Latest news with #John-PaulMiller
Toronto Sun
5 days ago
- Toronto Sun
South Carolina pastor hires armed guards for contentious wedding ceremony
South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller married church congregant Suzie Skinner following the deaths of both of their spouses. Photo by TikTok / FindingNeejo / via Robbie Harvey / X A South Carolina pastor got married for the third time, just four years after his new wife's late husband confronted him about an alleged affair days before he drowned to death. John-Paul Miller married Suzie Skinner in a beach ceremony Sunday while armed guards protected the newlyweds, reported CBS affiliate WBTW. Freelance reporter Robbie Harvey noted that the couple's seven combined children did not attend the wedding. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account ::: JOHN-PAUL & SUZIE ::: Footage from yesterday's wedding ceremony of John-Paul Miller and Suzie Skinner. Neither one of Suzie Skinner's children, and none of John-Paul's kids, were in attendance. Charles Randall was not in attendance either. Wayne Miller shockingly kept his… — Robbie Harvey (@therobbieharvey) June 2, 2025 Skinner's former husband, Chris Skinner, drowned in a swimming pool in 2021. He was a quadriplegic army veteran. According to court documents, Chris accused Miller of having an affair with his wife just two weeks before his death. Miller maintained they were just friends and nothing was happening between the two of them, adding he had no connection to his death. Both Skinners were congregation members at Miller's church. Miller's third time tying the knot came after his second wife died more than a year ago under unusual circumstances. Mica Miller, 30, was found dead in a North Carolina swamp in April 2024. Investigators officially ruled she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Miller was the pastor at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, S.C., before selling the 23-acre property earlier this year for more than $2 million, according to ABC affiliate WPDE, citing county land records. In November, the pastor was arrested for assault and battery following an altercation with a protester who wanted justice for Miller's second wife. Friends and family of the deceased woman alleged Miller had a history of abuse and coercive control and that it contributed to her death. Miller denied the abuse accusations and said his estranged wife needed help, claiming she was mentally ill. Read More Celebrity Columnists Canada Canada Toronto & GTA
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
South Carolina pastor faces new allegations months after wife's suicide death, FBI raid on home
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). A new lawsuit has been filed against an embattled South Carolina pastor whose wife, Mica Miller, took her own life last spring, and his father, accusing the men of "sexual abuse and predatory conduct" and using the church as a "sexual playground" for decades. The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges that John-Paul Miller, now 45, attacked a 15-year-old girl in 1998 while at Sunday school at Miller's father's church. "For years, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller have presented themselves as devout religious leaders. They built their reputations in the Myrtle Beach community and beyond as men of faith, dedicated to spreading God's word and training future church leaders. But this image was a lie," the complaint reads. Sc Pastor's Wife Mica Miller Told Police She Was Being Tracked Before Her Suicide: Docs The 43-page complaint accuses Miller, then 19, of taking the girl into his father's office at All Nations Church before forcing her outside and sexually assaulting her inside his truck. Read On The Fox News App The woman, who now lives in Indiana, is being identified as "Jane Doe" to avoid the risk of "humiliation and embarrassment," according to the complaint. READ THE LAWSUIT: MOBILE USERS Click Here At the time of her alleged assault, John-Paul was "known to his father, church leadership and members as a troubled individual with a history of reckless behavior, including prior legal troubles, a child born out of wedlock, and a pattern of misconduct," according to the lawsuit. "Behind their religious façade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct—often targeting minors. They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public," the complaint continued. Mica Miller 911 Call Reveals Final Moments Before Her Death As Nc Authorities Challenge 'Conspiracy Theories' "Upon information and belief, this deception has shielded them from law enforcement scrutiny, allowing their misconduct to continue unchecked." Years after the first alleged assault, the same woman reported encountering John-Paul in person during a trip to Myrtle Beach with a friend in 2023. John-Paul allegedly leaned in to hug her "and shoved his hand down her pants, touching her genitals without consent," according to the complaint. The woman and John-Miller then got into a heated argument when he later tried to use scripture from the Bible to justify the attack, quoting, "No man is without sin and temptation. God understands that." "This church was JPM's sexual playground," the complaint states. South Carolina Woman Mica Miller's Husband Says He Tried To 'Raise Her From The Dead' During Eulogy "Leadership at the church, including RWM, should have undertaken something to protect the minors at the church from JPM and any other predator," according to the lawsuit. "They did not." The lawsuit also raised questions about the financial dealings of the ministries and their leaders. John-Paul has been at the center of controversy since the death of his wife last April. Mica, 30, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in North Carolina's Lumber River State Park, on April 27. Click To Get The Fox News App Her death shed light on the couple's strained relationship. The pair were separated, and Mica filed for divorce two days before she died, according to FOX 8 Greensboro. Robeson County Sheriff's Office investigators also determined that John-Paul "and a female that he is allegedly romantically involved with" were not in Robeson County at the time of Mica's death. John-Paul was arrested in November on charges of assault and battery after a reported confrontation with protesters outside his local church, Solid Rock at Common Market. The FBI also searched John-Paul's home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in November. His attorney's office previously told Fox News Digital he does not have any comment on his wife's case. Fox News Digital reached out to John-Paul's attorney. His father and their churches could not immediately be reached for comment. Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. Original article source: South Carolina pastor faces new allegations months after wife's suicide death, FBI raid on home
Fox News
28-02-2025
- Fox News
South Carolina pastor faces new allegations months after wife's suicide death, FBI raid on home
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). A new lawsuit has been filed against an embattled South Carolina pastor whose wife, Mica Miller, took her own life last spring, and his father, accusing the men of "sexual abuse and predatory conduct" and using the church as a "sexual playground" for decades. The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges that John-Paul Miller, now 45, attacked a 15-year-old girl in 1998 while at Sunday school at Miller's father's church. "For years, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller have presented themselves as devout religious leaders. They built their reputations in the Myrtle Beach community and beyond as men of faith, dedicated to spreading God's word and training future church leaders. But this image was a lie," the complaint reads. The 43-page complaint accuses Miller, then 19, of taking the girl into his father's office at All Nations Church before forcing her outside and sexually assaulting her inside his truck. The woman, who now lives in Indiana, is being identified as "Jane Doe" to avoid the risk of "humiliation and embarrassment," according to the complaint. READ THE LAWSUIT: MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE At the time of her alleged assault, John-Paul was "known to his father, church leadership and members as a troubled individual with a history of reckless behavior, including prior legal troubles, a child born out of wedlock, and a pattern of misconduct," according to the lawsuit. "Behind their religious façade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct—often targeting minors. They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public," the complaint continued. "Upon information and belief, this deception has shielded them from law enforcement scrutiny, allowing their misconduct to continue unchecked." Years after the first alleged assault, the same woman reported encountering John-Paul in person during a trip to Myrtle Beach with a friend in 2023. John-Paul allegedly leaned in to hug her "and shoved his hand down her pants, touching her genitals without consent," according to the complaint. The woman and John-Miller then got into a heated argument when he later tried to use scripture from the Bible to justify the attack, quoting, "No man is without sin and temptation. God understands that." "This church was JPM's sexual playground," the complaint states. "Leadership at the church, including RWM, should have undertaken something to protect the minors at the church from JPM and any other predator," according to the lawsuit. "They did not." The lawsuit also raised questions about the financial dealings of the ministries and their leaders. John-Paul has been at the center of controversy since the death of his wife last April. Mica, 30, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in North Carolina's Lumber River State Park, on April 27. Her death shed light on the couple's strained relationship. The pair were separated, and Mica filed for divorce two days before she died, according to FOX 8 Greensboro. Robeson County Sheriff's Office investigators also determined that John-Paul "and a female that he is allegedly romantically involved with" were not in Robeson County at the time of Mica's death. John-Paul was arrested in November on charges of assault and battery after a reported confrontation with protesters outside his local church, Solid Rock at Common Market. The FBI also searched John-Paul's home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in November. His attorney's office previously told Fox News Digital he does not have any comment on his wife's case. Fox News Digital reached out to John-Paul's attorney. His father and their churches could not immediately be reached for comment. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Jane Doe' sues John-Paul Miller and his father, says ministry fostered ‘sexual abuse and predatory conduct' for decades
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A woman is suing John-Paul Miller and his father, accusing both in Horry County Circuit Court of 'sexual abuse and predatory conduct' that often targeted minors over decades. The 43-page complaint alleges that John-Paul touched her genitals without her consent as recently as 2023 and that the assault 'triggered repressed memories' of a previous assault by him that allegedly occurred nearly 20 years earlier when she was 15 years old and he was 19. It doesn't mention whether the woman has provided information to any law enforcement officials concerning her allegations. JP-Miller-lawsuitDownload The lawsuit names the Millers, All Nations Cathedral Church, formerly Cathedral Baptist Church of the Grand Strand and Solid Rock Ministries. Sister station News13 has reached out to her Rock Hill-based attorney Randall Hood for comment. 'The Defendants — both individually and together — have built, maintained and concealed a system of sexual misconduct that harmed numerous minors, including Plaintiff Jane Doe #1,' the complaint says. Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller The woman now lives in Indiana as an adult, and the lawsuit says she is being identified as 'Jane Doe' to avoid the risk of 'humiliation and embarrassment.' In 2023, the woman at the lawsuit's center encountered John-Paul in person during a trip to Myrtle Beach with a friend. That's when he leaned in to hug her 'and shoved his hand down her pants touching her genitals without consent,' according to the complaint. A short time later, the woman and Miller got into a heated argument over use of his title as 'pastor' and citing scripture to justify the assault. 'In response, JPM cited scripture, telling Plaintiff: 'No man is without sin and temptation. God understands that.'' The woman's lawsuit also raises questions about financial dealings of the ministries and their leaders. John-Paul Miller has repeatedly refused to speak with News13, which also reached out to him Tuesday for this story. Attorney Russell Long, who has represented Miller in other legal matters, declined comment when contacted by News13 on Tuesday. News13 also contacted Reginald Miller on Tuesday, who in a text referred a reporter to Long. John-Paul Miller has been embroiled in controversy since his wife Mica's death last April, while he was pastor at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common. Mica's death at the Lumber River State Park near Lumberton in Robeson County was ruled a suicide, but her family and numerous protestors within the 'Justice for Mica' movement have pushed forward with claims that he abused his wife. Court records depict bitter end of friendship between family, embattled Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul was jailed on an assault charge in November after an incident near the Solid Rock Church, which has since been closed and sold. Prior to that, the FBI searched his home in the Azalea Lakes neighborhood near Myrtle Beach. He also has sued a former paralegal, accusing her of libel and slander on social media, and multiple protesters, though court records show that some of those cases were dismissed. Jane Doe's lawsuit claims the Millers' churches 'operated without adequate protections for minors' and created 'an environment where abuse could thrive.' 'It was part of a calculated plan to groom victims while simultaneously gaining the community's trust and financial support,' the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit also alleges that the Millers failed to put in place policies to protect minors from abuse by adult church members. 'Despite the inherent risks associated with minors in a church, youth programs and church-based mentorship, Defendants failed to implement common-sense safeguards, such as prohibiting one-on-one unsupervised interactions between adults and minors, requiring background checks for all staff and volunteers, and establishing mandatory reporting protocols for suspected abuse,' the lawsuit claims. The Millers' ministry dates back to the early 1970s, when Reginald Miller founded the Florence Tabernacle Church, the lawsuit said. The ministry eventually grew into the Gloryland Bible College and later Cathedral Bible College. The ministry was relocated to Myrtle Beach in 1993 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving Reginald Miller and students of the college, the lawsuit said. That was followed by the creation of Cathedral Baptist Church. 'Over time, in an effort to further distance himself from prior controversies and to maintain operational continuity under a new identity, Cathedral changed names and identities to 'All Nations Church' while remaining under the same centralized control of RWM and his innercircle,' the lawsuit says. Then, in 2013, the operations of All Nations Church were transferred to John-Paul Miller's newly created Solid Rock Ministries, the lawsuit said. The Millers acted as 'alter egos' of all the ministries — 'effectively consolidating them into a single, unified entity that is indistinguishable from one another,' according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also contains past court filings from John-Paul Miller's former wife, Alison, and Reginald Miller's ex-wife, Susan, to support past claims of emotional, physical and 'inappropriate sexual behavior with minors' involving Reginald and John-Paul. 911 calls released after Matthews woman allegedly locked her boyfriend inside a Monroe storage unit for days Both women detailed those accounts as they sought sole custody of their children — Alison in May 2024 and Susan in June 2001. 'J.P. told me that in addition to his affair with Mica, he had employed prostitutes, and been sexually inappropriate with several underage female members of our church,' Williams said in her affidavit. 'He blamed his immoral sexual behaviors on the sexual abuse he experienced for years by his father, [Reginald] Wayne Miller.' Williams said Solid Rock leaders asked John-Paul to enroll in an 'extensive sexual education program,' but he opted not to do so. The woman is seeking unspecified final damages on grounds of negligence, civil conspiracy, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and violating the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
John-Paul Miller's Myrtle Beach church was his piggybank and status symbol, lawsuit claims
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — At one point in the middle of 2024, John-Paul Miller controlled a nearly $6 million real estate portfolio that included a private plane and huge swath of land along Highway 17 Bypass. The Solid Rock Church pastor was never shy about sharing his fascination with money — he called it 'the most fascinating subject to me in the Bible' during a February 2021 sermon. 'But this image was a lie,' is how a 43-page lawsuit filed Tuesday against Miller, his father Reginald Wayne and their consortium of ministries begins. ' It was part of a calculated plan to groom victims while simultaneously gaining the community's trust and financial support.' Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller The suit claims that the Millers 'presented themselves as devout religious leaders' through the years and ran the churches 'for their own personal financial gain,' while also using 'their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public.' John-Paul Miller has repeatedly refused to speak with News13, which also reached out to him Tuesday for this story. Attorney Russell Long, who has represented Miller in other legal matters, declined comment when contacted by News13 on Tuesday. The complaint — filed by an anonymous woman who said John-Paul raped her when she was 15 years old in 1998 — also pulls apart the church's financial standing in a bid to prevent a cap on damages due to ecclesiastical and nonprofit protections. Sunday rock and roll, ministry trips to Kenya and plans to construct a lavish school on that prized piece of Horry County property on Highway 17 were all part of the Miller brand — partly on the strength of tithes from his followers. News13 has been investigating John-Paul Miller and his Solid Rock Ministries for a nearly a year — ever since his wife Mica died by suicide last April at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County amid allegations of abuse and a contentious divorce proceeding. Since that time, a flurry of lawsuits against and by John-Paul Miller have wound through Horry County's court system — many of them adding context and new details about his troubled past. Tuesday's lawsuit is the first that takes aim at the Millers' evangelical empire, which began with Reginald in the early 1970s in Florence and migrated to Myrtle Beach in 1993. Two years later, Reginald acquired property at 803 Howard Ave., paying the U.S. Air Force $280,000 for a site that now sits inside The Market Common. Beginning as Cathedral Baptist Church and then All Nations Church, the 2.31-acre parcel was transferred to John-Paul in 2013 under the Solid Rock name — his son created the ministry seven years earlier. In 2014, Reginald Miller took a deal with federal prosecutors after pleading guilty to fraud in foreign labor contracting, visa fraud and willful failure to pay minimum wage — all stemming from claims that they worked at Miller's Cathedral Bible College under a 'pervasive climate of fear and intimidation' that includes being forced to work at Miller's home unpaid, deprivation of food and water and threats to eliminate their visa status. Miller was charged with crimes that carried a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 'Though the names have changed over the years … (all) are not separate and distinct entities but rather a continuing joint enterprise under the exclusive control of RWM and JPM, evolving over time through strategic name changes and restructuring to maintain their influence, evade scrutiny and shield assets from liability,' the lawsuit claims. Among Jane Doe's allegations is that the Millers violated South Carolina's Unfair Trade Practices Act and shouldn't be granted 'charitable immunity' under state if found liable for her rape. 'While allowing John-Paul Miller to be a church leader may involve ecclesiastical considerations, the training, supervision and monitoring of Miller to prevent the abuse of minors is a secular obligation governed by neutral principles of law, which Defendants failed to uphold,' the lawsuit claims. Solid Rock Church on Feb. 13 was purchased by Salem Woods Holdings LLC for $2.1 million. By that time, its membership had dwindled to nearly nothing as controversy dogged John-Paul after his wife's death — punctuated by weekly 'Justice for Mica' protests across the street on Sundays. But back in 2021, Miller explained why tithing was such an important part of his life — and needed to be for his churchgoers as well. 'All growing up, I saw Christians manipulate each other financially, I've seen spouses break up and have horrible marriages because they fight about money, I've seen friendships that were supposed to last forever disintegrate because of money,' he said at a sermon. Miller said he would ask the church's bookkeeper for tithing information on congregants if they expressed interest in taking on a leadership role or 'cause me a whole bunch of problems.' Tithing is the practice of giving 10% of a person's income to support a church or religious community. Miller said he began tithing in 2003 after a religious conversion. Solid Rock Church earned its federal tax-exempt status in 2015. 'Let's say you meet somebody and you start to fall in love and you really want to get to know them, because we can all put on a good face, we can all fake people out, if you really want to know somebody, look at their bank account,' Miller said. 'Imagine telling somebody, 'I love you,' but they never ever spend any money on you.' While Solid Rock Ministries doesn't claim a denomination, marketing materials labelled it as 'Christian.' On Solid Rock's now defunct website, John-Paul Miller started one section by saying 'I am the richest person on the planet.' The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability — which counts more than 2,700 affiliates nationwide — does not include Solid Rock Ministries among them, according to its websiteGround Zero in Myrtle Beach and WMBJ FM based in Murrells Inlet are ECFA members. On its website, Solid Rock explained how its finances were split: A third on ministry purposes including local, national and international mission work, a third for employment and third for maintenance and operations. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
