigator that he has to place him on hold because he's not at his own desk and he needs to grab a piece of paper. Again, notable. You can listen to the audio of these calls in Murdock Murders podcast episode 17. Also season 1 episode 17 on the True Sunlight Feed. All of this has always been strange to us. First of all, what does Nick need a piece of paper for?

He knows that this call is to relay information to Duncan and not from Duncan because Nick is the one who came forward to say he had this information in the first place. Second, if Nick wasn't at his desk, then how did Duncan know to reach him at the other desk? We have the full recording as far as we know. Duncan wasn't transferred to a desk. He appears to have dialed to that desk directly. Additionally, why did Duncan need to talk to Nick Ginn at all if he already appears to have talked to Daryl?

Again, Duncan is the originator of all of this information appearing in the case file, but instead of taking notes himself, he handed it to Proctor and then came back around to interview Nick. What am I getting at here? Well it's simple. The Patrick Wilson Sean Connolly theory is officially traced back to Nick Ginn. Nick Ginn, who went on the record to officially point investigators toward Patrick Wilson and Sean Connolly. Then it was basically case closed or case abandoned anyway.

Investigators hit a wall with those names and that was pretty much it. In other words, this makes the origin story of that information very important. Proctor learned about Daryl from his cowork-worker, Duncan, who took no notes about this major development in the case and yet took plenty of notes about other small developments. Proctor was unable to get into contact with Daryl or Patrick. So, he only had what his co-worker Duncan told him, meaning at that juncture, the Patrick and Sean theory was just a tip.

It was just another piece of information along with many other pieces. It had the same weight as everything else. But Nick going on the record with this information legitimized it. He is the only person in this case file talking with certitude about anything. It is not I heard a rumor. It is my stepfather was told by someone who says he was there. We have a sworn police officer giving his account of what he was told by his stepfather in the death of Stephen. His word meant something, and Nick Ginn's word is where investigators

appear to have stopped investigating Stephen's death. So, let's talk about something we discovered earlier this year, after receiving a FOIA request back from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, which keeps track of law enforcement officers' training, as well as their resignations and terminations from various departments. According to Nick Ginn's file, before he worked at the Hampton Police Department, he worked for the police department in Walterboro, which, as y'all know know is where the Murdoch

murders trial was held. A personnel report from when Nick left the Walterboro police department notes that he had been terminated for misconduct and that Walterboro would not rehire him. The reason listed in the report is intimidating officer interfering with investigation and unbecoming conduct of an officer. So, Nick Ginn, the man whose word seems to have stalled the Stephen Smith case, has a history of intimidation and interfering with an investigation. That's notable, right? Here is David with the report from the chief of police at the time. We are going to say blank for some of the

officers names in this case because it includes personal information that is not pertinent to Stephen's case. You were involved with a rumor about you and Corporal Blank's wife. The original rumor was that you had sexual intercourse with her. I had a discussion with Patrolman Blank and Corporal Blank and you and thought the matter had been resolved. The rumor then came back to me stating you were also seen kissing and dancing with her the same night you allegedly slept with her.

And I knew about the situation and took no action. I called you back in and advised you that it was an ongoing investigation and not to discuss the situation with anyone. I was in the process of investigating the circumstances and found out that you had talked to Corporal Blank about the situation and received information from his wife concerning the investigation. Patrolman Blank also approached Lieutenant Dawson, stating he didn't want to work with you anymore because he knew you were upset with him. The report then goes on to note that Nick Ginn was in violation of the department's

policies and procedures to include interference with the work of others and coercing or intimidating fellow employees. When this incident occurred, Nick was around 26 years old and he'd been with the Walter Rowell Police Department for five years. After his firing, his stint in law enforcement becomes rather spotty. Four days after he was fired, he went to work for the Earhart Police Department, where he worked for four months before resigning for personal reasons, according to the file. Nine days after leaving the Earhart Police Department, he began with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office and he stayed there for 19 months until he was fired for violating an unspecified

agency policy, according to his personnel records. So there's a gap of about nine months before he gets back into law enforcement and starts a job at the Varnville Police Department where he stayed for just under two years before leaving for yet another job in law enforcement. According to records, there's a four-day overlap between him starting at the Collinton County Sheriff's Office for a second time and leaving the Varnville agency. His second stint at the Sheriff's Office after being fired isn't entirely unusual. These things sometimes happen in conjunction with a new sheriff taking office.

All of these agencies, by the way, are in the same General Geographic location and other than the agency where Nick worked for four months, they all answer to Solicitor Duffy Stone of the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office. That's the same office that had a Murdoch behind the helm for 86 years, the same one that would not recuse itself initially in Elec's murder investigation, and the same one that gave Elec Murdoch a badge and didn't take it away from him even after they knew he was the prime suspect in the murder case. Nick stayed at the Colleton County Sheriff's Office for eight months before leaving in 2011.

His personal report from that time does not know whether he resigned or was terminated. In fact, where it asks the agency to select the reason for separation, the Sheriff's Office chose other and wrote, at the pleasure of the Sheriff, which is a phrase often used in Sheriff's Offices, meaning that a Sheriff has the ability to let an officer go for any reason he or she wants because all officers are serving at his or her pleasure.

After whatever went down there, Nick stayed out of law enforcement for more than two years, according to his records. And then he returned, this time with the Hampton Police Department, in October of 2013, and he ended up leaving that agency in 2018. In summary, though, for now, this mystery has deepened. We now know that the ballad of Patrick Wilson and Sean Connolly, which was strange enough on its own accord, was being sung by a man who has an irregular history in law enforcement that also includes him getting fired twice. Once for intimidating a fellow officer and interfering in an investigation. Meaning, the origin story of Patrick Wilson and Sean Connolly comes

with some serious credibility questions. On top of everything else, on top of the very legitimate question of why didn't Highway Patrol close the loop after Nick's interview? It was the strongest lead they had been given to that point and they did next to nothing to pursue it. If they had ended up charging and prosecuting someone else in this case, their lack of investigation into Patrick and Sean almost certainly would have come up. The defense would have been handed a gift that would have allowed them to make a strong

case for malicious prosecution. I cannot say this enough. It was Nick Ginn's word, him finally giving Highway Patrol a lead that sent them in a much different direction than they were going, that effectively ended their efforts into finding out who killed Stephen. Until July 2021, that is. That's when South Carolina Highway Patrol made it even stranger by making the highly unusual move of releasing the contents of an open investigation to the public, including recordings of interviews with the names of people giving statements in this case.

This is all just to say, we really hope the lawyers for the deep-pocketed defendants in Buster Murdoch's defamation case find it necessary to ask all the very many questions there are to ask surrounding Nick Gin's interview with Highway Patrol and how that came to pass and why the investigation ended there. Now let's talk about the latest in the Micah Francis case. This past week, the drama at JP Miller's church, Solid Rock at Market Common, took an interesting but annoying turn when police arrested a member of the church who turned a sprinkler on protesters that were calling for justice for Micah.

I'll get to the interesting part in a second, but I want to talk to you how absolutely annoying this is at first. On June 30th, two Sundays ago, Justice for Micah demonstrators were gathered outside of the church when a church member named Robert Lachelle or local, I'm not really sure how to pronounce it and it really doesn't matter. A man in his 60s picked up a portable pressurized sprinkler and aimed it at at least five of the protesters. He basically assaulted them with water, which, though it is very hot in Myrtle Beach right now, is not at all a cool thing to do when we are talking about the infringement of First Amendment

rights. Also, I don't think we need to remind people of the South's deep and shameful history of turning water on citizens who were gathered peacefully and asking to be treated as human beings. According to the police report, Robert blamed his actions on his wife's frustrations. So he threw his wife right under the bus. I guess we are to believe that this is a man that never ignored his wife before. Let's be clear about what happened. This man could not control his emotions,

so he lashed out and then blamed the first woman he could for it. Congratulations Robert, you are exactly the man you appear to be. So Robert was arrested Monday and charged with five counts of third degree assault and battery. He was released from jail without bond. Which great, Robert's temper tantrum deserves to be addressed. You can't just go around deciding to harm people just because you don't agree with their point of view.

Those protesters were legally assembled and the police were there to help keep the peace. There was absolutely no need for Robert's help with that. Again, he did this for one reason, and the reason is that he was emotional. Speaking of the police, according to videos that we've seen of this, Robert handed the police officer the sprinkler after he sprayed the protesters. So this was witnessed by an

officer of the peace, yet the police report makes no mention of that. I'll come back to that in a second. Robert is a supporter of JP Miller and appears to be a part of Solid Rock's dwindling membership in the wake of Micah's death. So again, great. What's the saying? You lie with dogs, you're gonna get fleas. When I was a teenager, my mom always said,

you are who you're associated with. Meaning, if your friends are troublemakers, you should expect people to assume that you are bad news too, because you choose to hang out with them. That has always stuck with me. If JP's documented history, which Robert could find anywhere,

isn't enough for ol' Robert to question his choices in life, then maybe this arrest for water assault will help with that. Maybe his name in mugshot all over the internet will help with that too. He deserved to be arrested. And the fact that the police officer witnessed him do this and the fact that he was caught on camera

makes it really hard for law enforcement to ignore it. However, it is really hard for us to sit here and look at this and think anything other than really? A man aims a sprinkler at protesters again. That was wrong, and he is the one who ends up in handcuffs. But a woman reports repeated harassment and stalking from her estranged husband, a man with a detailed history of this same behavior in the police archives and in a state where one of the biggest threats to women is their spouses and the police sit on their hands?

It is really hard to put those two things side by side and not feel enraged by it, even when understanding the nuances and differences of those two situations. One was low-hanging fruit and we get that. The other requires more thought. It requires more research on the part of the police. It requires someone understanding where the harassment and stalking path can lead. And it requires a system that not only values the lives of women, but that believes women when they say I am being harmed by this person.

It requires, at the very least, trying. Had any one of these officers Micah dealt with shown an interest in finding a solution to the problem, then arresting this water bully wouldn't seem so insulting. But it is, it is very insulting that the system is better equipped to handle 67-year-old men holding sprinklers than it is to handle men accused of systematic harassment. That said, what is going on inside Solid Rock on Sundays that its members come out looking

for war? Isn't church supposed to give people a sense of calmness and purpose and peace? Maybe Robert should look into meditation to quiet his apparent hysteria. If this water arrest shows us anything, it is that Micah's death has people at the church on edge, and something tells me it is only getting worse." So let's talk about that. Ever since Micah's death, there's been an increase in calls to police from JP Miller, along with other members of the church, including staff who say they're being harassed by members of the public. Given the national focus on this case and people's collective anger over Micah's death and what she had to go through

leading up to her death, there's obviously going to be some backlash. But first, I want to start with what, according to old police reports, JP considers to be harassment. Let's start with a 911 call that was made on July 2, 2015, when JP's affair with Micah was discovered and the church elders were meeting to talk about what to do. We've shared excerpts from affidavits filed by JP's first wife, Allison Williams, in their divorce case, in which she outlines what was happening around this time. According to the affidavits, JP told Allison that in addition to his affair with Micah, who later accused JP of grooming her starting at the age of 15, he had been, quote, sexually inappropriate

with several underage girls at their church. According to the affidavits, the church requested that JP enroll in an extensive sexual addiction program which Allison says to her knowledge he never did. Something else was happening around that same time. Here's David with Allison's affidavit filed this past May when Allison sought emergency custody of her kids. David At the time the church learned about J.P.'s affair with Micah, the Church was operating under the belief

the old bylaws of our Church had been amended and that we were operating under new bylaws JP represented had been put in place that inter alia required the formation of a board of Council members the formation of a board of Council members, the formation of a board of council members to approve any major decisions regarding the church, including financial expenditures. When the council voted to have JP temporarily step down from the head pastor position, so he could seek treatment

for his self-reported sexual addictions and focus on his restoration. Instead of following the directions of our church leaders, JP held a meeting and informed the council the new bylaws were invalid and therefore, pursuant to the old bylaws, he had 100% decision-making authority. That was the first time members of our church had an opportunity to see J.P. for who he really was, and became gravely concerned about his integrity and the financial structure of the church. As a result, almost our entire congregation left the church and JP began his quest to recruit new members and operate Solid

Rock Ministries solely at his discretion. So that should give you some idea of what was happening at the time JP made the following phone call to police. Myrtle Beach Police and Fire, Judge Began. I'm calling from Solid Rock Ministries on the Air Base near Market Common. Yes, sir. And we're going to be having a really heated meeting tonight in our church. It's 7 o'clock. Okay. And we didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal, but we had some – we had

a few little situations that seemed kind of threatening to my life. Okay. I was calling to see if – how much did it cost to have an officer there just to be in the meeting or anything like that? It should be only a 30 minute meeting. I mean, I can have an officer come and stand by. I don't know if they can stay the whole half hour though. That would be the problem.

That would be fine. Just stand by. Excuse me. What time is the meeting? It's at seven o'clock. Okay. What you should do is give us a call back like, probably like 10 to 15 minutes before the meeting starts and we'll send somebody down.

Well, there's people already kind of coming in now. Okay, what's the address then? It's 803 Howard Avenue. You heard that little chuckle, right? Right after he told the dispatcher that there were a few little situations that seemed kind of threatening to his life. Was that chuckle out of embarrassment or was it one of those false modesty laughs someone gives when

they're feeling self-important or pleased with themselves? In other words, was he excited by being the subject of controversy? Either way, isn't it interesting that JP had allegedly admitted to sexually abusing minors at his church, and yet he thought nothing of inviting police to this meeting where ostensibly they might be talking about some of the things outlined in Allison's affidavit about that time? According to her most recent affidavit, affidavits are sworn testimony subject to the punishment of perjury. JP was given a special police badge at some point. It's not clear whether he had this toy badge at the point he made this phone call or if it was something given to him later.

It's also not clear what police agency purportedly gave him this badge. But the point is the same. It appears that this man was interpreting this meeting, where the consequences to his actions were ostensibly going to be discussed, as a threat to his life. If he really believed that, then the next question is what kind of church was he running? Or did he just want the police there to remove people from the meeting upon his word? Obviously, we don't know what was going on in his head at that time. Allison had left him and they were officially separated just three days before he made this phone call, according to court documents. But we do have a stack

of police reports and other court documents that show us how chaotic his behavior was at this time. Not only was he seemingly trying to harness the power of the badge in his favor at that moment, he was laying out a narrative, right? If JP had to call the police to come to that meeting, then JP is the victim. The big mean church members are frightening little ol' him. The police were a prop to help him get that message across. It's like being at work and yelling, don't hit me! So the whole office hears when your boss says she wants to talk to you about your

terrible work performance. It's a manipulation designed to paint the boss as a volatile aggressor when all the boss wants to do is give you a performance improvement plan. By the way, does it strike anyone else as odd that when JP said he felt like his life was being threatened, the dispatcher wasn't like, tell me more about this, why do you feel threatened? He literally didn't seek any additional information about these supposed threats. Maybe it's because nothing about JP's demeanor seems to have struck this dispatcher as serious in that moment. This is the part where I want to again tell you all about how difficult

these Worry County and Myrtle Beach police reports have been. The redactions are seemingly haphazard and many of them appear to be unnecessary, but more than that they're sort of cryptic and they don't really go into much detail. Sometimes it's hard to get a good sense of what the issue at hand was but still we've received dozens of them and we've been able to piece together a bigger picture of how JP seems to use the police to aid him in the chaos of his own life. We're gonna share a few of those reports with you starting with one made in March 2017, in which it appears that JP called the police

to report that Allison's boyfriend was threatening him about money that JP allegedly owed Allison. JP showed police the messages he got from the boyfriend. According to the report, quote, "'The threats were deemed empty. Nevertheless, JP told police he wanted the incident documented and wanted law enforcement to contact the boyfriend and quote, have a word with him. So police did that and the boyfriend said he was angry at JP but had no intention of carrying out any of the so-called threats. There are a number of reports

of JP calling the police regarding custody complaints where he accused Allison of violating their court order. We're not going to get into those today. There are also a number of reports made from the church about various people being on the church campus that they wanted removed. Again, we'll talk about those at another time. And we'll be right back. I want to fast forward now to March 27th of this year to remind you of when JP called the police to report harassment from Micah and her family. As evidence of this so-called harassment, JP showed police Micah's Facebook video. You know, the one in which she does

not mention his name or refer to him, but instead talks about her belief that while God might want women to be good wives, she doesn't think that God intended for that to mean that they would have to put up with abuse. Side note, can I just say the gall of this man. Ugh. Could you imagine having that kind of confidence with police? According to the report, JP had no text

or proof of harassment. Police told him to block Micah's Facebook page and advised him not to look at it. JP tried to tell police that this was defamation and they informed him that it was not and that there is no evidence that would indicate any crime had been committed. JP told police that he was a pastor

and he was worried about his reputation. The report said, quote, the responding officer advised that he could give us a call back if he was harassed, but that there was no evidence of that in his claim today. After Micah's death, JP and other members of the church began calling police regularly with reports of harassment or harassment concerns. On May 1st, at 2.45 in the afternoon, a female pastor, the report redacted her name from

Solid Rock, called police to report that she and JP had been receiving multiple Facebook messages and emails since Micah's death. According to the police report, the caller told them that there had been cyberbullying, but that had turned into death threats. The caller told them that the cyberbullying had been coming in every few minutes, and that people were calling the church saying this is the end. She told police that she had screenshots and that she was afraid. When police arrived at the church, they were shown multiple posts and messages.

Here is David with what that responding officer wrote about that. No direct threats of violence seen. officer wrote about that. them. No direct person is being harassed. Pastor John Paul was not on scene to meet with officers. At this time, there is no harassment. On this same day, police were contacted about providing officers for Micah's funeral service. Police gave the church options, including paying for overtime for police officers to be stationed there or hiring private security. On May 5th, the day JP held Micah's funeral at the church and protesters stood outside, calls to the police increased. We have the CAD reports from that day, so it's not always

clear who made the calls and why. At 623 that morning, police noted that they had driven around the building and observed nothing suspicious. At 9.55 that morning, again, police noted that they had driven around the building and that everything seemed to be okay. They also noted that there was a small group of peaceful protesters on the other side of the road chanting with signs. At 10.27 that morning, police responded to the church and reported that all was good and quote, protesters didn't like someone that showed up. That's literally all the details we have about that for now. At 1151 that morning, police and medics responded to the church for a report of a woman who

was bleeding from her head after falling. According to the report, she was evaluated and cleared and declined transport to a hospital. At 1.23 that afternoon, police noted that they had patrolled the building and everything was okay. A week later, police noted in a report that someone from the church had requested their presence before the start of church services, quote, due to slight concerns of infiltration, which is kind of hilarious phrasing. Pairing the words slight concerns with a word like infiltration seems like an oxymoron. The officer

noted that no protesters were on the scene and that there were no issues, quote, whatsoever. On May 6th, it appears that Susie Skinner called police about a threat her son had received over Instagram regarding her. Susie was the wife of Chris Skinner, police about a threat her son had received over Instagram regarding her. Susie was the wife of Chris Skinner, the quadriplegic man who died in his wheelchair in their neighborhood pool. Check out our mini-sode for more information about Chris Skinner's death. According to Allison Williams' affidavit, Susie is also who JP was suspected of having an affair while married to Micah. At the time Susie made this phone call, there had been much speculation about her and her husband's death. As Allison

put it, quote, it is chilling to know that the spouses of both Susie and JP are now dead from tragic events. According to the police, the messages made derogatory comments about Susie and said, quote, karma comes around to everyone. The report notes that no specific threats were made. On May 21st, it appears a coworker of Suzie Skinner's called the police to tell them Suzie was having an issue with someone following her. The caller would not give any additional details to police. According to the police report, Suzie noticed that on May 20th,

pictures of her were posted online. details to police. According to the police report, Susie noticed that on May 20, pictures of her were posted online. These photos appear to be the ones that show JP out at a restaurant with Susie shortly after Micah's death, as well as photos of Susie leaving her workplace and near her vehicle. The report simply notes, quote, there were no threats or comments toward these photos posted online. Victims said she is not familiar with the screen name where these photos were posted. And that's the end of the report. It does not include any actions taken by police. On June 2nd, Horry County police received a call from the church about a bomb threat they had received. Interestingly, dispatch marked this as a

non-emergency call. When police got to the scene, they were given a phone number and a voicemail and the incident was forwarded to Myrtle Beach Police for further investigation. On June 23rd, police did a drive-by at the church and noted that there were around 18 to 22 protesters there on the sidewalks around the building holding signs and yelling justice for Micah. The officer noted that all protesters stayed on the sidewalk without impeding foot traffic and they were not jaywalking. The officer also noted that the protesters were not violating any noise ordinances. When church members left services that morning, they were assisted by police officers and protesters

left without issue. Again, there's a giant spotlight on JP and his church at this time, so we can't fault them for being concerned. They hadn't dealt with anything like this before. JP brought shame on the church and sent it back into chaos they hadn't seen the likes of since the last time he did this in 2015. Now there is one report of harassment that appears to have had some gravity to it. On May 7th, JP called police saying he was being followed by a woman with a gun. According to the police report, JP told police that this person showed up to his house and was

making gestures out the window at him. JP said he was scared of what the person might do, so he got into his car and left. Here's the call. I think it's a girl that her guy was long here, but I'm in my neighborhood driving and she stays behind me I tried to drive the target. She stayed behind me she was in my in front of my house with either a gun or a camera or something and And she's still following me in my neighborhood now and I've received death threats over the past few days So I'm kind of worried about this So first did you hear him reference something being all over the news and the dispatcher not taking the bait on that?

This is literally the first thing he says before he says that he's being followed. I also want to note here his reference to death threats. As you'll remember from just a few minutes ago, police determined that not only there were no death threats, there were no actual threats. Basically, it seems like JP and his fellow pastor didn't like criticism. Also, it is interesting that mentions of karma feel like a threat to JP and those in his circle when JP spent countless Sundays preaching this very same concept. Real quick, as far as we know, there are no other police

reports during that time showing any evidence of quote death threats. But this is how JP is perceiving the messages. Back to the call. Which street are you on now? Do you know? No, I'll be on Coldwater in about 30 seconds. I saw a police officer in front of my neighborhood a little while ago. I don't know where he went. I went back to try to find him, but he's gone. But she's still following me. So the guy who, according to the police report, had left his house out of fear of this person

who he believed might be armed and who says he's been getting death threats thinks it's a good idea to now drive back to his house with this person still following him? Help us make sense of that. Anyway, the dispatcher was on it. not go to your house. Okay. Okay. So tell me what to do. I'm near my pool, the neighborhood pool. You're fine. Do you see it? Yeah, I'm in front of the neighborhood pool. I'm on Banks Drive and I'm on Santo Drive. Santo Drive and it might be a guy. I can't tell if it's a guy or a girl, there's 10 windows. But um, Can you see what race they are? I was at my house and they're in a white Volvo.

I think it's a Volvo but it's a white SUV, a small SUV. And they're following you? Yeah, they're following me. Every time I make, they're following me. Everywhere I go, they're following me. They followed me all around town. I tried to get away. Or all around town.

I went from 540, I took, went to 540 for the whole time. They won't stop following me. I mean, my heart's racing. I don from 540, I took went to 544 the whole time. They won't stop falling. My heart's racing. I don't know what to do. Do you know what type of gun it was? What type of gun? No, I know they were holding something up through the window. It could have been a camera, could have been a gun, it would have been a water pistol. I don't know what it was, but they're holding something up and they won't stop following me. They just, they just now, for the first time in the past 10 minutes, they just now stopped.

JP then asks the dispatcher if he should go get the person's license plate number. Do not do not go near them. Okay, okay, okay. I'm not doing nothing. I'm not doing nothing. Are you or is anyone else in danger right now? Besides you? No, I'm the only one in my car.

I'm the only one in my car. I hope you're back to follow me again. The dispatcher then tells JP that she's trying to get him to a safe location and she asks if he knows where the Grab and Go gas station is and whether he can get himself there. Yeah, but I'm just scared. I want to find out who this person is. I'm scared they'll stop following me or something. I don't know what to do. Okay, that's why we're going to get officers in the area, okay, sir? Okay, I'm going to the gas station. And they're still following me. I'll sit with the police officer and be at the gas station.

I'll be there in about 30 seconds, probably. Oh, they just turned. They turned into the pool in my neighborhood. All right, just go to the gas station. Okay. Man, I wish the police officer would go to the pool. JP continues to talk about the pool and then tells the dispatcher that the person is following him again. The dispatcher is like, go to the gas station. Yep, they're coming to me. If I get to the grab and go, what if they do something to me there?

If I get to the grab and go, what if they do something to me there?" The dispatcher again tells him that she's trying to get him to a safe place and that if this person continues to follow him, she will redirect JP to somewhere else until the police can get to where he is. JP drives for about 20 seconds in silence and the dispatcher asks him if he's still being followed. I don't see them. We're still just going to go to the grab and go just in case. Oh there they are. Crap! They're right behind me. They pulled into another street. They're right behind me. I'm at the grab and go. I'm at the grab and go and they're following

me to the grab and go. Okay, just keep on driving down Palmetto Point. Oh crap, I turned into the grab and go. I didn't know what to do. I turned into the grab and go. The dispatcher asks him if he can drive out the other exit at the gas station. Crap, they're following me to the grab and go. These people are crazy. Can you listen? I need you to go out towards Palm Eto Point, okay?

We're gonna go towards 17. Oh, Jesus Christ. They're still following him. He just put him in the, he's still in the grab and go. He's trying to get out of there. They parked into the grab and go. They parked in the grab and go.. They parked into the grab and go. They parked in the grab and go. They suspect parked in the grab and go.

What vehicle are you in, honey? They parked in the grab and go. I'm in a blue pickup truck and they're in a white SUV and they parked in the grab and go. So they made a parking space. They're no longer behind me. Okay, so they're still parked. I see a police officer.

I see a police officer. All right, wave them down. Wave them down. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much.. I see a police officer. All right, wave them down. Wave them down. Okay. Okay.

Thank you so much. You did such a good job. Oh, now that person got out of the car. They've gotten out of the car. All right, just wave that officer down, okay? Okay, I waved him down and he's turning in and he's going after the person I think he knows I think you see the person just got in their car. Okay, just stand along.

Okay I am. It's a boy with long hair. It wasn't a girl. Thank you so much for taking care of me. Thank you so much. It's such a good job. I really appreciate it. God if I told you how scared I was you wouldn't even you wouldn't even. You're welcome. Thank you so much. It's such a good job. I really appreciate it God if I told you how scared I was you wouldn't even you wouldn't even

You're welcome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Do I hang out with you? Is that what I do? The dispatcher tells him he can if he feels safe. JP then asks whether he should drive home Just where are you at right now? Are you still at the grab and go? Gas I need gas. Should I get gas? Okay, just stay in your vehicle, okay? Okay, I'll stay in my vehicle. And just stay right where you're at and my officer will come to you. You don't get out.

Okay, I'm going to park next to the air in the vacuum thing over there away from here, but I don't want to cause a... I don't want to get in the way of people, so I'm going to park over here on the side if that's okay. That's fine. Okay, hold up. Did he seriously suggest filling up his tank at the gas station where the man he thought was chasing him potentially with a gun is sitting near feet away? I'm not saying this wasn't a scary situation, but if you were really to believe that your life was in danger, wouldn't you stay in the car? For all he knew in that moment, that person could have actually had a gun and done something

drastic. It must be nice to feel that secure in the world. We have dashcam footage of when police approach the man, but the officer's interview with the man cannot be heard. The man, by the way, bears a striking resemblance to the guy who dresses up like Jesus and attends the protests outside of JP's church. He was driving a white Volvo SUV. According to the police report, the driver gave police consent to search his vehicle

and they found nothing. No object that would appear to look like a gun. The report notes that the driver did not cooperate with police beyond that, and police told him that he was free to go. The dash cam footage shows the man being interviewed by four officers for more than 10 minutes, during which he was seen chuckling with an officer, then shaking their hands before saying goodbye. He walked over to an officer sitting in his vehicle and apologized to the officer for

their trouble. At that point, officers are heard over the dashcam seemingly talking about JP. One officer says to the other, do you know who this gentleman is behind us? The other officer responds, yeah, it's some person that I've been hearing about a lot lately but I've never actually known him to exist. The first officer says, yeah, he's the pastor, the one where his wife suspiciously died of suicide. Anyway, he's been getting a lot of issues lately. The guy in front of them was the driver of the car that JP said was following him.

The guy behind them was, according to their conversation, JP. The report says, quote, there was no evidence that the suspect was threatening him or was waving a gun out the window. The report does not indicate whether police asked the driver if he was following JP, but police did tell the driver that he was being issued a no trespassing order at JP's address. The case was then closed and listed as unfounded. These reports today have given us a clearer, more factual picture of what the backlash against JP and the church looked like from the perspective of law enforcement. We can see how these incidents might have felt to JP, but we also know that he's embracing the spotlight on TikTok anyway.

This week he posted another TikTok video asking for donations for the church's Dare to Care mission in Micah's name. The Dare to Care mission is involved in the accusations JP and the church made against Micah before her death when they accused her on multiple occasions of stealing from the church and raising money for this cause and keeping it for herself, we have reported how law enforcement didn't find evidence of theft and a judge refused to issue a warrant for Micah's arrest. We will talk more about that in a future episode. As usual, we have a lot more to share with you in the Micah Francis case as we continue to expand

our understanding of what happened in the lead-up to her death and where her life could have been saved. We have reported how law enforcement didn't find evidence of theft and a judge refused to issue a warrant for Micah's arrest. We will talk more about that in a future episode because it seems like to us that Myrtle Beach Police could have a few potential cases of filing false police reports. Which is a crime, by the way. When we say that we want justice for Micah, we mostly just want law enforcement from all levels to take accusations that have been launched against JP Miller for years seriously.

We likely will not hear any solid updates from the FBI until, if and when, charges are filed. But we are still hearing positive news that their investigation into JP allegedly harassing Micah before her death is still ongoing. In the meantime, we would like to see law enforcement actually investigate JP Miller for the many crimes he has been accused of in the last decade. Like has anyone at Horry County PD or Myrtle Beach Police bothered to talk to Allison about the alleged sexual abuse

that occurred within Solid Rock? Have local police considered that they could still charge JP for harassing Micah based on the evidence that has already been gathered? I am so tired of law enforcement saying that their hands are tied when there is still so much that can be done to turn this case around." We have learned through our reporting over the last five years that men like JP get increasingly dangerous when the system shows them that they can get away with anything. As tensions continue to rise around Solid Rock and supporters continue to enable JP, I am worried about what happens next here

if police keep saying there is nothing they can do. And no, we are not counting the water bully arrest as them doing something. As usual, we have a lot more to share with you in the Micah Francis case, as we continue to expand our understanding of what happened in the lead-up to her death and where her life could have been saved. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. Thank you. and co-hosted by journalist Liz Farrell. Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com.

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