Transcript of 6) JP Miller Accused Of Assault & Abuse + What His Ex-Wife Said

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My name is Mandy Matney. Journalists Liz Farrell, Beth Braden, and I have been reporting on Micah's story for more than 2 years now for True Sunlight Podcast. Coerced is a Luna Shark production made possible by producers Kate Thomas, Grace Hills, and David Moses. We weren't at all surprised to find that Micah's estranged husband, JP Miller's past included allegations of violence and abuse. In 1998, JP was arrested and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature for using his vehicle at, quote, a high rate of speed to run over a woman twice. He pleaded guilty and was basically sentenced to probation for that very serious felony charge. But that light sentence wasn't good enough for JP. In 2021, JP's powerful buddies in high places got him pardoned for that charge. just so that he could buy a gun. Liz Farrell and Beth Braden got the recordings for that hearing, and they revealed JP as a man who believed that he could talk his way out of anything. And they revealed a system that supported him. Let's dive in.

We received the audio recordings of JP's pardon hearing with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services. I just want you guys to hear for yourself how easy this was for him. First off, his attorney, Casey Brown from Winslow Law, gives a 1-minute summary of why JP deserves to be pardoned.

I can begin. Um, my client, born May 20th, 1979, uh, seeking a pardon for his assault and battery of high and aggravated nature. He was The incident date is listed as February 11th, 1998, and client pled guilty in June of 1999. He received a 4-year sentence suspended to 3 years probation. Probation was completed without incident, um, and it's been 20 years since then. My client has completely turned his life around. He's got a family, wife, kids. He started a ministry. And so we are seeking a pardon for this to restore his civil liberties. As our religion and Lord teaches forgiveness, we're seeking that from the state. So I'll turn it over to my client to explain a little bit more about his life and changes since then, the last 20 years.

And then JP is asked why he feels like he deserves a pardon.

Well, first of all, when it happened a little over 20 years ago, the incident was I was driving a work truck through a wake zone after a hurricane. And the person that brought the charge or whatever said that the waves of the wake zone, I guess, knocked them over or something. And when I went to court, I was young and I didn't have a lawyer and didn't know anything. And a lady that was in the courthouse just told me to plead guilty. And so I went in to plead guilty, and the person who was bringing the charges didn't even show up because they had 3 or 4 warrants out for their arrest. And I never even met the person or saw the person ever in my entire life. And I didn't even know that I had this charge until a few years ago. We have a bunch of lieutenants and policemen in our congregation.

And, um, okay, Mr. Miller.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Miller, let me tell you something here. I'm sure your attorney will tell you we don't retry cases here. We, there's, we just can't do anything about that. But we, we just have the facts of the case. Okay. Yes, sir. What we're trying to look at now is how have you changed? Why do you feel like you deserve a pardon? And some of the things you've been doing since all this happened.

JP obviously wasn't following directions, but let's talk about his bizarre version of how things went down in comparison to what the victims said happened and what he pleaded guilty to. There were no hurricanes in February 1998. There was, however, flooding in Myrtle Beach. According to the warrant for JB's arrest and to a civil lawsuit filed by his victim, Jennifer Garland, shortly after, people were out and about that day in the Bridge Creek neighborhood putting down sandbags to alleviate the flooding. According to the warrant, People told JP to slow down, but he continued to speed through the neighborhood. He hit Jennifer, and she lost her balance and then stood up. And as he drove off, she ended up on the hood of his truck for a quarter mile before he slammed on the brakes and she fell off. According to the lawsuit, at around 3:45 on the afternoon of February 8th, 1998, Jennifer was assisting her family and friends with sandbagging their homes. JP was allegedly at the scene driving a different truck from the one he ended up hitting Jennifer with. While driving in that truck on the closed road, and after being told to leave by people at the scene, JP returned in a silver S10 pickup with black tape over the license plate to conceal his identity.

Again, this is according to the filing. Quote, upon returning in the silver S10, defendant again began to speed To harass the people attempting to save their homes. Jennifer was on the road and told JP to slow down, according to the lawsuit. He reacted by accelerating and drove into her and then drove off with her on the hood, again according to the lawsuit. Then he left the scene, according to the lawsuit. In his response to that lawsuit, JP denied the allegations and upped the ante. In his In the filing, he alleges that he was harassed at the scene, that Jennifer jumped on the hood of his truck and attempted to damage his truck, and that she refused to get off the truck. He said any injury Jennifer had from that is her own fault. But then the next year, he pleaded guilty as charged in criminal court. It's ridiculous that JP would claim that he didn't even know he had these charges when there are repeated instances of him using his redemption from his past in his sermons. And it's ridiculous that he would try to paint his victim as a criminal. I mean, he's a pastor, someone who is supposed to care about people, forgive people, and ask for forgiveness for himself.

Not only does he try to manipulate the board into believing that these charges were so unfair and meaningless that he had simply forgotten about them, and not only does he try to paint the victim as a bad person with warrants out for her arrest, And not only does he show zero remorse for this past, he wants the board to know that he's connected in the law enforcement community, that he is such an important person and has them on his side. You caught where he mentioned that he had police lieutenants in his congregation, right? It's odd, no? So finally, JP follows directions and tells the board why he thinks he deserves this pardon.

Okay, I have a wife and 5 children. Um, my older 3 are college graduates.

Notice how he tries to paint himself out to be the head of this, like, solid and established family when really he has a child from a teenage relationship with a different last name from him, 4 kids from a marriage that he ruined allegedly with his sex addiction, and a wife he was allegedly cheating on at the time. Can we talk about how many bad men get bonus points just for stating that they're a husband and a father, as if that carries something? Can we talk about how many men who are also husbands and fathers have brutally murdered their own family members? So being a husband and a father actually means nothing. Also, this isn't his kids' fault, but he absolutely did not have 3 children who were college graduates at the time of this hearing. That is a lie.

I've started a church that has over 500 people in it each week. We have a— I started a homeless ministry that specifically takes vets that are homeless off the streets, gets them jobs with people in our congregation. We get them a place to live, give them transportation once they've completed our courses. I started a Christian private school that is the most affordable school in all of Myrtle Beach so that any Christian family that wants to put their child in a private school can do so. Like I said, I didn't even know this charge was on my record until recently. And, you know, I just, I would love to have the pardon just because I think it's the right thing for me and I think it's the right thing to do in general.

Here's the rest.

How's it going to help you? What are you looking to do?

I guess I'm just looking for a little bit of forgiveness, and I think that it would, you know, with the lieutenants and the policemen in our congregation, just, you know, it just adds to my, I guess, the things that I've accomplished in the past 20-something years. It just feels weird having a charge on your record like that, especially one of how it took place.

It's just a And I think that because it's been 20 years since the completion of his probation, we're looking to restore civil liberties, and especially for a leader of a church, a person who's started educational programs and homeless vet programs. I think that restoring civil liberties, civil liberties for a man like this is important as an American and as a South Carolina resident.

Absolutely. Well, thank you, and I appreciate, uh, the clarity there. And, uh, I'm not going to ask you about giving back to your community because your whole life looks like you're headed back, giving back to your community through your ministry, sir. Is there anything, Mr. Miller, that you haven't been able to tell us that you like, you want to make sure this board knows today?

No, sir.

I guess that sums it up. I guess that sums it up. Thank you for your time.

Well, we appreciate you appearing today. Anything in closing, Mr. Brown?

You're, uh, just that it's been 20 years again, and, and my client's— the change in his life is— it was brought on not by the state, it's by his own self-doing. Uh, and I think it's night and day from the '90s to now of what he's done, what he's accomplished, not for himself and his family but also for the community as a whole in the state of South Carolina. And I think that that warrants the restoration of civil liberties. He knows that the charge won't be removed from his record, but it's the forgiveness based on the life that he's lived, the exemplary life he's lived, and the goals and rewards that he sought for not only himself, his family, and the rest of South Carolina.

If JP had not gotten this pardon, Would it have changed his behavior over the last few years? Obviously, we can't know the answer to that, but we can say that this pardon that he definitely did not deserve, in our opinion, likely sent a very affirmative message to him that he was this person he wanted people to believe he was, a person whose present was so honorable that he didn't deserve to have to continue paying these consequences. Consequences, by the way, that he accepted in lieu of going to trial and going to prison anymore.

Again, it confirms a core belief JP seems to have about himself, which is that if he wants something, he is entitled to get it, and people always seem to support him in his endeavors no matter what. It is something that has come across loud and clear as we have continued to go through his divorce filings, and it's something that a lot of these guys accused of doing horrible things to their wives, like Alex Murdaugh, Michael Colucci, and now JP Miller, all seem to share— a history of getting out of whatever they get into, and a system just letting them do it time and time again. And we'll be right back.

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Now.

Let's talk about JP's divorce from his first wife. Last week, we shared the most recent filing in this case with you, an emergency motion in which JP's first wife, Allison, sought full custody of their 2 youngest children. With her motion, Allison included an affidavit that further illustrates Micah's fears leading up to her death. She said that things started to get really bad with JP and his marriage to Micah In fall of 2021. In fact, she links the worsening of JP's behavior and the sudden death of Chris Skinner, a motivational speaker who was married to a woman that Allison identified as a paramour of JP's. Chris Skinner was paralyzed from the chest down. Despite this, he was a surfer and ostensibly adept around water. In September 2021, he was found unresponsive in his neighborhood pool. He drowned to death. Allison said that it was around this time, and around the time that JP was trying to get a pardon so that he could get a gun, that she began to witness increasingly concerning behavior from JP, which eventually led to Micah seeking her counsel about what to do. Here is a voicemail from Micah that Allison included as evidence with her motion.

Hey, Allie, it's Micah. Um, this is my new number. Please don't give it to anybody, but I just wanted to see who your counselor was to help you either walk through forgiveness and stuff and, um, keep your heart right through all the mess, because I don't want to—

I'm sorry.

I don't want to lose myself in this, and I don't want to pursue anything out of anger or vengeance or anything like that. I just want to be free and at peace and keep my soul right. So, um, if you just text me in the evening, even have a good counselor, you know, I greatly appreciate it. Thanks. Bye.

In her affidavit, Allison said that the things Micah had told her about JP Lined up with her own experience enough that she knew Micah was telling the truth. So what was Allison's experience with JP? Right now, we can only go by the story that the divorce filings tell. Allison and JP separated in June 2015 when JP's affair with Micah became known. It is around this time that Micah separated from her husband. When Allison, who was 35 at the time, filed for divorce, she did not cite JP's affairs as grounds for the divorce. In an affidavit, she noted that she intentionally did, and we'll talk about that in a minute. Now, again, in an interesting coincidence, Allison was using the very same law firm that Micah hired to represent her in her divorce from JP. Allison's attorney has since left and gone to another firm. In August 2015, she and JP had come up with an agreement for their 4 children in which JP would have had joint legal and physical custody of them. But JP's schedule with the children was articulated, and like we mentioned last week, JP was not allowed to have custody of his daughter overnight.

Something Allison maintains was done because of JP's admission that he had molested teenage girls at the church. At the time, JP agreed to pay $1,200 a month in child support and $1,100 in alimony. He agreed to pay this alimony for up to 12 years. The agreement allowed him to stop paying if Allison, who did not work at the time, were to remarry or to live with a love interest for more than 90 days. JP also agreed to give her ownership of the house with the understanding that she would sell it after the kids were gone and split the equity with him. Nearly all of Allison's alimony would go toward paying the mortgage. She was allowed to keep her Honda Odyssey and was expected to cover the cost. Just a few months after coming to this agreement, the couple had to amend it because JP was now claiming that his income had dropped significantly. A trick that he apparently learned from his father. And don't worry, we will open up that can of worms on a later episode. According to the affidavit that Allison would later file, this was due to self-inflicted injuries which resulted in him being temporarily confined to a wheelchair.

According to a financial declaration JP filed in October 2015, he had no permanent address at that time. And was now making only $3,800 a month at the church. He attended the October 2015 hearing without an attorney. Allison agreed to lower his child support payments to $900 a month. A transcript from this hearing was included in their divorce file. We want to share it with you because we think it is pretty telling and paints a picture of the chaos in this man's life. The judge began by asking Allison and JP boilerplate questions about their agreement, but partway through, something happened and it's not clear what. Here's David reading the transcript.

The court. Okay, Mr. Miller, do you need a minute, sir? JP. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm good.

The judge continued to ask questions, affirming that they had both agreed to the terms of the agreement. But when the judge asked if they both believed their agreement to be in the best interest of the children, JP appears to have delayed his answer. When the judge pressed him, he apologized and answered affirmatively. So it seems like something was going on with JP, some sort of behavior that caused the judge to stop proceedings twice. At the end of the questioning, the judge asked JP where he was working. Here is David reading the transcript.

I'm the pastor of a church in Myrtle Beach, Solid Rock Ministries. Okay, I see you're in a wheelchair. You apparently have some bandages on your right foot. I fell out of a tree about 10 days ago, yeah. Out of a tree?

Yes, sir.

Do you have any broken bones? Yes, sir. 5 in my foot and 2 in my wrist, and my knee's messed up. What are your prospects for recovery? I'm hoping about 2 months. I'll be able to walk by Christmas again. Okay. What were you doing up in a tree? Everybody asked me that. If you don't mind my asking— I have to be honest with you, I guess. Is that right? In hopes for reconciliation? Okay, that's okay. I don't need to hear that.

Court transcripts are great, but they don't always convey the vibe in the room. But I think we all get what was going through the judge's mind in that exact moment. He was like, never mind, I can tell this is going to be some hot nonsense and I'm not interested. So why was JP in a tree? Was he doing some, like, 1980s romance thing and hopeful that there'd be some sort of reconciliation if he got up in a tree? Was he trying to fly like Superman? It is very unclear. Later in the hearing, the judge confirmed that JP was representing himself and asked if he had been given time to hire one. JP says yes and tells the judge that he couldn't afford to hire an attorney, but That he was okay. The judge continues to press him, and JP tells him, I'm fine. I can represent myself. At that point, Allison's attorney interjected to tell the judge that JP had consulted with several lawyers prior to this date and had reviewed the agreement with more than 2 attorneys. A year after being separated from JP, Allison filed for divorce. Remember, in South Carolina, you have to live apart from your spouse for a year.

Before you can get a no-fault divorce. Keep in mind, during this separation period, sources say that JP was refusing to let Allison go, even though the marriage ended due to his affair with Micah. For a period of time, he allegedly love bombed Allison with grand gestures, trying to win her back, just like he allegedly did with Micah in the year leading up to her death. On September 14th, 2016, a final order of Divorce was filed.

That is the story that the 2015 filings tell. But what Allison submitted to the court nearly a decade later shows what she carried the entire time. Here's a clip from True Sunlight Podcast, episode 54.

Back to Allison's affidavit. After JP Miller's affair with Micah became known, The church apparently asked him to enroll in an extensive sexual addiction program, which, according to Allison, he promised he would. But to her knowledge, that never happened. According to Allison, the affair tore her family and the church apart. It caused an unimaginable amount of pain and discord in the lives of so many innocent people who truly trusted and believed in JP. Now here is where it gets more interesting. We have told you about how worried JP was about the effect Micah Miller's departure would have on his church. According to sources, he was very worried that word would get out that he was cheating on Micah and that Micah would reveal even more details about his sex life that would result in him again losing his congregation. Which is what happened in 2015 after the affair was discovered. But it is not so simple to say that JP's flock scattered back then because of the affair that he had with Micah. According to Allison's affidavit, this is what happened. The church wanted JP to step down temporarily to get treatment. The church council, relying on amended bylaws that gave them the authority to do this, ordered JP to do so.

But after they voted, JP then held a meeting and informed them that the new bylaws were invalid and according to the old bylaws, he had 100% decision-making authority. Here is what Allison wrote about that. That was the first time members of the church had an opportunity to see JP for who he really was and became gravely concerned about how his integrity and the financial structure of the church. As a result, almost our entire congregation left the church, and JP began his quest to recruit new members and operate Solid Rock Ministries solely at his discretion.

So that brings us to the now, right? This puts the now in better perspective. JP wasn't just scared of what a divorce from Micah might do to the number of church members. This was a A different church altogether from when Allison belonged to it. This was a church that JP had built in JP's likeness, a church that recognized JP's authority in a much less distilled way than the previous church. If JP were to lose those members, the people he had curated for his church, then what would he have left? JP is this church. And this church is JP. Now, back in 2015, when Allison learned about JP's inappropriate behavior with minor female members of the church— and I'm saying inappropriate behavior here not to gloss over the details, but simply because we don't know them— Allison says she went to the girls and asked them to come forward. The girls told her what happened but said they were too scared of JP to tell police and testify in court, according to the affidavit. When I learned they were too fearful to report JP, I went to the police department for the purpose of making a report and requesting an investigation.

However, I was in essence told by police officials that nobody would believe me because JP was a well-known pastor and we were in the middle of a divorce. So that's terrific, right? The police apparently weren't even receptive to hearing about the potential and apparently unreported abuse happening at an area church. I know your next question is going to be like, what about the church elders? Weren't they required to report this abuse after JP told them about it? Uh, yeah, but we have not seen any evidence thus far that they did so. Here's what Allison says happened next. I began to realize the power JP seemed to have over leaders and officials in our community, and based upon having limited power, there was no way for me to ensure JP was held accountable. and prevented from continuing to victimize innocent people. Given the circumstances, I decided the best way for me to protect our children was to reach an agreement with JP that contained terms I believed would ensure their safety and encourage him to seek treatment. To that end, JP had periodic periods of visitation with our children. However, we agreed JP's visitation with our daughter, who is the subject to this action, would be restricted to solely daytime periods of visitation.

So according to this, JP hasn't been allowed to have his now teenage daughter for overnight visits because of his history with teenage girls. Allison's affidavit also gives us insight into her relationship with Micah, who had been very close to the Miller family prior to the affair. Allison says she taught Micah to drive and took her to get her driver's license, and that Micah shared many mealtimes with the family. Allison says that she provided Micah with guidance and advice and that Micah started working for the church around that same time. In her affidavit, Allison writes, despite the initial destruction caused by JP's infidelity, for several years there was a part of me that was relieved to know Micah would be present in the home when JP had periods of visitation with our children, and I viewed her as a safety net for my children. So having Micah there was a big deal for Allison, despite and because of the history of their relationship. For a while, things weren't so tumultuous, she says. But then things changed in 2021 and 2022. Things changed to the detriment of her children, she said, escalating to the, quote, severity of where things are today.

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Together with journalist Liz Farrell, we continue this mission with our newest evolution, True Sunlight. Luna Shark's True Sunlight podcast values accuracy over access journalism.

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Somebody just unloaded, shot through his windshield, and shot this guy.

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We continue to shed light on Stephen Smith's case and Alex Murdaugh's co-conspirators. But also, we like to take deep dives into other cases around the country.

Robeson County 911. And she actually said the FBI was looking into it.

And he said, call the cops, I don't care. I'm, I'm armed and ready.

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Allison says her children were placed in the middle of JP's marital problems with Micah. JP would preach sermons on Sundays. Our children were with him and present in the congregation, disparaging Micah and indicating she had mental health issues and eventually putting her in a mental hospital. The children were subjected to JP calling Micah crazy one day and then her being back in the home at their next visit with their father assuring them she was fine. They never knew what to expect. And the intense unpredictability and marital discord between JP and Micah negatively impacted them all. On one occasion, while picking up our daughter, I observed holes in their walls, hinges off the doors, and pieces of paper taped to the walls with negative affirmations about Micah. JP told me and our children that Micah was delusional and speaking different languages and seeing things that were not There. Okay, obviously we don't know for sure, but reading between the lines, it seems like Allison is saying that the environment was bad not because of Micah's mental health, but because of what JP was saying about Micah's mental health. Notice how she doesn't say her children witnessed any of this supposed behavior.

But can you imagine telling children these things about their stepmother and then expecting them not to have worries or questions about it? Sources tell us that Micah really cared for her stepchildren, and the 2 younger ones in particular really cared about her. This is scary stuff for kids to have to contend with. Okay, so then Allison's affidavit gets even more interesting. Quote, JP began spending time with his new paramour, Susie. Yes, Allison went there. Now, those of you who have been following the story really closely on social media might recognize the name Susie. JP was pictured with Susie shortly after Micah's death, reportedly having an apparently good time at a local restaurant. In addition, Robeson County Sheriff's Office put in their press release about Micah's death that at the time of Micah's death, JP was with a romantic interest in Charleston. And there are a lot of rumors about JP and Susie and Susie's deceased husband. Let's hear what Allison has to say about JP and Susie, whose son played soccer with JP and Allison's son. JP began using our son to facilitate times he could spend with Susie, which our children were well aware of.

Their friends talked about it, and it caused them a tremendous amount of embarrassment. When I learned JP was exposing our children to yet another one of his adulterous affairs, I confronted JP and Susie and told them not to let it happen again. JP called me the day Susie's husband died in an alleged drowning accident. Extremely upset and asking me to pray, which was incredibly bizarre. Based on information and belief, just 2 weeks prior to this incident, Susie's husband had confronted JP and asked him to leave his wife and children alone. It is chilling to know that the spouses of both Susie and JP are now dead from tragic Whoa, right? So Susie's husband was 40-year-old Chris Skinner. He was in a car crash involving a drunk driver at age 20 and was paralyzed from the chest down, according to news reports. He was a motivational speaker and had written books, and he was an adaptive surfer, meaning even though he was quadriplegic, he enjoyed surfing and the water. Meaning he was comfortable around the water. In September 2021, he was found unresponsive in his neighborhood pool.

He drowned to death.

His death was ruled accidental. On social media, people have insinuated that there's more to Chris's death and that it needed to be investigated back then and needs to be reinvestigated today. Allison Williams, JB's former wife, has now put it on the record that she also believes something strange was afoot here. She says that it was around the time of Chris's death that JP's mental health began, quote, really spiraling out of control, and he began acting even more bizarre. Quote, he informed me that he was getting into buying guns and shooting, and he had purchased a gun safe for his home. As a convicted felon, he is not allowed to have weapons. However, He managed to get a police chief from the church to assist with expunging his record. Further, he was given a special police badge that says pastor to utilize if he ever gets pulled over so they will let him go. A badge, you guys? Sound familiar? Remember when we all found out that Alex Murdaugh had been carrying around not just one, but 2 badges from the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office and driving around with blue lights on his truck? For no good reason.

Good old boys never grow up, and it's always surprising to find out just how much the system enables them with these pseudo-VIP experiences on the taxpayer dime. According to the Public Index, JP has a long history of traffic infractions. In addition, one of the charges he had pardoned in 2022 was for getting caught driving under suspension for the 3rd time.

2 wives, 8 years apart. Liz and I put those divorces side by side in True Sunlight Podcast Episode 56.

We have talked about the insight we have been getting from court documents in connection to JP's first divorce, which was filed in the summer of 2015 by his first wife, Allison Williams, after his affair with Micah was discovered. We've also talked about the timeline of Micah's divorce, how Micah filed in October 2023 citing adultery, then consented to dropping the case in February of this year, only to have JP immediately turn around and file his own motion for protection, which was later dropped. That was all before Micah finally filed for a no-fault divorce in April. Shortly before her death. The timeline helps give context to the other things that were going on in Micah's life at the time, in terms of the harassment she was reporting and in terms of the pressure her friends and family say she was getting from JP and other church members to drop her divorce case. That context is the word adultery appearing in her original filing. In both Allison and Micah's cases, it was clear that JP's reputation at the church and his ability to keep tithers coming through the door was and is of utmost importance to him. In Allison's case, she originally kept JP's affair out of the courtroom because, according to her affidavit, she didn't want his career to be further affected.

She didn't want the church to lose any more members. It wasn't until JP ignored 2 court orders and went months without paying her the alimony she needed to pay her mortgage That she gave the court the full picture of who JP really was. In Micah's case, she elected to include the adultery. Why was it? To hurt JP? To embarrass him?

Maybe.

But there is another potential reason. By citing his adultery, she was speeding up the process in South Carolina. She was essentially asking the court to get her out of this union ASAP. That could be because she didn't want to be connected to JP any longer, or it could be because she simply could not afford to live apart from him for a full year before being allowed to have him out of her life. And that is the problem with divorce in South Carolina. You have to live apart for a year, which is expensive, especially for a woman who made pennies Working for her husband at his church when he wasn't firing her and rehiring her on a whim, as Micah's attorney said that he did. So women in abusive situations in their marriages are faced with a very difficult challenge. We could go on for days about this. Divorce is difficult even for couples with amicable splits. Add in a wealth discrepancy Power differential and long-term unreported abuse, and women in South Carolina are at an extreme disadvantage when trying to leave a partner who does not agree that they should be divorced. That said, these women weren't just divorcing JP.

They were divorcing his church, which both women have referred to as being synonymous with him. They weren't just divorcing the church. In some way, they were using the only shred of power they had in this situation, the good pastor's weak spot, his reputation in the church versus what they knew to be intimately true about him, as leverage. But like with those videos, JP couldn't help himself either, and both cases resulted in unflattering and concerning details about his life being put on the record. He is not alone. In fact, there is a bit of a pattern here. History repeating itself.

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 Manny 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.

We expose the truth wherever it leads, give voice to victims, and get the story straight. My name is Mandy Matney. Together with journalist Liz Farrell, we continue this mission with our newest evolution, True Sunlight. Luna Shark's True Sunlight podcast values accuracy over access journalism.

We're out. Hey, back up. Welding back up.

Camp Swamp Road, and somebody just unloaded, shot through his windshield, and shot this guy.

True sunlight is shed with empathy, not exploitation.

I don't really trust the media too much because they're just looking for a story, and instead of helping with Stephen's story, they're actually hurting it.

True sunlight is the intersection of journalism True crime and systemic corruption.

I was in the shadows last night.

I weren't there, but I was in the shadows.

We continue to shed light on Stephen Smith's case and Alex Murdaugh's co-conspirators. But also, we like to take deep dives into other cases around the country.

Robeson County 911.

And she actually said the FBI was looking into it.

And he said, call the cops, I don't care. I'm, I'm armed and ready.

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