Pastor John-Paul Miller found himself at the center of a headline-making cyberstalking case after his estranged wife, Mica Miller, died by suicide in April 2024.
As Netflix’s August 2026 docuseries Death of a Pastor’s Wife reintroduces viewers to the controversial faith leader and the disturbing details of the tragic case, many are asking one urgent question: Is John-Paul currently behind bars?
The short answer? No. Despite federal charges and a looming trial, John-Paul remains a free man — and Us has the full breakdown of where his case stands today.
Is John-Paul Miller in Jail?
John-Paul is not currently in jail. He was arrested in November 2024 and later indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025 on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. However, he was released after posting a $100,000 bond.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and continues to live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he preaches to a small congregation while awaiting his day in court.
What John-Paul Miller Is Accused of Doing to Mica Miller
Prosecutors allege that John-Paul cyberstalked his estranged wife from November 2022 until her death in April 2024. The allegations are extensive and, according to investigators, escalated over time.
Among the most serious claims are that John-Paul allegedly contacted Mica more than 50 times in a single day, placed tracking devices on her vehicles, interfered with her finances and daily activities and posted a nude photo of her online without her consent. Prosecutors also say he lied to federal investigators during the course of the probe.
John-Paul has offered his own explanation for monitoring Mica’s whereabouts. He has claimed he tracked her to “protect Mica from purchasing firearms” because of concerns about her mental health.
In the months before she died, Mica went to police at least four times to report she was being stalked. One month before her death, she told authorities she was “afraid for her life” after discovering a tracking device on her car.
What Happened to Mica Miller?
Mica was 30 years old when she was found dead at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27, 2024. Medical examiners officially ruled her death a suicide.
At the time of her death, Mica and John-Paul were in the middle of a contentious separation. She had filed for divorce in February 2024, but the divorce was never finalized. Speculation about the circumstances surrounding her death intensified when the extent of her earlier stalking reports came to light — and when investigators identified John-Paul as the person behind the harassment.
Before the case was reopened, John-Paul addressed his Solid Rock Church congregation about Mica’s death, calling it “self-induced.”
“Y’all knew that she wasn’t well mentally,” he said, according to the Netflix docuseries. “And that she needed her medicine that was hard to get to her…just keep our family in your prayers.”
In Death of a Pastor’s Wife, Mica’s siblings offered a portrait of a marriage marked by control. They claimed John-Paul had Mica involuntarily committed to mental health facilities multiple times during their relationship. Mica was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while engaged to John-Paul, and as her spouse, he was designated to oversee her care.
Her siblings alleged that her final hospitalization was involuntary and that John-Paul contacted a mental health facility and made false claims about her mental state to have her committed. According to the family, Mica later told police that during that final stay, John-Paul took her car, phone and laptop — both devices, they said, contained nude photos of her.
When Is John-Paul Miller’s Trial?
John-Paul’s trial has been rescheduled multiple times. Originally set for spring 2026, it was pushed several times before it was scheduled for October 2026. A court-ordered continuance filed in mid-August 2026 confirmed the latest delay.
“It was supposed to happen back in the spring. It got pushed in June, to August, and now it’s October,” Death of a Pastor’s Wife codirector Michael Gasparro told Netflix’s Tudum.
If convicted, John-Paul faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for cyberstalking and two years in prison for making false statements to federal investigators. He could also be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000.
Mica’s brother, Nate Francis, told Netflix’s Tudum that he doesn’t believe the charges reflect the full scope of what his sister endured. “These charges only reflect a fraction of what he did to her,” he argued.
Where Is John-Paul Miller Now?
While he waits for trial, John-Paul is living a strikingly different life from the one he led before Mica’s death. The Solid Rock Church building in Myrtle Beach has been sold, but John-Paul has continued to serve as a pastor. Those interviewed in Death of a Pastor’s Wife said he now preaches to a congregation of about 15 to 20 people at pop-up gatherings around Myrtle Beach.
He has also remarried. In June 2025 — roughly one year after Mica’s death — John-Paul wed Suzie Skinner, who now leads the worship portion of his services. Skinner is his third wife. He was previously married to Alison Williams for 16 years before filing for divorce in 2016.
Suzie’s own history has drawn scrutiny in the Netflix docuseries. She was previously married to Chris Skinner, whom she met while working as his physical therapist after a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. The couple married in 2004 and welcomed twins in 2007.
Suzie and Chris met John-Paul when they moved to Myrtle Beach and began attending Solid Rock Church. In the docuseries, Chris’ sister, Tamara, claimed her brother had grown uncomfortable with the church in the months before his death.
“The last three or four months of his life, he started telling me he didn’t like that pastor and that he wanted to stop attending the church and to find a new church,” Tamara said. “But Suzie didn’t want to stop attending. She would go without him.”
Chris was found dead in a community pool in September 2021, and he died of asphyxiation due to drowning. Throughout Death of a Pastor’s Wife, Mica’s loved ones speculated that John-Paul and Suzie had been having an affair before Mica’s death.
For now, John-Paul remains free on bond, preaching to his small circle of followers and awaiting an October 2026 trial that has already been rescheduled more than once.
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This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
