Death of the Pastor’s Wife – Review | Netflix

DEATH OF THE PASTOR’S WIFE on Netflix is a true-crime documentary series with three episodes and one truly awful Pastor. As so often before, this is a perfect example of why I am not a fan of organized religion; The few in power abuse it, and the true believers leading with love pay the price. Read our full Death of the Pastor’s Wife docuseries review here!

DEATH OF THE PASTOR’S WIFE is a Netflix true-crime documentary series. It has just three episodes, with the second one leading directly into the main issue resulting in a woman’s death. Yes, the woman from the title, but that’s not entirely accurate either. When she dies, she has left her husband and is trying desperately to stay away from him.

Not as easy as one might think, when he has lots of tricks up his proverbial sleeve. And there’s also the fact that he is a man of God, which seems to ensure access to all kinds of information and power. In this docuseries, we hear from friends and family of the victim, Mica Miller, who give first-hand accounts of what happened. Both what they believed to be true at first, and then what turned out to actually be real. It’s heartbreaking and simply sick!

Continue reading our Death of the Pastor’s Wife docuseries review below. Find all three episodes on Netflix now.

Abuse and religion are a well-known combination

While this is a true crime documentary series, it could also have been one about cults or cult leaders. In essence, this is what we find at the center of the tragedy: a man with power that goes unchecked, and who knows that he can get away with treating people terribly. In this case, Mica Miller, but surely many other women. Both before he married Mica, while they were married, and after.

This is a man who does not stop. Not only because he doesn’t have to, but also because he does not want to.

In Death of the Pastor’s Wife, we know from the beginning (and the title) how it will all end. This three-part documentary series offers a closer look at the life and death of Mica Miller. At the time of her death, she was still the wife of Pastor John-Paul Miller, though it was obvious she no longer wanted to be.

As the pastor of her family’s church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, she had long struggled with leaving him. He was constantly cheating on her and demanding things of her that were so outrageous; you need to witness the escalation over the three episodes. It’s sick, dangerous, and so sad that she felt she could not leave.

Sadly, this is something we’ve come across in many true crime documentaries. Far too often, abuse and organized religion go hand-in-hand.

From Twisted Yoga and Dancing for the Devil to Ruby & Jodi and Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. Sure, some of these are actual cults, but they often begin the same way: people who have grown up going to Church, and are easy prey for those who preach one thing but do something else themselves!

Letting Mica Miller speak for herself

Along with interviews with friends and family of Mica Miller, we also have social media posts, lots of video recordings, and diary entries from Mica herself. As a result, we get to hear Mica’s voice in many different ways. Including after her death. Mica Miller was found dead in a North Carolina state park on April 27, 2024.

Her death was promptly ruled a suicide, but those who knew her are not so sure. Or rather, most do not believe it at all. Instead, they believe her estranged husband, Pastor John-Paul Miller, had something to do with her sudden death.

With the permission of Mica Miller’s family, the documentary filmmakers used archival footage of Mica to create a voice recreation technology. This made them able to share Mica’s journal entries as read aloud by Mica herself. This was also used for American Murder: Gabby Petito. Whether you like this approach or not, it’s a way to let the victim speak for themself.

As long as the family (excluding the suspected killer and proven abuser) approves of this, I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, in the case of Mica Miller, it seems she wants it all out. She was scared he would be the death of her, and then she dies.

Watch Death of the Pastor’s Wife on Netflix now

Death of the Pastor’s Wife is a three-part Netflix documentary series from directors Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro. They previously made Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, and the aforementioned American Murder: Gabby Petito, so they are very familiar with these tragic cases.

It’s obvious – to me, anyway – that they wanted to finally help Mica’s story come out. She spent her final time on this earth fighting to be heard, and now people are speaking up. The same people who also struggled to get the truth out. And get Mica away from her abusive husband. In that sense, this must offer some sort of closing for all of them.

Of course, the only true closure would be for Pastor John-Paul Miller to finally pay for his sins. A concept he is very familiar with, but seems to feel others are more guilty of than himself.

Mica was found dead at age 30, and could surely have made a very positive impact, had she still been here. She preached love, but was caught up in how organized religion focused on obeying one man (the pastor) rather than the God they all believe in. Mica managed to realize this before she died, but she endured years of abuse first, which surely is something that should be punished.

Death of the Pastor’s Wife is on Netflix from August 26, 2026.