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The South Carolina pastor whose wife fatally shot herself just days after she filed for divorce told her memorial service that he visited her body four separate times — and even tried to “raise her from the dead.”

Mica Miller, 30, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park on April 27 after she was reportedly heard crying for several minutes.

Her husband, John-Paul Miller, who is a pastor at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, opened up about her sudden passing as he delivered a lengthy eulogy to his congregation that some have since slammed as “fake” and “blasphemy.”


  John-Paul Miller, 44, told mourners in a eulogy that he visited Mica Miller’s body four separate times. Solid Rock / YouTube John-Paul Miller, 44, told mourners in a eulogy that he visited Mica Miller’s body four separate times. Solid Rock / YouTube

During the 20-minute speech from the May 5 memorial service, which was only posted online by the church on Saturday, the pastor recounted how he’d made several trips to the morgue in the week after her death in the hopes that she would “wake up.”

“Each time it still didn’t hit me, I thought she was going to wake up — I even tried to raise her from the dead one time this week,” the pastor said in the clip.

Miller also recalled visiting a mall where he noticed a woman resembling his late wife. He said he couldn’t help himself and shouted, “Mica” — only to find out it was one of her sisters.

“I thought I raised her from the dead … I can’t wait to see her again one day,” he said, breaking down in tears.

The pastor — who has been accused of grooming his now-late wife when she was a teen — also said that while many people noticed Mica’s beauty, “only a spouse knows how beautiful a person is on the inside.”


  Mica Miller, 30, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Lumber River State Park, NC, on April 27. John-Paul Miller Mica Miller, 30, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Lumber River State Park, NC, on April 27. John-Paul Miller

“If I had 10 hours, it wouldn’t be enough to tell you all the great things about her,” he added.

Some viewers of the memorial service, though, were quick to bash the pastor’s eulogy — including one who ripped the widower’s remarks as a “fake sad act” and “damage control.”

“This was so uncomfortable to watch. Seemed so insincere,” one viewer commented on the church’s video.

“This is such a low level of blasphemy,” another viewer wrote.

Mica’s death was ruled a suicide by the Robeson County medical examiner, but her family has since pleaded for cops to “deeply” investigate her demise amid allegations her husband had abused and groomed her.

Mica had contacted police a handful of times and made all sorts of allegations against her husband in the lead-up to her death.

In one police report, Mica alleged her husband had “groomed” her when she was a teen before they got married in 2017.


  The pastor broke down in tears during his 20-minute eulogy at the May 5 service. Solid Rock / YouTube The pastor broke down in tears during his 20-minute eulogy at the May 5 service. Solid Rock / YouTube

She had also alleged to relatives and other church members that she had been previously abused by her partner, various court filings charge.

Mica had reportedly told her sister, too, that if she were ever found dead in the exact manner she was found in the park, her husband would be responsible, according to an affidavit filed by her younger sister Sierra Francis in Horry County Probate Court.

“Mica stated to me on many occasions ‘if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP,’” Francis wrote in the sworn affidavit.

In the weeks before her death, she discovered a tracking device on her car and had her tires slashed more than once, Miller’s brother Nathaniel Francis said in a separate affidavit.

The affidavits were submitted as Mica’s sister sought to be appointed the special administrator of her sister’s estate.

Miller’s lawyer Russel Long, meanwhile, has strenuously denied any allegations of grooming and abuse.


  Mica is observed on a Ring camera leaving home on the day of her death. Robeson County Sheriff's Office Mica is observed on a Ring camera leaving home on the day of her death. Robeson County Sheriff's Office

“Following the untimely death of Mica Miller, unfounded rumors and false accusations began circulating on social media and in various media outlets, suggesting Pastor Miller’s involvement in her demise,” the attorney said.

“This created a buzz, causing local and national media outlets to be proliferating these falsehoods, on a mammoth proportion. Our client refutes any report that suggests he ever abused his wife.”

Miller has long said his wife suffered from mental illness, did not always take her medication, had made previous attempts to take her own life and was hospitalized on multiple occasions.

In a 911 call made the day she died, Mica had made sure authorities could trace her phone to the wooded area where her body would later be found.

“I’m about to kill myself and I just want my family to know where to find me,” Miller said, according to the audio provided by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.


  Mica had accused the pastor of “grooming” her when she was a teen. Burroughs Funeral Home Mica had accused the pastor of “grooming” her when she was a teen. Burroughs Funeral Home

As rumors swirled about the pastor, the sheriff’s office issued a statement saying he wasn’t in North Carolina the night before or the day of Mica’s death.

The pastor was at an athletic event in Charleston, South Carolina, the day his spouse was found dead, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said.

“This incident has garnered much attention from across the Carolinas and beyond. I want to assure everyone that a very methodical investigation was conducted by our Criminal Investigations Team and Crime Scene Investigative Team,” Wilkins said.

“Unfortunately, rumors and conspiracy theories were spreading quickly, and assumptions were being made. However, in the end, we must make decisions based on the facts, and evidence that has been gathered. While I know it’s not what many people wanted to hear, the evidence is quite clear and compelling, and we are as saddened as anyone that this occurred.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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