Mica Miller, whose April 2024 death is the focus of the Netflix docuseries ‘Death of the Pastor’s Wife,’ married twice
Credit: Myrtle Beach Police Department; Netflix (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Mica married her first husband, Jeremy Deas, when she was 18
- Mica Miller accused her second husband, John-Paul Miller, of abuse before she died by suicide in April 2024
- Mica met both of her husbands at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Mica Miller was married twice before she died by suicide in April 2024.
Her life before and after she accused her second husband, John-Paul Miller, of abuse is explored in the Netflix docuseries Death of the Pastor’s Wife, which was released on Aug. 26. In it, Mica’s loved ones outline how Mica and John-Paul met at Solid Rock Church when Mica was a teenager, beginning an alleged affair when she was 20 years old and he was 35 years old. She married the South Carolina pastor in 2017 before they separated in 2023.
However, after their separation, John-Paul began allegedly harassing and stalking Mica, her friends and family claimed in the docuseries. Mica died by suicide in April 2024.
Prior to becoming involved with John-Paul, Mica married her first husband Jeremy Deas — whom she met in high school — in September 2012 when she was 18 years old. Mica and Jeremy divorced due to Mica and John-Paul’s alleged affair, her friends and family said in the docuseries.
Here’s what to know about Mica Miller’s two husbands.
Jeremy Deas
Credit: Netflix
Mica met Jeremy at Solid Rock Church when they were both in high school, according to her family members who appeared in Death of the Pastor’s Wife.
“She loved this boy. He would carry her around and walk her in his arms,” Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis, said in the docuseries. “They were inseparable, and it was young love.”
Her family described Jeremy as a “godly man” who was involved in the church and shared common interests with Mica. “Jeremy saw John-Paul as a leader. Jeremy felt a sense of security and aspiration to be like him when he grew up,” Sierra said in the docuseries.
Mica was 18 years old when she and Jeremy wed on Sept. 29, 2012, per the docuseries. The wedding was held at Solid Rock Church and officiated by John-Paul.
After Mica married Jeremy, she became John-Paul’s assistant, according to her family. In this role, she began spending most of her weeks with him. Outside of that role, she started babysitting John-Paul’s kids, per the docuseries. (He had four kids with first wife, Alison “Ali” Williams, and an older son from a previous relationship.)
In 2015, Mica and John-Paul allegedly began having an affair, per the docuseries. Mica subsequently divorced Jeremy.
“She just had this huge amount of guilt,” Mica’s sister Destinee Barrientos said in the docuseries of why Mica divorced her first husband.
Today, Jeremy continues to be involved at various churches in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area, per WMBF and Christ United.
John-Paul Miller
Credit: Netflix
When Mica’s family moved to Myrtle Beach, they joined Solid Rock Church. There, they all met John-Paul, who served as the pastor.
Mica became significantly involved in the church, becoming the worship leader in charge of the church’s choir when she was 16 years old and later the assistant to John-Paul, per the docuseries.
“Mica was so heavily influenced by John-Paul because he was 15 years older than her, he was her pastor, he was her mentor, he was her church leader,” Mica’s sister Sierra claimed in the docuseries.
Two years after Mica and John-Paul began their alleged affair, they wed in 2017.
However, Mica’s loved ones alleged in the docuseries that John-Paul was controlling and abusive throughout their relationship. Per the docuseries, they claimed that he didn’t let her sleep until they had sex four to five times per day, managed how much time she was allowed to spend with friends and family, had several affairs (including with his now-third wife, Suzie Skinner) and forced Mica into sexual acts with men experiencing homelessness.
John-Paul has not been accused of these allegations by prosecutors. He declined to comment for the docuseries.
In January 2023, the pair separated. During their separation, Mica’s siblings alleged in Death of the Pastor’s Wife that John-Paul had her involuntarily hospitalized. Per the docuseries, John-Paul allegedly took her belongings — including her laptop, which contained nude photos of her on it — while she was at the mental hospital.
Mica served John-Paul new divorce papers two days before her death. She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 27, 2024, per a medical examiner. Her body was found at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park.
In December 2025, John-Paul was indicted on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. From November 2022 until Mica died, John-Paul allegedly “sent unwanted and harassing communications to his estranged wife,” per a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina, about the indictment.
Prosecutors also alleged that John-Paul released a nude photo of Mica online without her consent, caused a tracking device to be placed on Mica’s car and contacted her more than 50 times in a day.
John-Paul has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for October 2026. His attorney, Nathan S. Williams, has declined to comment to PEOPLE several times.
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