Netflix’s documentary Death of the Pastor’s Wife has renewed interest in the life of John Paul (JP) Miller, the South Carolina pastor whose late wife, Mica Miller, died by suicide in April 2024. The documentary has subsequently also drawn attention to Alison Williams, Miller’s first wife, whose court filings have alleged misconduct towards minor by the pastor.
Williams has largely remained out of the spotlight since filing a series of custody-related court motions in 2024. Alison Williams was married to John Paul Miller for about 16 years before they divorced. Alison caught her husband and Mica Miller, who was married to another member of JP’s congregation, in a precarious situation in 2015. Alison and JP divorced in 2016 and JP proceeded to later marry Mica.
Both their marriages ended in divorce.
The other two children had already emancipated, per the court documents. Williams’ emergency filings contained a series of allegations against JP. Among them were claims of controlling behaviour, repeated infidelity and alleged inappropriate sexual conduct. She also alleged that JP admitted to relationships with prostitutes and disclosed past sexual misconduct towards underage church members. She added, “Although they each shared with me detailed accounts of what J.P. did to them, they were too scared of J.P. to make a police report or testify in Court. However, these allegations appear in court filings and have not been proven in court. JP has denied wrongdoing in public statements. The custody filings later became part of wider civil litigation against JP and Solid Rock Ministries. Several lawsuits accused church leadership of negligence, emotional distress and misconduct. Williams has maintained a relatively private life. However, there is no information on her current whereabouts.
On May 28, 2024, weeks after Mica Miller’s death, Williams filed an emergency custody motion seeking sole custody of the couple’s two minor children. Williams and JP share four children, with two minors who were subject to the custody proceedings in 2024. The custody filings in 2024 were filed in South Carolina.
In an accompanying affidavit, she argued that there had been a “substantial change in circumstance” since the couple’s earlier custody order, warranting a modification. “J.P. informed me that he had been inappropriate with minor female members of our church, and disclosed to me the identity of these girls, I immediately contacted them to encourage them to come forward,” the affidavit read.
