Netflix's Death of the Pastor's Wife has sparked renewed interest in the 2024 death of Mica Miller, with viewers closely examining personal material featured throughout the three-part series, including her own journals.
What's featured in the documentary
The series draws on an archive of material left behind by Mica, including her journals, home videos, text messages, church footage, and interviews with her family, all shared with permission. Co-director Julia Willoughby Nason told Tudum the material offered a look into the most private and interior part of Mica's life, something her family was open to the filmmakers exploring.
One handwritten note featured in the documentary includes an allegation from Mica describing abuse she says she experienced from her husband, John-Paul "JP" Miller, in every form she could describe, emotional, sexual, spiritual, financial, and physical. JP has denied all allegations and has not been charged in connection with her death.
The detail viewers have zeroed in on
One journal page shown in the documentary appears to be a to-do list, including items like calling the IRS and obtaining an affidavit, tasks viewers have interpreted as preparation for exposing information rather than signs consistent with someone planning to end their life. One viewer on X argued the list didn't read like something written by someone planning suicide, suggesting instead that Mica may have been preparing to take action against JP.
Background on the case
Mica met JP as a teenager at Solid Rock Church, and the pair married in 2017. Her family has described the relationship as increasingly controlling, alleging she was stalked and harassed during her attempts to leave the marriage. She served JP with divorce papers in April 2024, and was found dead two days later at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. Before her death, she called 911 and indicated her intention to take her own life, asking for the call to be traced. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The documentary does not claim Mica was murdered, instead presenting her family's concerns and allegations alongside the official ruling.
Where the case stands legally
JP was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025 on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators, with the cyberstalking charge alleging a pattern of harassment between November 2022 and Mica's death. He has pleaded not guilty, and his trial, delayed several times, is now scheduled for October 2026. He remarried in 2025 and remains free on bond.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org, or text MHA to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line. If you are experiencing domestic violence, help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Call 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7, or visit thehotline.org to chat online.
