Controversial South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller is in a new relationship, but the family of his late wife is warning that history may be repeating itself.
Nearly a year after the tragic suicide of 30-year-old Mica Miller, her estranged husband has gone public with a new girlfriend, Suzie Skinner - a member of his Solid Rock Church congregation in Myrtle Beach.
Mica died by suicide on April 27, 2023, after driving to a secluded spot in Robeson County, North Carolina.
She made a heartbreaking 911 call shortly before pulling the trigger, telling the dispatcher: “I’m about to kill myself and I just want my family to know where to find me.” She asked authorities to trace her phone to her location in the national park.
Robeson County deputies later found Mica deceased in the wooded area, along with a handgun in the water nearby, per the Independent.
A timeline released by authorities shows she had purchased the firearm just hours earlier. Surveillance footage also confirmed her visit to the gun store.
Medical Examiner Dr. Richard Johnson confirmed the gunshot wound was to the side of her head - not the back - putting to rest some of the early rumors.
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office ruled her death a suicide, and a video of John-Paul informing his congregation later surfaced: “I got a call late last night, my wife has passed away. It was self-induced and it was up in North Carolina.”
In the same emotional message, he asked for prayers: “Y’all pray for me and my kids and everybody. You all knew she wasn’t well mentally and she needed medicine that was hard to get to her.”
He added: “She battled suicide but God took care of her and got her through it.”
Mica’s family now says they’re “absolutely” fearful for John-Paul's new girlfriend.
“Suzie is probably thinking ‘Oh John-Paul is wonderful’ and all this. But her time is gonna come,” Mica’s mother, Angelita Salas, 52, of Wichita, Kansas, told The New York Post. “I absolutely fear for her life and any woman John-Paul is with.”
They highlighted concerning behaviors, such as the pastor allegedly strapping tracking devices to Mica's car.
Mica had accused John-Paul of grooming her when she was a teen before they married in 2017. She also alleged abuse throughout the relationship - accusations John-Paul has “strenuously denied”.
Mica’s sister, Anna Francis, 28, recalled what she called disturbing behavior during that time.
“I feared for my life whenever he would have people follow Mica around and she was at my place. A bunch of people would drive up and down creepily slow. We were like ‘this is not normal’. I would hear a little creak at night and I couldn’t sleep,” she said.
“I think anybody in a relationship with JP, whether it’s being a friend, a colleague, an actual girlfriend or wife, or anybody who has ever had an interaction with him could be a victim of his coercive control, narcissistic abuse, or whatever,” Anna said.
Both Anna and Angelita also told The Post they don't believe Mica's suicide was genuine, despite strong evidence including a video of her buying the firearm and a haunting 911 call she made just before her death.
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