The father of the pastor whose was found fatally shot at a North Carolina state park claimed she was already a “very, very sick woman” as he defended his son following allegations that he drove her to suicide, according to a new report.
Reginald Miller, 75, said his son, John-Paul Miller, 44, had nothing to do with the death of his daughter-in-law, Mica Miller, 30, who died in Lumber River State Park on April 27.
The sheriff’s office said she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, after reportedly crying for several minutes.
Although Mica’s family alleges that she was driven to suicide by John-Paul, who she had filed for divorce from, Miller claimed she was already suffering from a mental illness and had tried to kill herself once before, the Daily Mail reports.
“Mica was a very, very, sick young woman,” he said in a statement to the Mail.
“All have been covered [up] to protect her memory.”
“‘I have a video of Mica… where she tells last year how she took a gun to kill herself and pulled the trigger and the bullet locked in the gun,” he claimed.
Miller, who has had his own run-ins with the law for fraud and public lewdness, also claimed that just two weeks after her marriage to John-Paul, his son had to stop her when she suddenly began “shooting up the neighborhood.”
“She spent the first three weeks in a mental facility, and all the times since then,” he claims. “Her family refused to believe how sick she was.”
Miller also refuted the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department’s assessment that found John-Paul, the pastor at the Solid Rock Church, was with another woman whom he was “romantically” involved with at the time of Mica’s death.
Miller’s defense of his son comes a day after Mica’s sister, Sierra Francis, accused the pastor of abusing his wife and sending her and her family threatening messages.
“The proof is in the abuse,” Francis wrote on TikTok. “Police reports were filed when JP threatened his life, we did a wellness check. That is when he got mad. Police stated ‘when they arrived to perform a wellness check, he was loading micas belongings into his truck. he stated he was not suicidal.’ #justiceformica.”
Screenshots shared by Francis showed the messages the pastor allegedly sent to his wife, who saved him as “Honey Baby” in her phone.
“My blood is on you, and my kids will know. All you had to do was come home to me. But you don’t even care that much about me,” John-Paul allegedly wrote.
Days after she served John-Paul divorce papers, a fisherman discovered Mica’s belongings along the river in Lumber River State Park.
The Robeson County medical examiner has ruled Mica’s death a suicide by gunshot wound to the head.
Before her death, she allegedly told her sister that if she was ever found dead in the exact manner she was found in the park, her husband was responsible, according to an affidavit filed by her younger sister Sierra Francis in Horry County Probate Court.
Since her death, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has asked the FBI and US Attorney’s Office to help investigate Mica’s suicide.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.