This bizarre documentary about the death of a pastor's wife is at number 1

It seems like we are all becoming more and more interested in bizarre documentaries. I just didn't have this one on my Netflix bingo card. A fairly new three-part docuseries Death of the Pastor’s Wife is number 1 on Netflix and I think you want to see it too.

Death of the Pastor’s Wife premiered on August 26 on Netflix and dives into the life and death of Mica Miller. A super fun, sweet, charming young woman. Her body was found in April 2024 in a state park in North Carolina. Her death was officially ruled a suicide, but that didn't end the story. The circumstances surrounding her death and especially her relationship with her husband, pastor John-Paul ‘JP’ Miller, raise quite a few questions.

Who was Mica Miller?

Mica Miller grew up in a religious family and moved as a teenager with her family to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. There she ended up at Solid Rock Church, the church where John-Paul Miller was the pastor. Mica was very musical and grew within the church to become a choir leader.

Mica met John-Paul when she was 13. He was her pastor, mentor, and church leader and was also fifteen years older. Years later, an affair developed between the two while they were both still married. Eventually, they divorced their partners and Mica and John-Paul married in 2017, which was actually quite strange. Because John-Paul's ex-wife was also a regular member of this Solid Rock Church.

From pastor and wife to a mega complicated marriage

From the outside, the couple seemed to lead a religious and successful life. But according to family members and friends who speak in the Netflix series, the relationship increasingly turned into a situation where John-Paul exerted control over various aspects of Mica's life.

In the docuseries, you see a lot of old messages, diary excerpts, church footage, police reports, and medical documents to reconstruct the story. Old videos of John-Paul show what a creepy man he is with a sick mind, especially when it comes to marriages where women must obey their husbands.

For example, John-Paul preached in his church that a woman must “satisfy” her husband sexually and that otherwise Satan would bring other women into his path. Sorry ?? Scary, right? A pastor says this in his public role.

Friends and family tell how Mica, according to them, became increasingly isolated and how difficult it became for her to escape this terrible relationship.

The sexual control, according to her friends, went very far

According to Mica's friends, John-Paul's control was not only about where she was, who she was with, or when she had to come home. Even within their marriage, he would only have pressured her when it came to sex.

Mica reportedly told her friends that John-Paul expected sex from her multiple times a day. A friend mentions in the documentary that according to Mica, it sometimes involved four times a day. According to the women, there were actually no days without sex. If Mica didn't want to, John-Paul would have kept her awake until she gave in, according to their statements.

It even went so far that Mica, according to her friends, used testosterone to increase her libido so she could keep up with his sexual desires. The documentary states that her friends noticed that her voice changed completely because of this. Her body also changed due to these hormones.

But that's not all. Friends and family say that John-Paul also involved Mica in sexual acts with other people. The documentary claims that he paid homeless men to perform sexual acts with Mica. He is also said to have filmed sexual acts and then used those images as a means of control.

Her mental health also became part of the struggle

According to the documentary, Mica was admitted to a psychiatric facility during her marriage and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, her family questioned the circumstances under which that admission occurred and the diagnosis. According to them, Mica was not someone who struggled with serious mental health issues before that.

Later, during the breakup between Mica and John-Paul, there would again have been a forced psychiatric admission at John-Paul's request. He could give this order since he was her husband. Her brother and sisters tell in the documentary that John-Paul was involved and that he had access to her belongings during her admission. Mica would later discover that her laptop, which contained personal and intimate photos, had been taken.

And if you still want more true crime stories after Death of the Pastor’s Wife, where you regularly think ‘huh, what?!’, then I have another one for you. In A Toxic Love Story everything starts like we would want in a romantic love story, but it all quickly changes in this tale. Also a bizarre case full of manipulation, threats, and plot twists.

Mica wanted to leave

In 2023, Mica decided, according to the series, to definitively break away from her marriage to John-Paul. But he didn't take that well.

Large amounts of phone calls and messages, a tracker was found on her car, and other forms of intimidation. He is also said to have posted a nude photo of Mica without her consent. That last accusation comes not only from the documentary: the U.S. Department of Justice later stated that this was part of the behavior underlying the federal cyberstalking case against John-Paul.

According to the indictment, John-Paul sent unwanted and intimidating communications from November 2022 until Mica's death. It is also stated that he tried to influence her financial affairs and daily life. These are serious accusations, and it's important to mention that these are accusations and allegations, not a conviction. John-Paul has pleaded not guilty.

Two days after the divorce papers, Mica dies

On April 25, 2024, John-Paul Miller was handed the divorce papers. Two days later, Mica was found dead in Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. She was 30 years old.

Her death was officially ruled a suicide. According to Netflix, Mica contacted 911 that day and said she planned to take her own life and wanted her family to know where they could find her. Later, her body was found in the park.

Yet, a huge amount of doubt remained with her family and friends.

Does her pastor-husband have anything to do with her death?

The series does not simply state: John-Paul Miller killed Mica. He has not been charged with that. But what the documentary primarily investigates is what happened in the years leading up to her death within their marriage and what influence the intense control and intimidation may have had on Mica.

John-Paul naturally denies involvement in her death. In the meantime, he has already remarried to a new member of his church.

Death of the Pastor’s Wife consists of three episodes and you can watch it on Netflix.

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