Cinema VinesA new Netflix docuseries, Death of the Pastor’s Wife, which premiered on August 26, has reignited interest in Suzie Skinner, the woman who married pastor John‑Paul “JP” Miller less than a year after the death of his estranged wife, Mica Miller. The series dives into the circumstances surrounding Mica’s death and the questions that have followed, while also shedding light on Skinner’s own life story.
Skinner’s background is rooted in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where she worked as a physical therapist. It was in that setting that she met her first husband, Chris Skinner, who had become paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident at the age of 20. According to accounts from Cosmopolitan and People, Suzie treated Chris during his rehabilitation, and the two married in 2004. They had twins in 2007 and later relocated to Myrtle Beach, drawn by the city’s flat terrain. While there, they began attending Solid Rock Church, where Suzie would eventually meet JP Miller.
Even as Chris grew disenchanted with the church in his final months, Suzie reportedly continued to attend. Chris’s sister, Tamara, claimed in the docuseries that Chris told her he disliked the pastor and wanted to leave, but that Suzie remained. The couple’s marriage ended tragically when Chris was found dead in a community pool on September 6, 2021, the coroner ruling the death accidental after asphyxiation due to drowning. Police closed the case in March 2025, but the Horry County Coroner’s Office reopened an examination after new evidence surfaced, with no charges filed to date.
Skinner’s second marriage to JP Miller took place on June 1, 2025, in a private beach ceremony in Myrtle Beach, just over a year after Mica’s death. The wedding was held near the same spot where JP and Mica had married in 2017, as reported by Cosmopolitan. The event was first reported by FITSNews and featured a quiet, intimate setting on the coast.
The Netflix series has also brought renewed scrutiny to Mica Miller’s death, which occurred on April 27, 2024. She was found with a single gunshot wound near a riverbank at Lumber River State Park in Orrum, North Carolina. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office ruled the death a suicide, a conclusion that has been questioned by Mica’s family and associates who point to her husband, JP Miller, as a possible suspect. Miller, a pastor from a family of clergy, built his career at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach and has pleaded not guilty to any charges related to the case.
