The South Carolina pastor whose wife killed herself in eerie circumstances after slapping him with divorce papers gave an emotional eulogy for her at their church — but not everyone in the congregation was convinced he was being genuine.
“I think it’s pretty evenly split,” says one church member who was in the sanctuary during the May 5 service as John-Paul Miller gave his message, in which he sad he tried to raise Mica from the dead.
“You could look around and some people were crying but other people had stone faces. I’m not buying what he’s selling, I just keep thinking ‘what a hypocrite.’ And I know 100% that I’m not alone.”
But another congregant at Solid Rock Church disagrees.
“The man just lost his wife,” says Gary Bauer, who says he “occasionally” attends services. “I know they had marital problems, but can you imagine how horrible he feels right now? I think a little compassion is needed.”
Mica had filed for divorce days before taking her life and written an affidavit to her attorney where she claimed she had been “abused in every way I can think of”.
Her family has also been critical of John-Paul, accusing him of “brainwashing” her, a claim he has strongly denied.
Mica’s death was ruled a suicide by the Robeson County medical examiner after she was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park.
John-Paul has pointed out his wife — part of the church’s praise team — suffered from mental illness, had made previous attempts to take her own life, and was hospitalized on multiple occasions.
Mica’s April 27th death has sharply divided the church in their opinion of John-Paul. The Post has spoken to several congregants who acknowledge their feelings are complex and difficult. The pastor is on paid administrative leave as he processes his wife’s death.
“We’re not okay,” another member said. “This raises a lot of questions about what we should expect out of a pastor. I know that church is not a place where everyone is perfect, but he seemed to have a dark side that we couldn’t see.”
Leadership at Solid Rock Church did not return The Post’s request for comment. Their website has been taken offline and the official Facebook account now restricts comments.
But Mica Miller’s death has unearthed some dark secrets the pastor was hiding. He allegedly emailed her admitted to posting a topless photo of her. “It was evil,” the 44-year-old wrote to his 30-year-old wife, according to NewsNation.
“I’m sorry for putting a picture of you on the internet. It was for less than one hour and immediately taken down,” the pastor’s letter apparently said.
Also, dirty details about his first marriage were contained in explosive divorce documents first uncovered by the Daily Mail.
In the documents, his ex-wife Alison alleged he had an “addiction to prostitution” and had carried on an affair, later revealed to be with Mica, who was also married at the time.
“When his affair was discovered, the church leaders demanded that [he] seek counseling for sexual addiction,” she wrote in her divorce filing.
And although Mica Miller’s family alleges her husband had groomed and abused her, he denies any wrongdoing.
Following the untimely death of Mica Miller, unfounded rumors and false accusations began circulating on social media and in various media outlets, suggesting Pastor Miller’s involvement in her demise,” Miller’s lawyer, Russell Long, said in a statement.
“This created a buzz, causing local and national media outlets to be proliferating these falsehoods, on a mammoth proportion. Our client refutes any report that suggests he ever abused his wife.”
But not everyone believes him. “It’s a new scandal every day,” says the church member. “I don’t know what to do with it all, but I’ll probably take a break from the church for awhile. It’s just really gross.”
