Pastor Husband Charged for Allegedly Harassing, Posting Nude Photo of Wife Mica Miller Before She Died by Suicide

Disgraced South Carolina pastor John Paul Miller — who drew intense public attention after the 2024 death of his wife, Mica Miller — has been indicted amid allegations that he stalked and harassed her in the months leading up to her death.

Mica, 30, was found dead at Lumber River State Park in Orrum, North Carolina, on April 27, 2024, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. Her death was ruled a suicide, though loved ones questioned whether the circumstances had been fully examined.

“This has to be at least looked into deeply. There’s got to be some accountability here,” Kenn Young, a friend of Miller’s, told WDPE days after her death. “Because yeah, a tragic life was lost, and it’s not just as simple as mental health issues.”

Public attention soon shifted to her estranged husband, 46-year-old John Paul Miller, a prominent pastor from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He has consistently maintained that Mica died by suicide.

Now, nearly two years after her death, federal prosecutors in South Carolina have obtained an indictment charging Miller with cyberstalking, alleging he harassed Mica in multiple ways between November 2022 and her death.

In a press release dated Thursday, Dec. 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said Miller allegedly “sent unwanted and harassing communications” to Mica during that period and is accused of posting a nude image of her online without her consent.

The indictment also alleges Miller placed tracking devices on her vehicle and, on one occasion, contacted her more than 50 times in a single day. Prosecutors further accuse him of damaging her tires and interfering with her finances and daily activities.

Authorities additionally allege Miller lied to police about the tire damage, saying investigators found evidence he purchased a tire deflation device and contacted others about Mica’s vehicle.

Authorities found Mica’s body after she called 911 and told a dispatcher she was about to take her own life.

After her death, scrutiny around Miller intensified. A petition created in the aftermath claimed Mica “lost her life due to no one helping her from being harassed and excessively stalked” by Miller, whom she was “desperately trying to get away from.”

“She made report after report, no contact order was made and received no help, not even from law enforcement,” the petition alleged.

Miller also faced renewed attention earlier this year after an Indiana woman accused him in a lawsuit of raping her when she was 15, while he was a 19-year-old youth church leader. The complaint also names his father, Reginald Wayne Miller.

“Behind their religious facade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct — often targeting minors,” the complaint states. “They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public.”

If convicted, Miller faces up to five years in prison for cyberstalking and up to two years for allegedly making false statements to federal investigators, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office release. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 12, 2026.