Transcript of 17) United States v. John Paul Miller: The Raid, the Arrest & Indictment New

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You know me, I dig until I find the truth. And it turns out that same instinct that drives my investigative journalism, it makes for a different but pretty amazing new kind of travel show. Wherever It Leads is Luna Shark's brand new podcast, and it's nothing like the travel content that you've heard before. We go deeper. We talk to locals, reporters, and people who actually live where you wanna visit, not just the ones who want your tourist dollars. We cover the food and landmarks, sure, but we also ask the harder questions. What is the real history here? The often sad and traumatic history? What new challenge is this place facing? And how can you show up as a visitor who actually makes things better? My co-host David Moses and I, along with a team of journalists, are hitting destinations around the world to expose the truth, give voice to victims throughout history, And get the story straight with new destinations and episodes every other week. Wherever It Leads from Luna Shark. Find it wherever you listen to your podcasts or visit whereveritleadspod.com. This is Coerced: The Devotion and Death of Micah Frances Miller, a Luna Shark drop feed.

My name is Maddy Matney. Journalists Liz Farrell, Beth Braden, and I have been reporting on Micah's story for more than 2 years now for the True Sunlight podcast. Coerced is a Luna Shark production made possible by producers Kate Thomas, Grace Hills, and David Moses. 16 episodes ago, we told you that Micah Frances did everything we tell victims to do. And that every single system failed her anyway. The police, the courts, the doctors, the medical examiner. If this series has felt like an indictment of those systems, that's because it is one. But this episode is about a different kind of indictment, the real kind. In late October '24, 6 months after Micah's death, more than 2 dozen FBI agents descended on JP Miller's house on Coldwater Circle. And a year after that, in December 2025, after 20 months of waiting and reporting, a federal grand jury in South Carolina handed down the words we weren't sure we would ever read— United States of America versus John Paul Miller. In this episode of Coerced, we take you through all of it as we reported it in real time— the raid, The arrest, the 3-page indictment that reads like a summary of this entire series, and the day that Liz watched JP Miller stand before a federal judge in Florence, South Carolina, while protesters in purple filled the parking lot outside.

One thing to be crystal clear about before we start, JP Miller has been charged with cyberstalking Micah and lying to federal investigators. He has pleaded not guilty so far. His trial is set for October 2026. What you're about to hear is how we got there. This is Beth Braden from True Sunlight Podcast.

So there we were on Friday morning, minding our own business, when I saw YouTuber Robbie Harvey tweet About the presence of law enforcement at JP Miller's home on Coldwater Circle in Myrtle Beach just after noon. Hearing that law enforcement was at JP's home, or even at Solid Rock, has become a regular expectation for us at this point. We've told you about the numerous times the cops have been there in the past year, with the most recent occasion being a neighborhood argument about a four-wheeler in September. On Friday, though, Photos and video from the scene showed us that the vehicles at JP's home were completely unmarked. Not an Horry County cop in sight. So I reached out to Kevin Wheeler, the FBI's Public Information Officer in the Columbia office. Thus far, the FBI, as is typical for them, has been very tight-lipped on JP's case. Typically, they don't even acknowledge the existence of an open investigation. But they did confirm that there was one in this case back in May when Wheeler told me that he didn't dispute the Robeson County, North Carolina Sheriff's Department saying that they had called on the FBI to investigate following information they received throughout the course of investigating Micah's alleged suicide.

So when I called Kevin, I wasn't actually expecting to get a whole lot of information about what was happening at JP's house. At that point, we didn't even know if it was the FBI there. But sure enough, Wheeler told me that the Bureau was conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity at the home of John Paul Miller. The FBI finally confirmed court-authorized law enforcement activity in an investigation that has been going on for months. But before this moment, we were never able to attribute the information we were reporting to a named law enforcement official. And boy, was their search of J.P. Miller's house a big deal. In addition to the fleet of unmarked SUVs, the FBI had brought a large evidence processing truck, which was the same size and shape as a small moving truck you might rent to move your stuff across town. The FBI truck, however, had all kinds of doors and panels that opened up to reveal everything that the agents needed to process the scene. Boxes, bags, swabs, fingerprint powder, you name it. They also brought a camera and at least 3 members of the Evidence Response Team. The ERT are the folks who are trained to document, collect, and catalog physical and forensic evidence.

You don't need these guys if you're just swinging by to seize a laptop and cell phone on your lunch break before heading back to headquarters. So that tells us they were looking for more than just the electronics and were interested in other kinds of evidence. The commotion quickly drew a crowd outside JP's house, so by about 1 PM, we had access to a couple of livestreams and were receiving photos and video from sources on the scene. After a few hours, protesters who have been posted outside Solid Rock each Sunday during service arrived at JP's house, where they continued their chants of Justice for Micah and You can't hide from the FBI. JP wasn't there at the time, But we think the protesters were assuming he might have been tuned into one of the livestreams and would hear them. According to bystanders, JP wasn't home when more than 2 dozen— yes, I said that right— more than 2 dozen FBI agents descended on his home. The buzz is that JP was over at Starbucks when the agents approached him to give him the sealed search warrant and tell him that they were about to raid his place.

The same place he shared with Micah after their marriage in late 2017. We don't know for certain when Micah was last at the home, but JP's probate filing from the summer says she was there for about 4 hours on March 19th, 2024, which is more than a month before her death. On Friday, the dark blue pickup that JP is known to drive was not at the home when we started getting photos and video from the raid. But the DeLorean he had bought right after Micah died was visible in the garage with its Back to the Future-themed vanity plate, Outtime. O-U-T-T-I-M-E. Also in the garage was that four-wheeler that was at the center of the September police presence at JP's house. Speaking of the garage, it was opened and closed several times during the raid, probably to keep prying eyes from seeing what they were searching for and/or finding in there. Back in October, JP's oldest son, Logan Hardy, posted the four-wheeler for sale on Facebook for his dad, and the photos showed several plastic bins on shelves in the garage at that time. So there was plenty to look through from what we could see.

Now, the search warrant for JP's house is sealed, so we don't know what they were looking for specifically. However, a source with knowledge of the investigation says that the alleged crime being investigated is Interstate Domestic Violence. Interstate Domestic Violence has 2 offenses. One has to do with travel or conduct of the offender, and the second is causing travel of a victim. That second offense says, a person who causes a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner to travel in interstate or foreign commerce or to enter or leave Indian country by force, coercion, duress, or fraud, and who, in the course of, as a result of, or to facilitate such conduct or travel, commits or attempts to commit a crime of violence against that spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner, shall be punished as provided in subsection . This is a serious charge, by the way. If JP does get charged with this, he could face up to life in prison. Like I said, it's no joke. And keep in mind, Micah was a resident of South Carolina and traveled to North Carolina, where authorities say she killed herself. I have reached out to JP's attorney, Russell B.

Long, for comment and to find out more about the warrant, but he has not returned my call. JP Miller has not been charged with any crime related to Micah's death in either state or federal court. He also denies ever abusing Micah in any sense of the word. On Friday after the raid, we watched on a livestream as agents removed several cardboard boxes and paper bags, as well as what looked like a desktop computer, an iMac computer, and some kind of cardboard cylinder. We think the cardboard cylinder was a container for something else, but we have no idea what was in it. In all, it took agents nearly 5 hours to go through the home, and this is not a big house. According to an old Zillow listing, it's a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house coming in at 2,300 square feet. Let's say bystanders were wrong about the number of agents and it was only 10 or 12 of them. That's still pretty heavy coverage for a home that size. From everything we're seeing, the feds had the place smothered and covered. We also know that the FBI did not go to the actual church building at 803 Howard Avenue.

Which is interesting because I think we all assumed that the church itself would be part of any investigation since JP is the registered agent of Solid Rock Ministries, Inc., which owns the church, the house on Coldwater Circle, and 2 parcels of land on the Highway 17 bypass that are slated to become the home of a new building for Solid Rock.

Cardboard boxes, computers, a sealed warrant, And a source pointing to interstate domestic violence. That was Halloween week 2024, and we ended that episode saying we didn't know if or when we would ever see JP Miller in handcuffs. Well, weirdly, it took one week to find out. But what happened next had nothing to do with the FBI. Call it a prequel, but it gave the world its first look at JP Miller in a jail log. This is from True Sunlight Podcast, episode 74. Okay, so let's talk about the best thing that happened in the past week: seeing JP Miller in handcuffs. Not to brag or anything, but we started the last episode of this podcast with the words, I don't know if or when we will see JP Miller in handcuffs. And just like that, The next morning, after recording that, I woke up to my husband David saying the words, Good morning, sweet pea.

JP Miller got arrested.

I thought he was kidding, so I rolled over to go back to sleep.

No, really. Look at his mugshot.

David handed me his phone that showed the jail log, and there it was. A mugshot of ol' JP Miller wearing what appeared to be his jammies. With a face that said he just entered his find-out era. I sprung out of bed like it was Christmas morning. Now, as I expected, it wasn't for a big charge. And this is unrelated to the FBI raid that happened 2 weeks ago, so let's call this the prequel. As we were recording on Wednesday, we saw buzz on TikTok showing multiple angles of JP getting into an altercation with a protester in the parking lot across the street from Solid Rock. Church members and JP were cleaning out the building, where they'd been since 2013, last Wednesday afternoon. Now, JP's girly, True Crime Ree, posted videos trying to prove that the Justice for Micah protesters had started the altercation in the parking lot by taunting him. But let's be real here— JP hasn't stopped taunting and tormenting Micah. And every woman who relates to her since her death in April. JP Miller chose to write his narrative of Micah's story and got really surprised when people were like, no, that's not it at all.

He didn't allow those who really love her to write her obituary and tell her story. He wrote his childish and crooked version. He hurled insults at her family and her friends for months through his interviews and his now-deleted TikTok series. Through his doofus attorney, Russell B. Long, JP Miller even threatened legal action to try to scare Micah's best friend from telling Micah's story. Through his own actions and his own words, JP Miller showed the world Exactly who he is, and that is a man who has gotten used to getting away with anything he gets into. JP Miller has vocally resisted anyone questioning the circumstances surrounding his wife's suspicious death, and JP Miller hasn't even really tried to pretend that he loved Micah at all. He hasn't shown us any actions that tell us that he wants justice for Micah. He has shown us again and again that JP is only concerned with JP and JP's bottom line. He taunted all of us when he showed up to church Sunday after Sunday alongside his alleged girlfriend, who he allegedly cheated on Micah with, and he refused to step down from the church that Micah helped him build.

I am not condoning violence or harassment right now, but if you have a history like JP's, you deserve to be in places surrounded by people who are disgusted by your actions. And since the justice system appears to be taking its sweet time coming around, as it usually does with good ol' boys, I don't blame women at all for being verbally hostile. toward JP. But again, let me be clear, I really don't recommend it because I think this man is dangerous and on the verge. So the one clear angle that I saw of the incident shows JP charging at the protester in the parking lot across the street from his church. It then shows them exchanging words, and it shows him exerting dominance by invading her space, then hitting her hat. The female protester is shown in other videos yelling back at JP and following him as he walked away through the parking lot. Now, we saw these videos as we were finishing up last week's episode, but we brushed it to the side thinking that Myrtle Beach's history of showing so much grace for JP Miller would continue. But something must have changed at the Myrtle Beach Police Department because around 11 PM Wednesday night, JP Miller was arrested by Myrtle Beach Police for 3rd-degree assault and booked at the jail for the night.

Now, this is pretty typical for defendants who do not have lawyers like Mr. Russell B. Wrong protecting them. I've seen less privileged defendants get booked in jail for very minor offenses, like walking on a highway. Yup, that's a real charge. Check fraud, which basically means their check bounced, and driving on a suspended license. Police also can choose not to arrest people for petty crimes, and they can simply give them a ticket and a court date, by the way. But a lot of times, with men like JP who have lawyers, police will work with lawyers to book defendants in jail right before their bond hearing so that they can skip the whole night in jail thing. But not this time. JP was booked for the whole evening before he was released on a $776 bond, and he is due back in court on December 10th. The next day, Myrtle Beach Police released the arrest warrant, which I will have David read.

On November 6th, 2024, officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department responded to the area of 743 Hemlock Avenue. A location in the city limits of Myrtle Beach, in reference to a possible assault. During the course of protesting the location, the victim crossed the street to approach the defendant. The victim stated, here kitty kitty, to the defendant. The defendant turned around and approached the victim. The defendant got into the victim's face and put his phone up as if he was recording her. During this action, the defendant is said to have tapped the brim of the victim's baseball cap. The defendant then turns around and walks away from the victim. Video of the incident does not appear to show the assault, although directly after the possible assault, the victim can be heard yelling on video, don't touch me! A witness stated that she observed the defendant hit the victim's hat.

Twice. Now, a lot of y'all have mixed reactions to this charge. Many of you pointed out that with the way that it is written, he will likely get it dropped. South Carolina law states that, quote, a person commits the offense of assault and battery in the 3rd degree if the person unlawfully injures another person or offers or attempts to injure another person With the present ability to do so. So this law has some wiggle room with the words offers and attempts to injure, and those words could apply here depending on what the victim says and if she continues to pursue the charges. It also should be noted that 3rd degree assault is often used as a plea-down charge for domestic abusers. It is an easy out for for those charged with DV because it's a misdemeanor and it means abusers can keep their guns, which is another problem for another day. A $776 bond and a misdemeanor charge. Not exactly the reckoning anyone was waiting for. And then 13 months of waiting. 13 months of an investigation that we could see the edges of, But not the center. Protesters kept showing up every single Sunday outside of John Paul Miller's churchy business.

The Jane Does filed their lawsuits. And we will be right back.

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You know, right as we're in crunch mode and trying to get the latest episode to y'all. So it figures that the one piece of news that we have been waiting on for almost 20 months now would come on a Wednesday. John Paul Miller was indicted in connection with the death of his wife, 30-year-old Micah Frances Miller, who was found shot to death in a North Carolina park on April 27th, 2024. That is a big deal. It is a good day for justice in South Carolina, and I do not say that lightly. So many women who have faced this kind of coercive control abuse that Micah endured have rallied for this day to come. While many wish that the charges carried a heavier sentence, we are still stunned that this man is facing any accountability at all. Good ol' boy pastors like JP Miller rarely face days like today. where the walls are finally closing and their lies have caught up to them at last. As we said before on this podcast, federal charges are no joke. They are carefully crafted and investigated, and they are rarely ever escapable. According to a 2018 Pew Research study, more than 90% of federal criminal cases end in guilty pleas, and less than 2% of all federal cases actually go to trial.

When federal defendants do go to trial, they face a nearly 99% conviction rate. So yeah, any charge from the feds is a big deal and a major milestone in the Justice for Micah movement that began shortly after Micah's 2024 death. By the way, we refer to Micah Miller by her maiden name, Micah Frances, in this podcast. Ever since we found out that she applied for her name to be changed before her death.

Our hearts are with every person out there who didn't just wish for this day to come, but who did the work to make sure JP Miller would be held accountable for what he put Micah through. Our hearts are especially with those who are still waiting for justice in their own cases against JP, who have to relive the pain in their own lives every single time this man's name is mentioned. And we're not gonna lie, we do have some complaints about these indictments, namely the short sentencing guidelines and how long this took to happen and why isn't JP in handcuffs? But we'll talk more about that. For now, we just want to celebrate this win because even though the indictment is only 3 pages, it's pretty powerful, especially when it comes to the cause of recognizing the harm done by coercive control abuse, of finding a way to hold somebody criminally accountable for the kind of actions that wear on a person's psyche to great harm. I'm gonna have David read the first charge against JP, and it's for cyberstalking.

That beginning on or around November 16th, 2022, and continuing through April 27th, 2024, in the District of South Carolina and elsewhere, the defendant, John Paul Miller, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance, With the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate Victim 1.

That's Micah. Micah is Victim Number 1.

Used interactive computer services, electronic communication services, electronic communication systems of interstate commerce, and other facilities of interstate and foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that placed Victim Number 1 In reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury, and caused, attempted to cause, and the course of conduct would be reasonably expected to cause Victim 1—

Say it with me, Micah.

Substantial emotional distress, to wit—

Hang on, David. I'm gonna have Liz and me read these next parts. Quote, John Paul Miller, Sent or caused to be sent unwanted and harassing electronic communications to Victim 1, Micah.

Used or threatened to use nude videos and photographs of Victim 1, Micah, to harass Victim 1, Micah.

Posted a nude photograph of Victim 1, Micah, online without Victim 1's consent. You know, without Micah's consent.

Placed or caused to be placed tracking devices on vehicles used by Victim 1, Micah.

Placed Victim 1, Micah, or caused Victim 1, Micah, to be placed under surveillance with the intent to harass and intimidate Victim 1, Micah.

Damaged Victim 1's vehicle, Micah's vehicle.

Interfered with Victim 1's finances and banking. Micah's finances and banking.

And interfered with Victim 1's daily activities. Micah's daily activities.

Every single one of these is something that we reported on. These were accusations contained in police reports, court documents, and a list of abuses put together by Micah's family called Micah's List. Every single one of these is something JP Miller denied doing. Every single one of these accusations is something Micah sought help for from Horry County Police Department, and they told her there was nothing that they could do for her. Instead, they listened to JP. Micah is crazy, he told them. She's sick. She needs to be hospitalized against her will. And officers within the police department helped make that happen. Church members, board members of the church, helped spread the word for JP Miller that old Micah was crazy and she shouldn't be listened to. And because they were beholden to the money machine, you know, the church that JP created and ran, they did not stop him. David, can you read Count 2 from the indictment?

On or about October 17, 2024, in the District of South Carolina and elsewhere, the defendant, John Paul Miller, did knowingly and willfully make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the government of the United States.

Pause. Did y'all catch that date? October 17th, 2024 was almost 6 months after Micah's death. After Robeson County Sheriff's Office alerted the FBI to something that they discovered in their investigation, into Micah's mysterious death, and it was 2 weeks before the FBI showed up in full force to raid JP Miller's house in Myrtle Beach. Go ahead, David.

To wit, he falsely claimed Victim 1 had called him more than he had called Victim 1 on March 11th, 2024, when in fact the defendant, John Paul Miller, called Victim 1 at least 50 times more than she called him. He falsely claimed police had never told him to stop contacting Victim 1, when in fact the defendant, John Paul Miller, was told on March 11th, 2024, by a police officer with Horry County Police Department to stop contacting Victim 1. He falsely claimed he did not damage Victim 1's tires or cause to be damaged, when in fact The defendant, John Paul Miller, used or caused to be used a tire deflation device in Victim 1's tires.

March 11th, 2024, is a very significant date in the timeline of Micah's death. I want to talk about the question on everyone's minds right now. Why didn't the FBI arrest JP Miller? Why does he get to just show up in court on January 12th? Why would the government trust him to do that? Unfortunately, this is how it works with federal defendants who are not being accused of violent crimes. And yes, I would argue that someone accused of cyberstalking, especially to this degree, is not someone who should have access to computers, phones, or even the outside world. I know the justice system is probably looking at this like, okay, This victim is no longer alive, so he's not a threat to her. But someone who engages in coercive control, who is a pastor with a church filled with people that he takes money from, is someone who we believe is an actual danger to the community. I cannot wait for the day that the justice system looks at crimes that disproportionately affect women as something that is a threat to To the community at large. And I'll say this again, this indictment is a big deal.

And the second I knew that it was coming on Wednesday, the first person I contacted was my first source in this case, Micah's best friend, Charlotte Korn, who bravely spoke out against JP Miller soon after Micah's death. Give episode 51 a full listen if y'all want to hear what a true friend sounds like. And remember, soon after Charlotte appeared on True Sunlight, a lawyer representing JP Miller sent Charlotte a strange cease and desist letter threatening legal action against her if she doesn't stop talking about JP. And that letter demanded that she turned over all evidence that she had against JP to JP's lawyer, Russell B.

Long.

And by the way, hey, FBI, Isn't that called obstruction of justice? Charlotte proudly took a selfie with the letter and posted it to Instagram, declaring that she would never back down until justice was served for Micah. A year and a half later, justice is finally coming. November 16th, 2022 through April 27th, 2023. If those dates sound familiar, they should. You have been living inside them for most of this entire series. The night Micah fled to Gaffney, through the morning that she died. Federal prosecutors drew the same map we did. At least it looks like it. And one month later, in January 2026, JP Miller walked into a federal courthouse in Florence to answer for it. And thanks to our premium members, Liz Farrell was in the room for what she came to call the JP Jubilee. This is from True Sunlight Podcast episode 132. And speaking of Luna Shark Premium, thanks to our members and loyal listeners, we were able to send Liz Farrell to Florence, South Carolina this week to cover the highly anticipated JP Jubilee. AKA JP Miller's first hearing in federal court where he was arraigned on 2 federal charges related to the death of his wife Micah.

I'll have Liz take it from here.

Well, the JP Jubilee did not disappoint. And I say this as someone who might just be the least entertained, most cynical, most chronically bored by human behavior among all of us. And I seriously don't think I've ever said anything like this before in my life. But JP's 15-minute hearing in federal court Monday was worth disrupting my weekend, putting Newberry in a kennel, making a 16-hour round trip to yet another South Carolina city visibly ruined by good old boy crimes, spending hundreds of dollars on a probably haunted hotel room with no hot water, and during a night of blaring oldies music that seemed to be funneled directly from the streets of downtown Florence and into my pillows. And sitting in a federal courtroom without my phone for hours, which is usually my personal hell. The funniest thing to me about this is that the thing that made it worth it is actually something I didn't even see despite being in the courtroom. It's something I found out about right after, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. The beginning for me is to tell you how irritating it is to search on JP's case for updates in PACER because JP's first name isn't John Paul the hyphenate.

It's just John. He's John Miller, which makes him one of literal thousands in that database. Putting in his middle name, which is Paul, duh, helps out. But I like a good Russell Lucius Lafitte or a Corey Howardton Fleming to search on, where the case just comes right up. Even a Robert John May narrows things down quite a bit.

But no.

Dirty John, middle name Paul Miller, forces me to narrow the search even further to just South Carolina. And it's just so appropriate that even searching for Dirty JP's case in the federal database is as annoying as he is. This is all just to say that right up until I left my phone in the car, I was checking PACER repeatedly, totally expecting to see some nonsense from JP that would cause the hearing to be continued to another day. I honestly thought he'd pull some in-the-grass crying move the night before, something that would get him checked into a hospital and maybe position him as a broken and lost soul with untreated problems that caused him to allegedly stalk Micah and allegedly lie to the feds about it. But no, the guy actually showed up to court. Real quick, let's talk about the sermon he gave the day before his hearing to the group of people he still has hoodwinked at Mercy Church.

So excited about what God's gonna do. So excited. I don't know how he's gonna do it, but I know he's gonna do it. I have a lot of faith in him, and I've seen him move in my life in the past, and I know he's a good God. He's a good God. He's doing great things. I have a— Susie and I, we have a little booklet, and we keep all the miracles that God's done in our life through all this, like supernatural things, things that we just can't explain. There's about— we're about up to number 22, I think, is where we're at on stuff that God's done. And one day I'm going to share them all with you, and you'll get to see how cool it is. Um, just amazing things. Like, just— I'll give you one out of the 22, just one out of the 22. And we're not recording yet, but one out of the 22 is I have about my favorite Bible that I normally use just next to my bed. And, um, and, and I found— and I don't know if you ever read Lamentations. I don't read Lamentations. Who reads Lamentations, right?

So probably a woman. But anyway, and so I don't know. And so, um, I was, I was reading Lamentations and I came to this passage that says Lord, you are my lawyer. Plead my case.

Yes.

You know, you're the judge. Prove me right. Show my enemies they're wrong. Something to that effect. And I thought, that's so amazing. And so, um, my— the version of that Bible is the NLT version, but it was like, it's a Bible from the early '90s or something. And, uh, so I thought, well, that's cool. So I started to read in other Bibles, and there's not one other Bible in the world, not even, not even the same translation, where it says, Lord, be my lawyer. Only my Bible. I searched every— I searched about 27 translations. I searched other Bibles of the same NLT of my Bible, and every other Bible just says, Lord, defend me. Mine is the only one I found in the whole world that says, Lord, you are my lawyer. And out of every scripture in the Bible, that's the one I turned to, is in Limitations. So I thought that was great. Okay, 1 Thessalonians.

So he thinks God is going to help him get out of being held accountable, which is an irony beyond all ironies. But mostly I want to note this about the sermon. This man is not only a compulsive liar, in my opinion, he lives in a fantasy world completely written and created by him. JP says no other Bible has this translation of Lord, you are my lawyer, as if God had sent a special message to JP by scrambling around letters and words and forming a new passage only seen in the Bible that JP has. It took Luna Shark researcher and reporter Beth Braden 2 minutes to prove that Lord, you are my lawyer is— well, first, It's not a translation. It's a paraphrase, and it's contained in the Living Bible. So JP wasn't even quoting the right Bible, and also lying that out of the 27 translations, he was unable to find an example of that phrase being used in any of the 27 translations he searched. Anyway, if God is JP's lawyer, then he has a fool for a client. Okay, I want to set the scene for you. The way federal court seating works is that it's first come, First seated.

By 1:30 PM, a whole hour before the hearing was set to start, the courtroom was packed, and there did not appear to be a single JP Miller supporter there. In fact, the lobby of the courthouse was already filled with people waiting for the courtroom to open at noon. One attendee told me that someone in courthouse security said to her that they had to bring in 52 US Marshals for this hearing, which I wasn't able to verify. But if that is true, you have to wonder why. Had JP's attorneys tried to play up some sort of persecution narrative that JP was targeted by dozens of, quote, heavyset blonde women wearing sweaters and no makeup, and therefore law enforcement needed to be increased. The same attendee, by the way, did a head count and noted there are 7 men here and the balance is all women. She said, what does that tell you? There are a whole lot of women who are fed up. Truer words have not been spoken. Back to the security, though. Every door in that courtroom had at least 2 US Marshals or courthouse security guards posted at them. That said, The gallery of the courtroom was a sea of purple, the color that symbolizes support for domestic violence awareness.

And JP had to walk through that sea like a big mopey Moses to get to his seat at the front of the courtroom. He showed up in the room about 7 or so minutes before the hearing was set to start. And going back to that funny thing that I said made it worth it for me to attend this hearing, JP walked into the courtroom holding a Bible to his chest. According to several people in the room who were able to see him head-on when he walked into the courtroom, It's funny because the judge wasn't there to witness this holy man moment. I mean, one has to assume that JP did that performative little walk with his Bible at his chest for the benefit of the judge, because no one, and I mean no one else in that room, would have been swayed by JP's attempt at piousness. No one else in that room could have been his intended audience. And again, that's just funny. It was a totally wasted effort because Because by the time the judge entered the room at 2:29— very prompt— the Bible was on the table and likely not visible from the bench.

Also notable, JP's attorneys— the ones that aren't God— didn't really identify JP as a man of God or church leader or man of the cloth and the book or friend of Jesus or even a client of God. The hearing started with JP waiving his right to have his charges read to him. The single charge of cyberstalking Micah for a year and a half, and the single charge of lying to federal investigators about it. And oh, oh, I should mention this. The prosecution showed up in force. At the table was lead prosecutor Elle Klein and prosecutor Ben Garner. Behind them were more staff from the U.S. Attorney's Office, and in the jury box were 2 rows of presumably more prosecutors along with federal investigators. Elle Klein federal magistrate Judge Thomas Rogers III that the government was recommending a high unsecured bond for JP, meaning a bond that JP wouldn't have to pay upfront but would be required to pay if he violated the terms of his release, which includes showing up to future court appearances. And this is the part that really set the JP Jubilee on fire for me, and I'm sure many others. They recommended that he be assigned a GPS monitor.

Elle Klein said the words we were all hoping she would, that JP is a flight risk and a danger to others, specifically Micah's family and other potential witnesses. Now, this is what made it really, really worth it to be in that courtroom, in the same way it did the day Mandy and I were in the room for Russell Lafitte's indictment and for the first time heard that Alex Murdaugh's law firm had confronted Alex about the $700,000-plus he had stolen from the firm on the same day of the murders.

And we'll be right back.

Du verpasst das Ticken dieser Uhr, die zu wertvoll ist, um getragen zu werden. Du verpasst das Rascheln dieses Kleides, das zu elegant ist, um es anzuziehen. Aber das hier, das hörst du, oder? Der neue Maserati Grecale GranTurismo GranCabrio. Die besondere Gelegenheit, sie zu fahren, ist jeden Tag. Entdecke den Maserati Showroom in deiner Nähe.

Hey, y'all.

It's Mandy Matney. If you're listening to Coerced, you already know that Micah Francis Miller's story runs so much deeper than what the world saw on Netflix. This week on True Sunlight, Liz Farrell and I are breaking down what Death of the Pastor's Wife left out. And trust me, it is a lot. Like JP's felon father, Reginald Wayne Miller, And how JP inherited the playbook from him. The manipulation, the lawsuit, the just-keep-preaching arrogance. Straight from his daddy. Plus, we talk about the 2 Jane Doe lawsuits that Netflix barely touched, and we tell you a whole lot about JP's ex-wife that Netflix left out. Remember, Justice for Micah is a movement, not a moment, and the full story matters. So follow True Sunlight wherever you're listening right now and check out episode 163, What Netflix Left Out of the Micah Frances Miller Story. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. Here is the list of reasons that Prosecutor Elle Klein, whose law background focused on domestic violence victim advocacy, gave the court as to why JP Miller needed to have that GPS monitor. Number 1, he has access to a private plane and he has used said plane in the past.

Remember that little plane that Solid Rock Church purchased a few weeks after Micah's death on May 9th, 2024? The one that was parked in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and had been ever since April 2024? Well, it is currently parked at the airfield in North Myrtle Beach. About a year ago, it made its only out-of-the-country journey when it flew to the Caribbean before flying back to Myrtle Beach a few days later. It is not clear how often JP was a passenger on that flight, but in September 2024, the plane became registered to FERX LLC, which is an entity that filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State's office in August 2024 by JP's close associate, Mark Kaufman. You know, the pianist who was JP's only friend for a while, according to JP. Number 2, in November 2024, when federal investigators raided JP's house, they found a safe containing a significant amount of cash, Silver coins and silver bars? I still can't wrap my head around that one. It's like second-place shady behavior, which is oddly giving me secondhand embarrassment for him. Also, the safe contained baseball cards, which, no surprise there. Thoughts and prayers to the former members of Solid Rock Church who paid for the silver bars and baseball cards and whatever stacks of cash JP was keeping on hand.

At any rate, the prosecutor's point was that everything in the safe was a liquid or liquefiable asset. Number 3: Elle also pointed out that JP currently has access to large amounts of cash because of his current churchy business endeavors. Number 4: JP Miller has already threatened to release intimate details about a witness who spoke to investigators. JP shared the names, addresses, and phone numbers of Micah's family members with a third party over an app meant to keep communications anonymous. The implication there was that JP was somehow preparing this third party to contact or harass the Francis family. Additionally, the prosecution said there was communication from JP saying that he was going to deal with one of Micah's family members, quote, face to face. Number 7, JP was charged with assault while all of this investigation was ongoing. And number 8, JP was seen by investigators, quote, hiding cars in an evasive move.

One thing I want to note, by the way, because this has been on my mind since the hearing, is that when JP Miller's house was raided in November 2024, he had already met with federal investigators at that point. His lying to federal investigators charge is connected to an October 17th, 2024 meeting with them, which means that when his house was raided, JP already knew he was under a serious microscope. So it's a fair question to ask whether the contents of that safe were reduced and possibly curated specifically for this investigation. The prosecution made it a point to inform the court that even if JP's personal savings and checking accounts show low balances, that does not honestly represent his true assets. Access to money. Anyway, JP's attorneys, not God, told the court that they were cool with an unsecured bond but not a high one, and that they didn't think a GPS monitor was necessary because JP— and this is pretty much the best they could come up with for the judge— is a 46-year-old man who grew up in Myrtle Beach and has family there. It's like Alex Murdaugh only being able to describe Maggie as A woman, a wife, and a mother.

Except in Alex's case, that's because he only cared about himself and likely never pondered who Maggie was beyond her use to him. In JP's case, he's paying 2 highly experienced attorneys to represent who he is to the court. And I mean, they nailed it. They really did. Because JP's age and location are literally the only 2 facts you can say about him that don't contain some damning side note or need for further explanation or are part of a dishonest cover story. Anyway, bottom line, the JP jubilee ended with the judge setting JP's bond at an unsecured $100,000 with conditions, including GPS monitoring that JP will have to pay for, no travel outside of South Carolina for JP, a surrender of JP's passport, a warning not to break the law while out on bond, a requirement that JP report minor infractions of the law to the probation office for, as the judge said, Even something as minor as a jaywalking ticket or a speeding ticket, which we all know is a likelihood for JP given his driving history. JP is not allowed to possess firearms before trial or drink alcohol to excess or take any illegal drugs.

He must submit to drug tests if the probation office requires that of him and attend alcohol and drug treatment programs if probation thinks it's necessary. After the hearing was over, everyone rushed out of the courthouse to reunite with their phones, and the dozens of purple-attired protesters brought out signs with Micah's picture on them and the phrase Micah knew everything, a reference to the suspicions Micah had about JP and the church in the lead-up to her death, i.e., the paper trail she referenced. There was a release of purple biodegradable balloons in the parking lot, which marked a beautiful moment because again, this day would not have come without the hard work of the protesters and their endurance through the stress and anguish that JP put them through. Or rather, the stress and anguish that the Horry County Magistrate Court and Horry County Police Department allowed JP to put them through by, in our opinions, abusing the justice and legal systems in a retaliation plan that could only have been conceived at whatever is the opposite of a brainstorming session. One more final thought for y'all. JP Miller, the menace of Myrtle Beach, is being tracked in real time.

He doesn't have a curfew. He doesn't have restrictions by not traveling outside South Carolina's borders. But his every move is being monitored. It's actually starting to feel like justice for Micah.

Micah knew everything. That is what the signs in the parking lot in Florence, South Carolina, Surrounded by purple balloons, said, and after 17 episodes, you know what Micah knew too. You know about the money. You know about the pattern. You know what was being done to her had a shape, even when the law had no name for it. And she left a paper trail so the rest of us could see it. The federal indictment of JP Miller is 3 pages long. Micah's evidence made every page possible. In October 2026, unless it gets delayed again, JP Miller will face a jury in Florence, South Carolina, and our team will be covering every day of that trial on the True Sunlight podcast. In January, Micah's law hopefully goes back to the statehouse, and the Jane Doe lawsuits continue. Until next time, stay tuned, Stay pesky and stay in the sunlight. Coerced: The Devotion and Death of Micah Frances Miller is a Luna Shark production with reporting from journalists Mandy Matney, Liz Farrell, and Beth Braden, made possible by producers Kate Thomas, Grace Hills, and David Moses. Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com.