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In the latest chapter of a shocking story that has captivated the nation’s attention, emergency custody documents filed by the first wife of embattled South Carolina pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller contained multiple new and explosive allegations against the troubled Palmetto State religious leader.
Citing “exigent circumstances” and the possibility of “imminent danger and harm” to the couple’s two minor children, Miller’s first wife – who was married to him for sixteen years prior to their divorce in 2015 – asked a family court judge this week to grant her permanent sole custody of the couple’s two minor children. She also asked for Miller – and his scandal-scarred father (also a pastor) – to be prohibited from having any contact whatsoever with the children.
“(John-Paul) has exhibited increasingly unstable behaviors,” Alison Williams alleged in her complaint. “(His) mental health has increasingly deteriorated, and he has demonstrated behavior patterns that are erratic and irrational.”
Miller has further exposed the couple’s minor children “to an immoral and unsafe environment,” the complaint alleged.
The documentation Williams submitted along with her request – which was filed on May 28, 2024 in family court in Horry County, S.C. – included graphic and disturbing new allegations against John-Paul Miller, who has come under a cloud of contempt and suspicion in the aftermath of his second wife’s supposed suicide in North Carolina last month.
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After our media outlet exclusively reported on the shocking death of Miller’s second wife – 30-year-old Mica Miller – the story exploded in the national media. To recap: Mica’s body was found at 4:23 p.m. EST on April 27, 2024 at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park – a sprawling 14,000-acre wilderness straddling this scenic blackwater river. Her body was found in a swampy area approximately forty meters from where shell casings and her belongings were recovered.
Mica Miller died less than two weeks after filing for divorce from her husband – and less than 48 hours after her husband was served with the papers.
Miller’s death was officially ruled a suicide following a medical examiner’s assessment of the scene – and the release of a 9-1-1 call she placed prior to allegedly shooting herself in the head with a gun she purchased just hours earlier. However, given the bizarre manner in which her husband announced her passing to their congregation – and subsequent allegations of abuse raised by Mica Miller’s family and friends – suspicions of foul play have run rampant. In fact, Mica’s family has insisted her body was “placed” where it was found by police – and that her suicide was “staged.”
“I believe that it was all staged,” Miller’s father, Michael Francis, told NewsNation last week. “I believe that the whole thing was premeditated.”
They have also posted messages to social media in which John-Paul Miller appeared to threaten his estranged wife in the weeks and months before her death. Additionally, Mica’s family has filed paperwork in South Carolina’s family court system seeking to take control of Mica’s estate and obtain custody of her personal effects. A hearing on these filings has been scheduled for next Wednesday (June 5, 2024) in Conway, S.C.
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This week, though, the bombshell complaint (.pdf) filed by Williams provided additional explosive details to a story many thought couldn’t possibly experience more twists and turns. The complaint also featured multiple exhibits (.pdf) in support of Williams’ petition – exhibits which contained disturbing revelations that peeled back more ominous layers of this still-unfolding saga.
According to Williams’ complaint, she and John-Paul Miller separated after she became aware of his affair with Mica – who had been their family nanny. Mica was married to Miller’s best friend, Jeremy Deas, at the time of the affair. According to her affidavit, John-Paul Miller told his ex-wife that in addition to his affair with Mica, he had “employed prostitutes,” and been “sexually inappropriate with several underage female members” of their church — blaming these “immoral sexual behaviors” on abuse he had allegedly experienced for years at the hands of his father, Reginald “Reg” Wayne Miller.
Despite the church recommending Miller enroll in an extensive sexual addiction program after learning this news, according to the complaint he did not attend the program as promised.
“Miller has failed to seek treatment for his deviant sexual addictions and behaviors,” the complaint alleged.
Nonetheless, he was allowed to continue serving as Solid Rock’s pastor.
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Williams’ complaint further stated Miller’s “mental health and deviant sexual addictions have only worsened since the time we were married.”
According to Williams, she learned the identities of the “minor female members of the church” with whom Miller had allegedly “been inappropriate with” – and urged them to go to the police. When they declined out of fear of retribution from the pastor, she contacted law enforcement herself to file a report and initiate an investigation. According to Williams, she found herself with her hands tied after police officials told her no one would believe her because “J.P. was a well-known pastor and we were in the middle of a divorce.”
Unable to hold Miller criminally accountable for the crimes she claims he committed, her focused turned to protecting her children in the aftermath of the divorce. Ultimately, a custody agreement was reached that allowed Miller periodic visitation with the exception of his daughter – with whom visitation was limited to daytime visits.
With Mica Miller established as a stabilizing figure in her children’s lives – a “safety net” – Williams said things went about as well as they possibly could have gone between her and her ex-husband. Beginning in 2021, however, the marriage of Mica and John-Paul began to deteriorate and, according to Williams, their children were placed “directly in the middle of the discord.”
This included Miller exposing the children to his alleged paramours, according to the complaint. Of interest? The document specifically referenced one of these alleged paramours, Suzie Skinner, whose husband died suspiciously in 2021.
“Just two weeks prior to this incident, Suzie’s husband had confronted J.P. and asked him to leave his wife and children alone,” Wiliams wrote in her affidavit. “It is chilling to know that the spouses of both Suzie and J.P are now dead, from tragic events.”
Williams also described Sunday sermons given by Miller with their children present in which he disparaged Mica, telling the congregation of her mental health issues before finally “putting her in a mental hospital.”
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RELATED | MICA MILLER”S FAMILY CHALLENGES SUICIDE NARRATIVE
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When Mica returned home from her stay at the facility, Williams described an increasingly unpredictable situation in which Miller would call Mica crazy one day and assure the children she was fine the next.
“They never knew what to expect, and the intense unpredictability and marital discord between J.P. and Mica negatively impacted them all,” Williams wrote in her affidavit. “On one occasion, while picking up our daughter, I observed holes in their walls, hinges off the doors, and pieces of paper taped to the wall with negative affirmations about Mica. J.P. told me and our children that Mica was delusional, and speaking different languages, and seeing things that were not there.”
Williams says she received a call one evening from her ex-husband to inform her Mica was having a breakdown and was on her way to Alison’s home. When Mica arrived, he asked that Alison hold her there. Alison claims her understanding was that Miller was trying to have Mica committed again. Their children were all there to witness the events.
When Mica finally was able to break free of her husband, she sought counsel and guidance from Alison — her former friend and a person who likely understood what she was going through. The two prayed together and Mica warned Williams that her children were in danger with Miller – submitting a number of exhibits along with the affidavit such as recordings and text messages that seemingly align with the accounts we received from Mica Miller’s friends and family in the aftermath of her death.
Among the exhibits she submitted were:
- A text message from Mica Miller’s mother seeking help. Her mother begged Williams to call her, “I’m concerned for the safety of my daughter,” she continued, “I’m asking, begging you, not to let JP know I’ve reached out to you! He will just further isolate Mica from us!”
- A group text message between Williams and JP and Mica Miller discussing the custody arrangements after their daughter turned 13. In the text, Williams informs the couple the custody arrangement will not change due to the fact Miller “committed terrible crimes of sexually molesting under age children.”
- Text messages sent from Miller from their daughter’s phone to Mica Miller’s new phone asking her to come home.
- And on March 11, 2024 — just over a month before her death — a text from Mica Miller to Alison Williams that read, “I need to talk to you ASAP for the safety of your kids. Please call me.”
Stay tuned to FITSNews as we continue to provide additional reports about this explosive filing and follow this case in pursuit of answers. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to our investigative team at research@fitsnews.com.
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THE COMPLAINT …
(S.C. Fifteenth Circuit)
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THE AFFIDAVITS & EXHIBITS …
(S.C. Fifteenth Circuit)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
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