Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #84 - The Man With Endless Audacity: JP Miller Files Pathetic Lawsuits + More Inconsistencies in Chris Skinner Case

Episode Date: January 23, 2025

Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell continue shining sunlight on the Mica Francis case and the SUNLIGHT IS WORKING. This week, the True Sunlight Podcast dives deep into the bizarre legal world of JP Miller, the pastor at the center of so much controversy. We'll explore how JP is now suing multiple protesters and online critics for harassment and invasion of privacy, claiming they're causing him emotional and economic harm. But here's the twist: this is the same man accused of stalking his late wife, Mica, who was denied a restraining order against him....  On today’s episode, the LUNASHARK Team received the official coroner’s report in the death of Chris Skinner, the quadriplegic man who drowned in his neighborhood pool shortly after he reportedly confronted his wife, Suzie, and Pastor JP Miller about their alleged affair.  Was it an accident, as ruled? Or is there more to the story? We examine discrepancies in the official reports of how Chris ended up in the water... and video footage that suggest it may have been intentional...? Also on the show, an intake form from a family law firm that JP Miller appears to have consulted in February 2024 for representation in his divorce contains some VERY interesting information, including the name of the person who referred him to the firm. Plus, JP is now suing 13 protesters and creators in Magistrate Court and we have some more insight into what he’s up to. According to a summons and complaint that was served on one of the protesters, JP is seeking a restraining order, claiming he is being harassed and he’s seeking $7,500 in damages in an invasion of privacy claim. We are officially in the Upside-Down now. After combing through JP’s claims, Mandy and Liz have a message for the judge …  This episode gets deeper into these very twisted stories... so let's dive in.  Episode Resources Charlotte Korn’s Cease and Desist Letter - May 29, 2024 “Exclusive: John-Paul Miller speaks about wife Mica Miller’s death” - NewsNation, July 22, 2024 JP Miller’s 911 Calls Timeline SC Code of Laws for Harassment & Stalking IRS 501(c)3 Tax Guide for Churches & Religious Organizations Previous Referenced TSP Episodes: 76, 77, 83 Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️ 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. Premium Members also get access to ad-free listening, 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. What We're Buying... Eric Bland's New Book!!! - Mandy's Book in Paperback!! - Amanda Knox's New Book Boll & Branch Sheets - http://bollandbranch.com/mandy Change the way you sleep with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets. Here's a link to some of our favorite things: https://amzn.to/4cJ0eVn *** 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: bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com | bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com TrueSunlight.com facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/ Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod Twitter.com/mandymatney Twitter.com/elizfarrell youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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But her maternal instincts take a wild and surreal turn as she discovers the best, yet fiercest part of herself. Based on the acclaimed novel, Nightbitch is a thought-provoking and wickedly humorous film from Searchlight Pictures. Stream Nightbitch January 24 only on Disney+. I don't know if J.P. Miller could get any more embarrassing, but the man of many churchy businesses has outdone himself this time with his recent lawsuits against protesters and

online creators who have spoken out against him. We got a hold of one of those lawsuits and buckle up guys, the audacity is at an all-time high. 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. Hello from the winter wonderland of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. What a weird week and let me just say, I am thankful right now that

Elec Murdoch did not receive a presidential pardon this week. You never know, so I'm considering that one a win. We have a wild show for you guys today. But first, two things that are important. We have a new monthly club called Pesky Picks starting next week. Every month we will have a virtual meetup with a small group of Lunashark Premium members to discuss a certain documentary, book, movie, or show as the anchor.

But also, we're gonna discuss all sorts of things, plus a Q&A for whatever y'all wanna know and maybe we'll have a glass of wine or two. Then we will share this conversation with the greater Premium audience and share snippets on the Cup of Justice feed. I want to get to know more of the premium members this year, and I have a feeling that I have a lot to learn from you pesky fans out there. This month, we are looking for 10 or more members

who will hop on a video chat next Thursday night to discuss one of my favorite documentaries of all time, Amanda Knox on Netflix. If you just want to listen, you can do that too. We will send out links to premium members next week. And one more thing, we're going to talk a lot more about the absurd lawsuits that JP Miller filed against those who have spoken out against him. But I want to say, in the description, you will find a link to donate to a GoFundMe to

help support legal funds for some of the protesters who are being sued. I also urge any attorneys listening in the Myrtle Beach area to offer to represent these people who are being sued in Magistrate Court pro bono to protect them from getting good-ol' boyed by the system. If you can help, check out the contact info in the GoFundMe listed in the description. So let's start today off by talking about Chris Skinner, the quadriplegic husband of JP Miller's alleged paramour Susie Skinner, who drowned to death in their neighborhood pool in 2021. At the time when, according to JP's

first wife, Chris Skinner confronted Suzy and JP about their alleged affair and told JP to stay away from his family. Back in November in episode 76, we looked closely at Skinner's life between the time of his injury and his death, and we honed in on what exactly happened on September 6, 2021, the day that he died. For weeks and months after Micah's death, we kept hearing about Chris's mysterious death and how odd it was. Like JP's wife first said in an affidavit, now both Susie's and JP's spouses had died tragic sudden deaths. The thing was, Chris's death was ruled an accident. Obviously, y'all know how we come from Murdoch country and from Steven Smith and Gloria Satterfield,

we know that death certificates don't always accurately reflect the manner of death. When we finally took a look at the full video of Chris Skinner's death and what happened on the scene afterwards, we formally, well, on the podcast anyway, called for the Horry County coroner to open an inquest into Chris' death. Why? Because what we saw on that video did not look accidental. It looked intentional.

It was hard to see, but it looked like Chris' hand was on the joystick that propelled his wheelchair into the pool. And there was other evidence that didn't seem to fit at all, like the story that Chris was meeting someone at the pool to play chess that morning. As far as we know, no one showed up saying that they were there to play chess with Chris. Additionally, the word chess has been a theme with JP and Micah. It is a word that has appeared a few times in documents that we've seen, including one related to Micah's involuntary hospitalization in February of last year.

JP claimed that Micah believed that she was playing chess with the devil, which we will talk about another time because what a metaphor. Anyway, we called for this inquest, meaning an investigation, a second look into Chris' death because we, at the very least, think consideration should be given to what seems like discrepancies between the death certificate and the videos that we saw. Again, the difference in the cause of death, accident vs. suicide, could matter if there was a life insurance policy at play.

Even though there is not one listed on the online summary of Chris' probate case, there's no definitive proof that one did not exist. And also, if it was a suicide and not an accident, then questions need to be asked, right? Because that would make two spousal suicides that occurred during JP's alleged affair with Susie. It would be relevant to know what other commonalities, if anything, exist between the two deaths, right? It would be important for law enforcement, the ones investigating JP, to know the actual facts of Chris Skinner's death, no? It would be an absurdity to think that Chris Skinner's case

shouldn't be thoroughly re-examined so the facts can be trusted as facts. And just in case there's something more to it than we've been told. If any such examination is happening, and that investigation ended up determining that Chris's death wasn't an accident, it wouldn't just raise new questions for Micah's case, it would open up the question of liability in the same way that Micah's death did. Meaning, the statute of limitations would reset for any potential

wrongful death case. To be clear, we are not saying that Chris died by suicide. And we also aren't saying that there was any wrongdoing here. We are saying that it is worth taking a look at, a thorough look. Anyway, after we talked about all of this on episode 77 in early December, researcher and journalist Beth Braden found a FOIA request asking for the Horry County's report into Chris Skinner's death. And well, it did not change our stance on this.

It only strengthened it. The actual file may be larger than what was subject to be released under FOIA, meaning some documents could have been held back and in true Horry County style, they didn't tell us what they kept out and why. But what we do have here raises even more concerns about how un-thorough the initial investigation into Chris' death was. Even worse, it seems to include another differing account of what caused Chris Skinner to end up in the pool.

The narrative in the coroner's report is brief, less than 150 words. Here is David reading what it says. Per interviews with Detective Saud before death, Mr. Skinner, who became a quadriplegic from an accident in his early twenties, would go to his neighborhood pool early most mornings. This morning he appears to have gotten too close to the pool edge causing the wheels to slip and he fell into the pool. A short time later several people arrived at the pool discovered him and called EMS. He was pulled from

the pool revived and transported to GSRMC where he was pronounced dead several hours later. Security cameras were in the pool area which were reviewed. An examination of his body revealed no trauma. A review of medical records was completed. Tamara Willard, chief deputy coroner. He got too close to the pool edge, causing the wheels to slip. So that's not what we see in the video footage. From this narrative, it is unclear if coroner Tamara Willard reviewed it herself or relied on the police report because, quote, security cameras were in the pool area which were reviewed is a confusing and passive sentence but our initial impression is

that it does seem like the coroner relied on what Detective Aisha Saud had told her and we know where that came from. According to Saud's report, Suzy Skinner said that Chris was not suicidal. Saud wrote in her report that she watched the surveillance video from the pool and saw Chris enter the pool around 7.52 a.m. and steer towards the back corner of the pool area where the chessboard was. Detective Salud also noted at 7.56 hours, his wheelchair is seen moving toward the water and then the victim falls in along with his wheelchair,

which he is strapped to, and is seen attempting to pull his head up. See, that doesn't say anything about Chris getting too close and his wheels slipping in. We also have the narrative from another officer on the scene, Dee Loisey. Officer Loisey noted, quote, "'The camera shows the victim entering into the pool area

and going over to the area where the chest sets are. The victim is then seen with his dog leaving that area and driving around the pool. The victim then stops at a curve in the pool and then suddenly moves quickly forward and goes into the water. Once again, that report says nothing about getting too close to the edge and the wheel slipping in.

But Loissey's report is more accurate to the video because Chris did stop and then suddenly moved forward. Did his wheelchair malfunction? If so, Suzy missed the window to file a product liability complaint this past September. Did something happen to Chris medically to cause his hand to inadvertently push on the controller of the wheelchair at the absolute worst time? Assuming that what we're seeing in the video is accurate, that his hand propelled the chair forward. If so, Suzy doesn't appear

to have mentioned that as a possibility to police when trying to determine what happened. And she certainly was clear about her theory on his death. Suzy was featured in a blog post called Spotlight on Suzy Skinner that was published on the Solid Rock at MarketCommon website. It was written by Ashley Daniels more than a year after Chris's death. In the blog, Susie is quoted as saying, that day, I guess when he was driving his wheelchair, nobody was there and he got too close to the edge and fell in. So is Susie ultimately how Tamara Willard got the detail about Chris getting too close to the edge?

We just don't know. But that would be an important factor to consider in the decision to open an investigation. How do we know what we know? Before we move on, just a few more things I want to note. Again, we're not saying there was any foul play here. We're also not saying that the death certificate is wrong. We're saying that what we saw on the video doesn't seem to line up with accidents, but we're not experts. We know coroners are busy, we know the police are busy, and we know that Chris's death,

though some felt it was suspicious at the time, didn't have the context of Micah's death and that accompanying spotlight that might have brought additional scrutiny at the time. But what we do know is that, in general, investigators need to be asking more questions when a young person like Chris dies, no matter how obvious they might think the reason is at first glance. And not just ask the spouse questions. Branch out just a little, just to be more thorough in whatever measure they can.

That said, one of the things that concerns us here is JP's appearance at the scene of Chris' death. Now sure, he was their pastor. He was there to comfort a grieving church member. But JP, as we have all learned, not only seems to think the police are his buddies, he never seems to fail to interject in their work. We saw it in November 2022, when he argued with the police about Micah's hospital admission and threatened them with calls to Lieutenant Heather Wilson, according to reports. And we saw it when he was allegedly being chased

by a woman with a gun. Remember the dispatcher told him to back off, but JP pulled right up to the scene. And we've seen it in multiple interactions he's had with the police, including his demand that they investigate Lieutenant Wilson in 2024 for insinuating in a private text that JP's alleged relentless harassment led to Micah's

death. Did JP's appearance at the scene of Chris Skinner's death help lend immediate credibility to the accident theory, to the point that investigators were content to go with it? Again, it might very well have been an accident, but thanks to JP Miller, it's a question we now have to ask. Anyway, Beth reached out to the coroner on Wednesday for clarification about the initial investigation, but has not heard back yet. Okay, now let's focus entirely on ol' PJP, Suzy's alleged partner in extramarital love, the man who would later become the widower to her widow,

love, the man who would later become the widower to her widow, Pastor J.P. Miller, the churchy business bro Nepho Baby. Remember at the beginning of all of this when J.P.'s number one goal seemed to be to deflect? First he blamed Micah's family for Micah's death. Then we recently discovered that behind the scenes at the very same time, he was also blaming Lieutenant Heather Wilson from the Horry County Police Department for Micah's death. Anyone but JP, right? Remember how his number two goal, apparently, was to try to shut up anyone who spoke their truth about JP, or reported on the case, or went

on social media to talk about the case, or who stood outside on public property to protest him and demand accountability for his behavior? And how he almost immediately began threatening legal action against everyone in the most pathetic of ways. Remember that mass mailing of so-called cease and desist letters that went out to creators and members of the media and Micah's friends in May from JP's attorney Russell B. Long, who we call Russell B. Wrong? Remember the one with all those misspellings?

He did this with zero concept of what defamation is. JP really thought he was the victim in all of this, like the true alleged narcissist that he might be. He wanted to capitalize on that. He thought he was going to be able to sue the entire world for defamation. And somehow, he thought he was gonna win in front of a jury who would, in his mind, reward him handsomely for this unfair, unwarranted questioning of his bizarre actions and erratic behaviors and despicable history with Micah.

Let's not forget what JP's ex-wife Allison had to say about JP's plans in an affidavit to family court about a month after JP Miller first made the headlines. Quote, since Micah's death, I have requested that JP not see our children. Initially, I was okay with phone calls and text messages. However, when recently texting with them, JP has inappropriately discussed the current state of events with them, sharing his plans of quote, suing everyone and being a millionaire. As you know, JP's plans of making millions off the people who were expressing their First Amendment right of having an opinion about him or protesting him has failed miserably.

And so far, it's just exposed how fragile of an ego this man really has. In his world, the one he built with other people's money, he is the king and the king cannot be questioned. It also exposed how, when he feels slighted, his go-to response seems to be vengeance. He can't just go away quietly. We've heard of former church members who have experienced this side of him. We know what Micah and his first wife Allison both say that they went through with him. We've seen texts from him, lots of them. And mostly, we've seen his actions.

And we saw it when he filed a lawsuit last fall against a payer illegal at Watley Family Law in Horry County. The law firm that JP apparently had a consultation with in February, 2024, according to a document we've recently seen, it appears to have happened the day that he had Micah involuntarily hospitalized. In the lawsuit, JP is accusing the paralegal, Melissa Mancari, of defamation for saying that JP wanted to ruin Micah and his divorce. More on that after a quick break. We'll be right back. a quick break. We'll be right back. David and I have been loving our membership with Thrive Market. It's made mealtime so

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With savings of up to 40% on Transat South packages, it's easy to say, so long to winter. Visit Transat.com or contact your Marlin travel professional for details. Conditions apply. Air Transat. Travel Moves Us. So the document we saw, which appears to be some sort of intake form, has February 7th, 2024 as JP and Micah's separation date. That is the day that Micah was admitted to the hospital.

And interestingly, just a few weeks after that, JP would tell a police officer that Micah was crazy and that the two of them were not actually separated, as she claimed to the officer. The form says that JP and Micah do not own any property together, with the note, the house is owned by the church. And from what we can see, the form says the following, quote, he is a pastor and has a post-nup looking to divorce. Wife is in the mental institution, as of today,

and upon release, she will be going with a good friend to live there. Is very good friends with Tom Winslow and had a consult with Nicole, but feels that she is too nice and is looking for someone not nice and more aggressive. And then it cuts off. We can't see any more of the document, but just so you know, Tom

Winslow is one of the attorneys who was standing next to JP during a press conference this past summer when JP's settlement with the Francis family was announced. That's the one where JP was pacing around and reacting like a child to things that Regina Ward was saying. Tom Winslow and his law firm have also helped JP in the past with things like the healthcare power of attorney that was drawn up for Micah, the post-nuptial agreement, and the separation agreement. He is also, as some social media users have pointed out, someone who has posted about AI

and the legal world on his website. And we believe that Nicole is likely attorney Nicole Gaddis, who is also with Tom Winslow's office. Nicole was cc'd on an email from Winslow to Micah in April 2023 with attachments that we believe to be the post-nup that Micah said she had been forced to sign by JP. And she represented JP in October 2023 after Micah made the first step toward filing for divorce, accusing JP of infidelity. We also noticed that she has represented JP's son Logan Hardy before, as has Russell B. Wrong, another of JP's attorneys.

Anyway, speaking of members of JP's would-be legal defense team. Also on this form is the name of the person who referred JP to Watley family law, and that's Regina Ward. In February, 2024, JP apparently called Regina's office and was referred to Watley. It's a pretty shocking thing to see. Regina's name on a form with JP's name on it too, just weeks before she took on Micah's case.

Regina told us this week that when JP sought out her help in divorcing Micah, she never actually spoke with him. Her front desk referred him to Watley, which she said is one of her go-to referral firms. She said her office referred JP to them because she was no longer taking contested divorce cases. We don't know what, if anything, changed in the next two months though that led to Regina taking on Micah's divorce case. And we don't know why JP chose Regina initially.

Was it just a small world Myrtle Beach thing? Or was he trying to get the lawyer who had represented his first wife in their divorce, Sandy Hicks, who worked in Regina's firm at the time? What we do know is that JP has been inconsistent about their separation date. He's now said it was February 7th, February 12th, and we're not separated, officer. My wife suffers from mental disorders on February 21st. her mental disorders on February 21st. And it's more evidence that he was clearly planning on divorcing Micah before she dismissed her own divorce filings against him on February 13th.

Something that Micah's list says happened because JP convinced her to do it. Think about how sinister that is. On February 6th, 2024, JP went in front of probate judge Alan Beverly to get him to sign off on Micah's involuntary hospitalization, saying she was suicidal, homicidal, and very mentally ill. Then he initiates what appears to have been some sort of ham-fisted manhunt to find her with the police. On the same day she's hauled into the hospital by police, he calls Wotley Family Law, saying the attorney he consulted with, who truthfully was actually representing him in the divorce according to filings, wasn't aggressive enough. And then six days later, he allegedly convinces Micah to drop her filings just so he can turn around and file his own case against her, which he drops less than a month later. I know you all know how chaotic JP is, but this is all just to show the fury that takes

over when JP feels wronged. And it's to show you once again how he uses the court system to do that. So returning back to this idea that JP was going to become a millionaire because of what social media creators and other media were reporting or saying about him, obviously that hasn't happened. In fact, things have gotten worse for him in just about every way. More information has come out about his relationship with Micah since Alison's filing about what JP was saying to their kids and he was raided by the FBI. Now is the time JP is choosing to exact his revenge on the protesters.

And like we told you last week, he's up to something and he is taking a bananas approach to it, which we'll talk more about in a second. First I want you to remember this. Since Micah's death, JP appears to have lost a great deal of church members. Paying customers, if you will. And like we've told you before, this past fall he registered for a new church, Living Water, and his very elderly grandmother's name was on the registration for a third church, Mercy Church Ministries.

We'll talk more about all that in the future and what we think is going on there, but just keep that in mind. This man is desperate to get his tithing levels back up, but that is hard to do when his past and all the skeletons in his closet are available for everyone to see. And why are they available? Because this man got up in front of his congregation hours after his wife was found dead in a North Carolina swamp.

And he attempted to not only control the message, but control how the people receiving the message should act when they received it. Don't talk about this with each other. Walk out silently, he said. JP has since appeared in several videos and interviews. He's called the police dozens of times, repeatedly learning that people have a right to peacefully protest on public property.

And he's been arrested for assault and battery on a protester. He keeps himself in the news is what I'm saying. Which brings us back to the bananas approach thing I was talking about. JP wants the protesters and creators to be silenced. He wants to scare them into silence. And he wants to use an Horry County Magistrate Court Judge, Judge Christopher John Arrakis, a man with long time experience but who does not appear to be a licensed lawyer, to help him do it. We also think he wants a victory that he can exploit to convince himself and others that he's the victim here. He wants a confirmation of every sorry thought he's had for himself.

Last week, we told you all about the 10 people who JP is suing in Magistrate Court, aka Small Claims Court, aka Kangaroo Court, where, like we said, the judge doesn't need a law degree and all sorts of shady things go down. Now we aren't talking about every Magistrate Court in South Carolina. Some have great judges. Shout out to our friend Lauren Fox in Charleston, who you all have heard on MMP a long time ago. But a lot of the time, magistrate court can be a bit of a good ol' boy playground, where secret deals can be made, laws can be lacking, and justice really is not the goal.

Magistrate judges sign warrants, they preside over probable cause and bond hearings, and they handle more minor civil disputes, as well as misdemeanor crimes and traffic infractions. In our experience, we've seen magistrate judges who are more easily persuaded to side with those who have connection over everyone else. In last week's episode, we told you how JP had listed fake addresses for at least three of his legal targets, and he appeared to be playing some sort of sick joke on two

of them by directing their summons to a gay bar and a Weight Watchers clinic. And we told you how none of the 10 people JP has filed complaints against had been served yet so none of them knew exactly what JP was suing for. They just knew what the public index said, which was they were being sued civilly in Myrtle Beach Magistrate Court by JP, which is basically the equivalent of finding out that you have been called to the principal's office because you're the kid who's always in detention for his hallway outburst and his repeated lying reported you for telling a teacher that you saw him cheating.

Anyway, those 10 complaints meant that JP now had at least 11 lawsuits filed related to his effort to silence people. And he's at least trying to live out his dream of becoming a millionaire. Turns out JP wasn't done. On Tuesday, JP filed three more lawsuits against three women, Tanya Hall, Melissa DiMarco,

and Joanna Cimentelli. Fun fact, JP might hold the record for the number of Melissa's sued by a single man in South Carolina. Again, there's also Melissa Mancari, the Horry County paralegal who JP says made false and defamatory claims about him on multiple social media sites back in September. It also should be noted that he and his good ol' boy attorney Russell B. Wrong have made no movement on that case for four months,

including serving Melissa with her papers, at least according to the public index. There's also Melissa Pfeiffer, one of the original 10, and now there's Melissa DiMarco. If your name is Melissa and you live in Horry County, and you think JP is a trash human being, and you've said that out loud, watch your back, girl. Or not, because this is all very silly. In total, JP has filed a whopping 14 lawsuits against various social media creators and protesters who have spoken out against him in some way. What's interesting is that one of at least three people being sued under a fake address, also received a silly cease and desist letter

back in May from ol' Russell B. Wrong and JP. Meaning JP knows this man's actual address, and he knows he doesn't live at that fake address that he wrote down in the filing, which that address has no connection to the defendant. So what was JP's move there? More games, likely. Anyway, the defendant doesn't what was JP's move there? More games, likely. Anyway, the defendant doesn't live in Horry County and hasn't been served yet.

Thankfully, a good Samaritan, who I won't name, sent us the summons and complaint that one of the protesters was served with. I am not going to name the protester, but we need to go over this document and talk about what this says. Because lord have mercy y'all. This man is losing it. And it's another example of his entitlement and expectation that the legal system is his to have and hold because he is actually asking for a restraining order, claiming the protestor

has been harassing and stalking him. And he is suing the person for $7,500, claiming the protester is invading his privacy. Whew, I can't. So, the first page is a summons for the restraining order hearing. It says the defendant, who we will call Jane, is summoned to the Myrtle Beach Magistrate Court on January 29th, quote, to show

cause why the restraining order prayed for by the petitioner should not be granted. It says, if you fail to appear, the relief prayed for by the plaintiff may be granted, and it's signed by a magistrate judge, apparently, who did not print their name. And yes, J.P. Miller, aka the man with endless audacity, is actually applying for a restraining order, and he's suing this protester for allegedly invading his privacy.

I could go line by line through numerous allegations of harassment, stalking, and invasion of privacy that have been made against JP by both Micah and his ex-wife. This is the same man who was accused of and admitted to repeatedly stalking his wife Micah, who was trying to leave him. He was using GPS trackers. He was allegedly

pretending to be her in emails and text messages and allegedly having her followed and her tires slashed. He was allegedly falsely accusing Micah of theft and demanding to have her arrested. And worse, this is the same man who went to court in March 2024 because his estranged wife, less than two months before she was found shot to death in a swamp, had applied for her own restraining order against him. And before we get into why JP thinks that he deserves a restraining order, I want to remind y'all what was in Micah's restraining order, the one that the court denied. On March 11th, Micah accused JP Miller of stalking, first-degree harassment, and second-degree

harassment. She listed three examples of this. On March 3rd at Wicked Tuna, JP allegedly texted Micah, enjoy your oysters while she was there with her family at an oyster roast and asked about the church she attended that morning. Micah and JP were separated at this point

and this terrified her, knowing her estranged husband was tracking her location and making sure she knew about it. On March 5th, she wrote that JP harassed her before and after court and put a thick razor in her tire. On March 11th, she wrote that she had found three more razors in her tire and she found a tracker that JP allegedly put on her car.

Micah went to them and said, "'I'm scared. Help me.'" But the Surfside Beach Magister Court clearly didn't take it seriously because Micah wasn't granted the restraining order. Despite having police reports and clearly articulated examples of harassment, the hearing was held March 26th, according to a summons, but we do not have a transcript of what went down.

One theory from a source with knowledge of the court system and how JP operates is that JP defended himself by telling the court that Micah was at his house for a few hours that same month, perhaps claiming that if she wasn't scared to come to my house now, that means I'm not doing these things. We don't know if that's what went down again, but it's not a far-fetched theory. The threshold is so high for women who are scared for their lives, which is why this is so maddening. Micah's plea for a restraining order was concise and listed clear examples. JP's is, well, it's on brand for JP.

You remember how we told you that for a few weeks in December, Solid Rock Church held their service in multiple locations. One of them was called the Rat Hole and the other was at some strip mall in Myrtle Beach. JP alleges that Jane the Protester engaged in a pattern of harassing and stalking behaviors against JP at those locations on December 22nd, December 9th, and January 5th, which were the Sundays that Justice for Micah protesters stood outside JP's churchy business locations

to make sure he knew that people still wanted justice for his dead wife. Specifically, JP accuses Jane of following him to different locations in Myrtle Beach in a manner that made him fear for his safety. JP accuses Jane of repeatedly screaming and yelling at him in public locations throughout Horry County, recording videos of him without his consent, holding signs and posters that disparage JP, making false statements on social media platforms

accusing JP of being an abuser and a murderer, and creating a hostile work environment that has placed the church members in fear for their own safety. JP's document accuses Jane of persistence and says her actions have served no purpose. Okay guys, it gets better. The next line says, on information and belief, defendant is upset that law enforcement officers have not arrested a man for a crime. They cleared him of committing.

That line is important because it shows us that JP is still not in reality. To our knowledge, and after hundreds of FOIA requests in this case, nothing has shown that JP has been cleared of anything in this case. The fact that he thinks he can make that statement in a legal document and state it as fact tells us how little this man respects the truth. Even in this situation when truth matters the most, JP went on to say that Jane screamed vile, disgusting, and harmful words at him. What those vile, disgusting, and harmful words are, we don't know because, again, on brand

for JP, his evidence is lacking. But also, let's not forget that JP has no room to talk here. He is the kind of pastor who repeatedly made sexual innuendos from the pulpit and apparently thought nothing of using his sermons to disparage and punish Micah. He also has publicly and repeatedly referred to YouTuber Robbie Harvey as Robbie Stinky Harvey, including in his interview for News Nation, a national show.

And JP has been accused of calling Micah lazy and mentally ill and telling her that her breasts were too small and that her family was ignorant. I would say all of those are harmful things. Anyway, JP's complaint tries to paint the protesters as having no purpose. He says that Jane wasn't opposing any activity that JP or those around him were engaged in, meaning she's just there to harass him and

the church members. But hello, she and the other protesters are expressing their opposition to JP and the way he operates at Solid Rock, as well as every person who continues to support JP financially by continuing to attend his services. And that's important because one, they have a First Amendment right to peacefully protest. And protesting something generally includes signs and even exclamations out loud.

That's how it works. And two, demanding accountability for a wrongful act is a principle that Christians believe in, no? JP owns the church. As his wives have both said, he is the church and the church is him. And we've all seen how blurry the lines seem to be between JP's finances and the church's. We've also heard of JP allegedly harassing or threatening church members for leaving. Those are protestable behaviors.

Plus, let's not forget Micah and his alleged treatment of her. And I say alleged because JP has denied it all. All of it. With TD Direct Investing, you can get live support. So whether you need help buying a partial share from your favorite tech company, opening a TFSA, or learning about investing tools, we're here to help. But keeping your cat off your keyboard? That's up to you.

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Cozy up with the familiar flavors of pistachio or shake up your mood with an iced brown sugar oat shaken espresso. Whatever you choose, your espresso will be handcrafted with care at Starbucks. Okay, some more drama in this document. JP says that Jane's actions have caused JP to suffer substantial emotional distress and reasonable fear for his safety, and it has caused him economic harm. JP DeLulu Miller is claiming that Jane's actions, not his own, quote, have interfered

with his ability to conduct his normal daily activities, worship with others, operating his church, and maintaining his relationships within the religious community." He says, the harassment has resulted in economic harm to plaintiff as friends and acquaintances have expressed reluctance to do business with plaintiff or his affiliated companies. to do business with plaintiff or his affiliated companies. Guys, imagine how JP would prove that he lost business within the religious community because of a couple of protesters outside of his church without him admitting that he likely lost business

because of his own doing. JP is not a man who has tried to go peacefully about his life since Micah's death. And beyond that, so much has happened. There was that weird TikTok account that suddenly started posting photos of Micah and JP's love for each other. There was example after example of JP or someone connected to him apparently leaking information to help his cause, such as that video of Micah telling the story of an apparent suicide attempt. There were his strange sermons, including the one the day after her death.

There was the alleged reporter with fake credentials who tried to interview reporters who turned out to be affiliated with JP. There was that one random interview with a TikToker where he tried to paint himself out to be the perfect husband while disparaging Micah and her family. And let's not forget the Mom Spaghetti News Nation interview with Rich McHugh. JP apparently wasn't satisfied with the hour-long program that ran, so he took his own recording of the interview and somehow got it published on YouTube. And then there's a recording of JP and the young man, a church employee, that he tried

to gaslight into thinking that he ruined his marriage to Micah by hanging out with Micah on the beach last March, even though JP and Micah had been separated for the better part of a year, and even though there was a post-nup and a separation agreement. I haven't even mentioned the naked photo that JP posted of Micah on Facebook or the text that we have seen where JP allegedly asked someone if they wanted to see a video of Micah with other guys. There are too many examples of the irony happening here.

But back to the complaint. Here is my favorite line. Quote, law enforcement has been unable or unwilling to provide adequate protection from defendants' ongoing harassment." Um, excuse me? Law enforcement has been unable and unwilling, says Chicken Little, who calls them every single time that he thinks the sky is falling.

I'm sorry, but the fact is JP thinks that he has sway with the local police departments. As evidenced by the dozens of 911 calls he has made in the past 9 months, and as evidenced by the way Micah was treated by the police, JP wouldn't be wrong about that. And this man is upset right now, because the police know the protesters aren't doing anything wrong. They are Constitutionally protected by the First Amendment the most important one They have the right to express their opinions if they were to do something wrong I promise you JP the police would help you of all people they want to help you

would help you of all people. They want to help you. You're a good old boy with some money apparently and some weird influence that we're not sure where it comes from. You're not a wife seeking protection from an abusive husband. You're not a woman asking to help keep her from getting killed by her stalker.

You're not a woman who is reporting that she has been assaulted and violated. If they could help you, JP, they would. They would roll out the red carpet. So the fact that JP thinks that they are unwilling and unable to help him is deeply ironic. Okay, guys, we're not done with this complaint yet. Under grounds for relief in this document, I'm gonna have David read this part. Defendants' actions constitute stalking

under SC Code 16B31700C, as they involve a pattern of words and conduct that serves no legitimate purpose and causes plaintiff and would cause a reasonable person to fear for assault, bodily injury, or damage to plaintiff's property. Defendants' actions constitute harassment under SC Code 16-31700A as they involve a pattern of intentional purpose and would cause a reasonable person in plaintiff's position to suffer mental or emotional distress. Defendant has followed plaintiff and made visual eye contact in a way that was maintained

and repeated after defendant received notice that the conduct is unwanted, maintained a presence near plaintiff's work. Defendants' actions constitute harassment under SC Code 1641700B as they involve a pattern of intentional, substantial, and unreasonable intrusion into plaintiff's private life that serves no legitimate purpose and would cause a reasonable person in plaintiff's private life that serves no legitimate purpose and would cause a reasonable person in plaintiff's position to suffer mental or emotional distress. Oh my god. If that needed a headline, it would have to be, I'm being stalked and harassed, alleges

alleged stalker and harasser. Also, there it is, right? JP is claiming to be suffering mental and emotional distress, which are code words for I want money. But stick a pin in that for a second. The purpose of the protest is to remind JP Miller that people still care about justice for Micah. The point of the protest is to let all of the JP Millers of the world to know that if they treat their wife the way JP allegedly treated Micah up until the day she died, people won't just move on,

but will instead demand accountability and change. The point of the protest is to let the police departments who have a documented history of treating JP and Micah Miller completely differently, that the people paying their salaries know that they failed this woman. Any reasonable person who knows the facts of this case would understand that the protest absolutely has purpose. Any reasonable person wouldn't have treated Micah the way JP allegedly treated her up

until the day she died. Any reasonable person who has watched this man use and abuse the taxpayers' money in the last year has the absolute right to protest. And any reasonable person shouldn't be worried about J.P. Miller's emotional distress because any reasonable person knows that some people need to learn the concept of F around and find out. Anyway, now JP wants the court to help him with his apparent plot. He wants the judge to order Jane to stay 500 feet away from him, his residence, his place of worship, or his place of business, to not contact him directly or indirectly, although he's provided no evidence that has been occurring occurring and to not post about him on social media If there's any justice in this world JP is about to get schooled in the very same

Constitutional protection that allows him his freedom to open what is in our opinions a scammy church Make her stop saying I suck. Um, no. It's an opinion, JP. And it's also not a uniquely held one. JP wants the court to believe that he's a private citizen who has unjustly been thrust into the spotlight by the protesters, when in reality he is a self-aggrandizing, self-appointed man of God who launched himself into the public spotlight because of his allegedly abusive and highly inappropriate behavior which caused people, including his own church members and Micah's family and friends, to publicly wonder, did he do something to Micah? JP isn't the guy down the street that people whisper about because

his wife is no longer around. JP is the man who stood up on a stage and recorded it and posted it to YouTube with his other sermons and got real strange about his wife's mysterious death. Anyway, just to keep on theme with JP's weirdness here, on his request for a restraining order and complaint paperwork where he signed under the penalty of perjury. He listed his address as being that of, apparently, his very elderly grandma's new shopping plaza, the one now owned by Mercy Church Ministries, which was created in November 2024 and has since had a few changes in who the registered agent is. As in, when we first started reporting about this other new church associated with JP

and how his very elderly grandmother was the registered agent and how it was registered to an address that didn't seem to exist, it got changed to a pack and ship spot in Myrtle Beach. Now the church is registered to a third-party private agent out of Charleston. So is the protester supposed to stay away from JP or Nicker World, the golf clothing store that is in that shopping plaza? Because that's what comes up when you search it on Google Maps right now. Again, what is going on here? And why does everything have to be so odd with him?

OK, so that's not all he wants. He wants a $7,500 judgment against Jane for damages. To prove these damages, JP included a supplement to his complaint. I'll have David read the first four paragraphs so we all get a taste. Defendant has engaged in a persistent pattern of harassment against plaintiff, including screaming and demonstrating against plaintiffs' mere existence in public locations throughout

Horry County and posting statements on social media about plaintiff which are intended to paint plaintiff in a false light and like a villain or criminal. During these encounters, defendant regularly screams and yells at plaintiff in public, videos him with her phone and posts videos or comments about plaintiffs on social media, all of which cause plaintiffs severe emotional distress and humiliation. Defendant claims to be protesting on behalf of domestic violence victims and infers that plaintiff is a domestic abuser.

Defendant does not actually help victims of any violence and protests nothing other than plaintiff's existence. In fact, defendant only harasses and stalks the plaintiff and others. Uh, infers that plaintiff is a domestic abuser? Did JP not read the allegations in Micah's list? Has he not heard about the effort to get a law against coercive control, a form of domestic abuse, aka Micah's Law, passed? He was at that press conference

where Regina Ward spoke about it. So is this news to him? That there is a widespread knowledge that he has been accused of a disturbingly long list of abuses, plural. It goes on to say that Jane has posted invites to protest that, quote, equate plaintiff to an abuser, narcissist, corrupt, and a criminal, and plaintiff's late wife to a victim of his abuse. In the document, JP accused Jane of enriching herself, quote, "...through publicity and fame in a group of like-minded stalkers and through the monetization of social media accounts, channels, and platforms." And that is hilarious. I would say that JP should know how little money most creators on

social media actually make, but he doesn't because he's never had a decent following outside of his churchy business to monetize. Anyways, JP really wants people to know that he was not charged with domestic violence and he doesn't like all this DV confusion going on at protest. I really think he hates the color purple, guys. JP claimed in the document again that Jane and others have determined that JP is guilty of a crime law enforcement, quote,

have cleared him or never charged him with committing. Interesting phrasing there, because which is it? He also said that she published false statements about him that interfere with his ministry and the operation of the church. The next part is my favorite so of course I'm gonna have David read it. Defendants harassment and intimidation of plaintiff and those associated with him have interfered with plaintiffs's ability to earn a living, conduct church services, minister to congregation,

and maintain relationships with church members and the broader community as a direct result of the defendant's actions. As a direct result of the defendant's actions, multiple church members have expressed reluctance to attend services, and baptisms and attendance has declined. Guys, even the churchy business folks want nothing to do with JP. The sunlight is working. That's what that tells us.

And I have to pause here because it's actually wonderful to see a guy like JP admit that he has suffered. But he still can apparently bring himself to look in the mirror and think maybe my own actions are the reason why people are embarrassed to be seen with me and want nothing to do with me. Maybe the problem is me. JP Miller, man of God, does the opposite of that. He turns the mirror around and tries his best to confuse the narrative and spread the blame. Here's the thing.

We have hundreds of documents that have told us exactly who JP Miller is. We have seen multiple documents accusing JP of cheating on multiple wives multiple times. We have seen text messages from Micah's friends and family showing how this man apparently manipulated and isolated Micah. Also, we've seen dozens of medical records purportedly released by JP to an intermediary, documenting a dark history of JP seemingly wanting his wife to believe she was mentally ill and going to be dependent on him for the rest of her life.

And we've seen a whole lot of evidence that shows Micah wasn't crazy. wanting his wife to believe she was mentally ill and going to be dependent on him for the rest of her life. And we've seen a whole lot of evidence that shows Micah wasn't crazy. She was simply a woman who refused to be controlled by her husband. Now the last part of this complaint filed by JP lists the first and only cause of action as invasion of privacy, which is interesting because to prove that, JP has to show that Jane intentionally intruded upon his private affairs, disclosed private information about JP, or portrayed him in a false light that caused him harm. False light is the focus here.

Ask yourself if you are a judge looking at the totality of this case and the facts that have been revealed about JP, how could you consider the protesters portraying JP in a false light? Really, the protesters, creators, and all of us who have been fighting for Micah since April have portrayed JP in a light, but it ain't a false one. It's called sunlight that he can't stand. JP mentioned several times in the complaint that the protestors' actions have no business,

no point that they are not addressing a public concern. Let's talk about why he is so very wrong about that. One, his church essentially pays no taxes. Two, and yet tax dollars are used for what is basically his private security team, i.e. every time he calls 911 to the church to complain about the protesters, who pays for that? And then there's his relationship with public officials, including the relationships he thinks he has with them, to the point where he thinks he can waste their time and the

public's money by demanding things like an internal investigation of Lieutenant Heather Wilson for causing Micah's death and opining in a private text that JP's behavior toward Micah might have pushed her to the edge. There is public interest here, especially because of what it says about the system and how it treats women. And finally, at the end of this stupid complaint, JP Miller once again threw his law enforcement buddies right under the bus and said, quote, law enforcement officers have refused to enforce criminal statutes enacted to protect people like the plaintiff, leaving the plaintiff no choice,

but to take this action. Get real, JP. We want to end today's episode with an open appeal to Judge Christopher John Arrakis. We don't know you or your judicial history, and I don't know if I am saying your name right. But we feel like we know JP Miller, and we want you to know our thoughts on him. JP Miller has chosen magistrate court as a part of his strategy. He is using the lower court to send a message

to the protesters and to anyone who speaks out against him publicly. He has presented your court, at least in one instance, with complex legal questions and a bogus request for a restraining order. Know this about JP Miller, Judge John Christopher Arrakis. You need to look at the evidence and you need to look at it closely.

We have seen time and time again how JP makes a very big claim about something and provides so-called evidence to support the big claim, but the so-called evidence is scraps, bits and pieces, curated angles. It's never the full picture, and it's never directly supported anything that he has claimed, specifically about Micah's health. JP is using the court to bully people, and he is insulting the court while he's at it. If JP says someone is following him,

ask for evidence of that. If JP says that someone has said vile, disgusting, and harmful things about him, ask for specifics. If JP says that he's a private citizen, test that. Test whether he is a private citizen or a limited public figure. Consider the facts beyond what he tells you. Take nothing he says at face value. If JP's claims had substance, he would be seeking more damages and he would be doing

so in circuit court. In our opinion, he's hoping to pull a fast one here. Maybe he thinks the standards will be lower when he's only asking for a restraining order and $7,500. Maybe he'll think that you will be sympathetic to his situation. We ask that you look at the bigger picture and consider the way that JP has filed these complaints

with fake addresses and why he's filing them. Is it to intimidate? Is it to have a laugh? A power trip? Or is there actual substance to the claims? We ask that you consider all the times that women have asked the court for protection, for restraining orders, but were dismissed on the ground of not enough evidence. We ask you to consider everything Micah Francis' family, friends, and lawyer said that she

lived through. And we ask that you do not silence the voices of those who want Micah's story to be heard and remembered by the world, especially by those paying J.P. Miller to give them weekly moral guidance in their own lives. At the end of the day, it is not the protesters and creators who have caused J.P. Miller to feel harassed, stalked, and afraid. It is his own reflection, finally shining back at him.

And he does not like that, not one bit. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Lunashark production created by me, Manny Matney, and co-hosted by journalist Liz Farrell. Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com. Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky. Years before, the name Elick Murdoch was splashed across every major media outlet, I was a local South Carolina journalist and I had an instinct that something wasn't right in the Low Country. The powerful Murdoch dynasty dominated rural South Carolina for generations. Few dared to publicly utter a harsh word against them.

From the newsroom to the courtroom to the kitchen table where we recorded the number one global hit, the Murdoch Murders podcast, I invite you to learn more about my book, Blood on Their Hands. Blood on Their Hands is a harrowing first-person narrative of battles against systemic subversions of the truth, overcoming institutional sexism, corruption, and threats

to my personal safety to expose a network of horrific crimes and give voice to victims. Click the link in the description to order today. Visit any retailers near you or visit lunasharkmedia.com slash book to learn the best way you can stay pesky and stay in the sunlight.