As Mica Miller’s family continues to advocate for a more robust investigation into her death, her sisters have focused on her husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, 44, who has been seen wearing her diamond necklace in public.
John-Paul, also known as JP, told NewsNation’s Rich McHugh via text that the necklace was actually Mica’s and that “the hospital gave it to me when I saw her body,” adding, “I immediately put it on.” to feel close.” to her. She loved that necklace.
John-Paul, pastor of Solid Rock Ministries in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, also confirmed that the necklace he was wearing in a recent ABC15 interview was from Mica.
In an interview with NewsNationDestinee Barrientos, Mica’s sister, did not believe John-Paul’s reasoning for putting on the pendant.
‘In our opinion, it’s not something to feel close to, it’s more of a trophy. It is rather essentially something that still hangs over her. She was trying to escape from it, so I think it’s the last part of her inability to escape,” Barrientos said.
Mica’s sister Destinee Barrientos (left) says her John-Paul now wears her favorite diamond necklace as “a trophy” and not “to feel close to her.”
Mica Miller, left, and John-Paul Miller, right, are pictured wearing the same necklace. Mica appears in Ring doorbell footage on the day of his death wearing what John-Paul said was his favorite necklace.
Mica, 30, had requested a separation from John-Paul days before she was found dead from what the medical examiner said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park on April 27.
And that wasn’t the only time Mica filed for divorce from her husband, whom she met when she was just 14 years old as a member of her church youth group. She also filed an application in October 2023 alleging adultery, but withdrew it in February 2024.
This evidence that Mica wants to separate, plus John-Paul’s arrogant attitude after her death, including a date with a new woman four days after Mica’s suicide, has led the family and passionate followers of the case to reject The official story. and press for answers.
The latest worrying clue was pointed out by Mica’s other sister, Anna Francis, who said Mica’s body had unexplained bruises on her hands.
“There were definitely bruises on Mica’s hands that the medical examiner didn’t remember, and I asked him personally if there was any possibility that a body had bruises from being picked up from the water or from someone touching it after examining it.” ?’ Francisco asked.
The medical examiner told him no, Francis told NewsNation, explaining that a body cannot bruise after the heart stops beating.
Mica (right) committed suicide on April 27, after citing alleged adulterous behavior on the part of her pastor husband.
Mica’s sister, Anna Francis, said she saw bruises on Mica’s hands after her death. The medical examiner told him that bruises cannot appear when a person’s heart stops beating.
“So our family, instead of mourning her at the funeral home, we had to go into fight mode, into investigation mode and do the work ourselves because Robeson County was not doing a proper investigation,” Francis said.
“They made a nice PowerPoint that perfectly lined up all the reasons why she would have done this herself, and they didn’t investigate the other side at all.”
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, which has been leading the investigation into Mica’s death, has been coordinating with the FBI and federal attorneys.
While the FBI has not commented, it is understood that Mica kept a diary detailing her struggle and abusive marriage before her death.
One case of potentially abusive behavior came to light through disturbing text messages John-Paul sent threatening Mica’s family 18 months before his marriage to Mica collapsed.
At that point, he texted his sister-in-law Sierra that he would come to her house “armed” and “ready,” DailyMail.com reported.
Mica Miller’s sister Sierra (left) shared a series of disturbing text messages from her ex-husband during an altercation between the couple in 2022.
The messages show Miller texted Sierra telling her he was on his way to her house, where Mica was staying in November 2022.
The uncertainty surrounding Mica’s death has led dozens of friends and residents to protest in front of the Solid Rock church this Sunday.
One protester told NewsNation that the group would demonstrate outside the church every Sunday “until we find justice for Mica.”
Recently released surveillance footage of Mica making a routine stop at a gas station just hours before she was found dead only raises more questions for the family.
Mica’s father, Michael Francis, commented on the video and said his daughter’s behavior did not reflect that of someone who wanted to harm herself.
‘I think it was all staged. “I think it was all premeditated,” Mica’s father, Michael Francis, told NewsNation in late May when the images were published.
The uncertainty surrounding Mica’s death has led dozens of friends and residents to protest this Sunday in front of Solid Rock Church, where John-Paul still preaches.
One protester told NewsNation that the group will hold marches outside the church every Sunday “until we find justice for Mica.”
In the video of her outside the gas station, Mica is seen pulling her black sedan up to a pump before getting out of the car, opening the gas tank and getting inside.
Inside the store, she is seen walking through the store before standing near a row of coolers, looking around, purchasing an energy drink, and returning outside.
Mica, dressed all in black, waits for her tank to fill and at some point opens the driver’s side door, grabs her drink and takes a sip, before closing it and staring at the spout.
Once his tank is full, Mica removes the accelerator handle from his car and drives away.
The owner of the remote gas station told NewsNation that when he saw Mica that day, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
‘Nothing, nothing special. “Nothing, you know, just a normal day, kind of normal,” the manager said.
Not only that, Angela Clark, a friend of Mica’s who was one of the last to speak to her, showed her text messages with Mica the night before she died.
Mica Miller was seen on surveillance footage at a remote gas station just before she was found dead in a lake in Lumber River State Park on April 27.
He stopped his car at a gas pump, went into the store, bought an energy drink and got out before filling up the tank and driving away.
Clark said Mica had texted him about plans for Sunday service that weekend and asked for help with car payments.
“This is not someone who is ready to end her life, this is someone who was making plans for the weekend, you know, and making her car payment,” Clark said.
However, Mica posted a video on Facebook several weeks before her death talking about abuse within marriage and offering support to “ANYONE who is struggling to get out of a dangerous situation because they believe God will be ‘angry’ with them.”
‘God hates divorce, but why? According to everyone I’ve asked and scriptures I’ve read, it’s because he hurts people. But does abuse hurt people? How do you think God feels about this? —Mica added.
In the wake of allegations of abuse and harassment of girls, including Mica, Solid Rock Church has been unable to attract as many parishioners, and a recent service had only 30 attendees.
John-Paul was relieved of his ministerial duties at the church in early May.
Despite all that, Solid Rock Ministries has $5.59 million worth of real estate and a $430,000 four-seater plane that is supposedly used for missionary work.
Extreme scrutiny on John-Paul began when he shocked his parishioners during a service the day after Mica’s death, announcing her “self-induced” death and adding that she was “mentally ill.”