News13 investigates: John-Paul Miller and the path to ‘Mica’s Law’
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — For the first time, News13 is hearing from Solid Rock Church pastor John-Paul Miller in a wide-ranging interview with our network partner NewsNation about his relationship with his late wife Mica.
John-Paul, who has refused to talk to News13 specifically several times, spoke in the interview about abuse allegations and how he claims Mica’s family let her down.
Timeline: What’s happened so far in the death of Myrtle Beach woman Mica Miller
News13’s Adrianna Lawrence sat down with Regina Ward, the attorney representing Mica’s family, who said she watched the NewsNation interview three times.
Ward said she saw a number of lies, alarming body language and deflecting. She thinks John-Paul painted an unrealistic picture of how sick Mica was and said it is unfortunately what many victims of abuse experience.
When asked about her first thoughts after listening to the interview, Ward said:
“Yes! Got you.”
Before the interview started, John-Paul broke down in tears, putting his head down into his hands. Ward reacted by calling him “actor Miller” not “pastor Miller.”
During his two-hour interview with NewsNation, John-Paul said Mica threatened to kill herself multiple times. He said with him, she was happy and healthy, but once she was with her family and off her medication, her mental health suffered.
“I told her family so many times, you can’t imagine,” John-Paul said. “I told her friends this, I told everybody. I said, ‘If y’all don’t get her lithium, she’s going to commit suicide.”
When asked if there was any truth about Mica’s dependence on medication, Ward said:
“No. In fact, she had been off the medication for quite some time.”
Ward did say Mica was depressed, but she wasn’t aware of any suicidal thoughts.
“He contributed to that. I mean, you only had to watch the interview and you’re exhausted by the end of it,” Ward said. “And guess what? You only got to see the parts they clipped. Could you imagine sitting there through the whole thing and then spend that seven years of your life in your twenties?”
Ward said she wasn’t surprised John-Paul did the interview, but that she would be surprised if his lawyers gave him permission.
“I finally got the approval of my attorneys to do so,” he said. “The one who’s working on the defamation cases, they said it’s easier to win a defamation case the more the people talk.”
During the interview, John-Paul denied any allegations of abuse toward Mica. But Ward said Mica kept a detailed journal of John-Paul’s alleged controlling and manipulative behavior.
“I was incensed,” Ward said about John-Paul denying the abuse allegations. “I was like, the audacity. And guess what? No one’s buying it. There’s too much evidence that shows otherwise.”
Ward said many times, victims of abuse are too afraid to speak out. She imagined that was the case for Mica.
“The one that’s being abused is humiliated by it. They don’t want anybody to know,” she said. “Now, become the pastor’s wife. You really don’t want anybody to know that.”
Because of that, Mica’s family is now working to push forward “Mica’s Law” or the Coercive Control Bill. It would strengthen protections for victims who experience forms of abuse like financial, mental and emotional.
Ward said the situation has connected with so many people for a reason.
“Because all eyes of the nation and in fact, the world have been on this case, which has really enlightened, I hope, the general public about this insidious problem that we have,” she said.
News13 reached out to John-Paul’s lawyer Russell Long to ask if he was actually given permission to do the interview, but Long had no comment.
News13 also asked John-Paul for a statement, and he responded with a text saying “Ward is representing the person responsible for Mica’s death.” John-Paul went on to claim, one time he was physically assaulted by Mica while she was hallucinating.
Ward said Mica’s family is now stepping away from the public eye to grieve and focus on Mica’s Law.
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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work, here.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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