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by JENN WOOD
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As a new Netflix docuseries thrusts the death of Mica Francis Miller back into the national spotlight, the federal criminal case against her estranged husband is moving forward in South Carolina.
Former Myrtle Beach, S.C. pastor John-Paul Miller is scheduled for trial during the October 2026 term of federal court in Florence, S.C. – the latest in a series of continuances since Miller pleaded not guilty in January to charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators.
Those delays have prompted understandable frustration — and speculation that the case is stalling or quietly falling apart. The public docket does not support that conclusion, however.
Instead, the filings reflect a relatively ordinary feature of federal criminal litigation: a defendant waiving his speedy-trial rights while his attorneys review evidence, interview witnesses and obtain records. There is no indication the charges have been reduced, dismissed or abandoned — or that prosecutors are backing away from the case.
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THE LATEST DELAY
On August 11, 2026, Miller’s attorneys — Andrew Moorman and Nathan S. Williams — asked U.S. district judge Joseph Dawson III to postpone an August 25 pretrial conference and corresponding jury-selection date.
According to the motion (.pdf), defense attorneys were interviewing “multiple witnesses who potentially have exculpatory evidence” and seeking subpoenas for documents outside the government’s possession.
They argued they needed more time to complete those interviews and obtain potentially relevant records.
Federal prosecutors consented to the request.
On August 13, 2026, Dawson granted the motion and moved the case into the October term. The judge found the delay served the “ends of justice” – and outweighed the interests of the defendant and public in an immediate trial.
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THE FEDERAL CASE
A federal grand jury indicted Miller in December 2025 on one count of cyberstalking and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
According to the office of U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling, Miller allegedly conducted a prolonged campaign of unwanted communications, surveillance and electronic harassment against Mica beginning in November 2022 and continuing until her death.
The indictment alleged Miller contacted his estranged wife more than 50 times in a single day, posted a nude photograph of her online without her consent and caused tracking devices to be placed on her vehicle. Prosecutors further alleged Miller falsely denied knowingly distributing the photograph or participating in the placement of the tracking devices.
John-Paul Miller was not charged with causing his wife’s death, which North Carolina investigators and medical examiners officially ruled a suicide. He remains free on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
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While the repeated delays may appear significant, they are not unusual in a federal prosecution involving a lengthy factual history, extensive electronic evidence, multiple witnesses and third-party records.
Federal law generally requires a criminal trial to begin within 70 days of an indictment or the defendant’s first court appearance — whichever occurs later. However, the calculation excludes court-approved delays intended to give attorneys reasonable preparation time.
John-Paul Miller’s attorneys said they reviewed his speedy-trial rights with him before requesting the latest continuance. According to the filing, he “voluntarily, intelligently and knowingly” waived those rights. Each continuance must still be approved by the judge, who upon review of the motions must find that the delay serves the interests of justice. Dawson has made those findings in this case.
The latest order does not guarantee an October trial. Additional motions, discovery issues or plea negotiations could produce another delay. Based on the public docket, however, the continuances do not appear extraordinary — nor do they suggest the prosecution is stalled or that John-Paul Miller is avoiding trial.
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RELATED | DEATH OF PASTOR’S WIFE SHOCKS SOUTH CAROLINA
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NETFLIX RENEWS THE SPOTLIGHT
The latest movement in Miller’s case coincides with the release of Netflix’s three-part docuseries, Death of the Pastor’s Wife.
The series examines the events leading up to Mica Miller’s death, the allegations she made against her husband and her family’s continuing fight for answers and reform.
Mica Miller’s death was first reported by FITSNews on May 2, 2024. Our initial report — followed by extensive coverage of her final days, calls to law enforcement, court records and the emerging federal investigation — propelled the case into the public spotlight long before it became the subject of documentaries and national coverage.
Mica Miller was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head at 4:23 p.m. EST on April 27, 2024 at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park – a sprawling 14,000-acre wilderness located roughly an hour’s drive northwest of Myrtle Beach.
Her body was discovered at this secluded location a short time after she called 911 asking the operator to pinpoint her phone – stating she was “going to kill herself” and wanted her family to be able to find her body.
Mica Miller had traveled to the park from Myrtle Beach earlier that day, and her body was ultimately found in a swampy area approximately 40 meters from where police recovered spent shell casings and her belongings. She died less than 48 hours after serving divorce papers to her estranged husband.
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MICA’S LASTING LEGACY
The closing portion of the Netflix series focuses on the issue Mica Miller’s family hopes will become her lasting legacy: legal recognition of coercive control.
Coercive control refers to a pattern of domination that can include isolation, financial manipulation, surveillance, threats and interference with a victim’s ability to leave — even when individual acts do not fit traditional definitions of physical domestic violence.
Within weeks of Mica Miller’s death, her family and attorney Regina Ward began advocating for “Mica’s List” — reforms intended to give victims, police and family courts better tools to recognize escalating patterns of abuse.
That effort later produced legislation seeking to incorporate coercive control into South Carolina’s domestic violence laws, divorce proceedings, protective-order cases and custody decisions.
Mica Miller’s family has long maintained she repeatedly tried to tell police, attorneys, courts, relatives and friends what she was experiencing. Yet many of the behaviors she described fell outside existing laws or were treated as disconnected incidents.
Their goal is to prevent another person from repeatedly seeking help — only to discover the law does not recognize the pattern until it is too late.
Netflix has now delivered this story to a much larger audience. Meanwhile, the criminal prosecution arising from the conduct she tried to document continues moving toward a resolution in a federal courtroom.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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