Disgraced pastor John-Paul Miller has fled his besieged strip-mall church to escape furious protesters – only for his makeshift fried chicken shop replacement to kick him out too.
asserted
replacement → flee → him
Once sermonizing to thousands at a megachurch, he was recently reduced to opening Mercy Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
asserted
he → sermonize → Beach
There, Miller preaches to no more than 50 people in a cheaply renovated former nail salon that sits on a rundown strip mall.
asserted
that → preach → mall
But protests outside the insalubrious property have forced Miller to decamp to a local fast food restaurant in a bid to listen to their pastor preach in peace.
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pastor → force → peace
The 47-year-old has been dogged by controversy since his wife Mica, 30, was found dead on April 27, 2024, days after filing for divorce.
asserted
wife → dog → divorce
Most of his congregation melted away as he was accused of driving his wife to suicide and abusing her during their marriage.
asserted
he → melt → marriage
He denied the allegations and has not been charged in connection with her death.
asserted
He → deny → death
But those allegations led to Miller facing federal charges for allegedly cyberstalking his wife, to which he pleaded not guilty.
uncertain
he → lead → which
Protests outside his new church only grew larger and louder since the recent release of a new Netflix documentary, Death of the Pastor's Wife.
asserted
Protests → grow → Wife
Disgraced pastor John-Paul Miller, 47, and his new wife Suzie Skinner, 51, fled their besieged strip-mall church to escape furious protesters - and went to a chicken shop instead
Southern Chicken in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, where Miller and his congregation met on Sunday after failing to show up to their church in Myrtle Beach five miles away
Despite draconian security measures including armed guards, Miller was nowhere to be seen at Mercy Church on Sunday, September 27.
asserted
Miller → flee → Sunday
After waiting outside for hours, protest organizers got a tip that he and dozens of church members were in a chicken shop five miles away in Surfside Beach.
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he → wait → Beach
Protesters quickly decamped to a traffic island between US 17 and a side street opposite Southern Chicken, and resumed their heckling.
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Protesters → decamp → heckling
Miller and his believers, including his latest wife Suzie Skinner, 51, were quickly ejected.
asserted
Miller → include → wife
Southern Chicken said it kicked out Miller and his congregation but did not say if the protests were to blame.
'
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protests → say → Miller
We did not support him.
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We → support → him
We had him escorted out,' worker Chantell Dowell wrote online, but wouldn't elaborate when contacted by the Daily Mail.
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Dowell → have → Mail
Customers with reservations were said to be calling the restaurant that day to ask if Miller was there, and that they would make other plans if he was.
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he → say → plans
Sadly for Miller, he and his flock were quickly kicked out of their makeshift church.
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he → kick → church
The couple are seen exiting in humiliation
John-Paul Miller's late wife Mica was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Lumbee River State Park in North Carolina, after calling 911 to tell her family where to find her
Mica's friend Sam Rickman, pictured left, was among those who protests Miller's new church.
asserted
who → see → church
He picketed the fried chicken shop too on hearing Miller was trying to preach there
Miller also called police on the chicken restaurant protesters, claiming they followed him from church and were stalking and harassing him.
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they → picket → him
Sam Rickman, on of the protest leaders who was a close friend of Mica and a member of Miller's former Solid Rock Church until her death, mocked the disgraced preacher.
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who → mock → preacher
'If you have nothing to hide, why are you hiding?' he told the Daily Mail.
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he → have → Mail
'He probably thinks that maybe this Sunday they'll be done, maybe they finally got it out of their system.
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they → think → system
But bro, we're planning on being there until you go to prison.
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you → plan → prison
'
'We have a friend who's gone, and we have a lot of questions that haven't been answered yet,’ he added.
asserted
he → have → questions
Mica was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Lumbee River State Park in North Carolina, after calling 911 to tell her family where to find her.
asserted
Mica → find → her
Mercy Church has for months been hounded by protesters who scream at Miller from 90ft away (pictured on September 6)
asserted
who → hound → September
A Netflix documentary revealed how Mica Miller, 30, took her own life days after serving her husband John-Paul Miller, 44, with divorce papers
Miller is increasingly becoming a pariah in Myrtle Beach and surrounding towns since the charges and documentary, with many businesses refusing to serve him.
He and Suzie were last week kicked out of Travinia Italian Kitchen in Myrtle Beach after customers and staff complained that the sight of the pair offended them.
General manager Ashley Thomas told the Daily Mail that Miller dared staff to call police on him and only left after Suzie dragged him out.
asserted
Suzie → reveal → him
A scathing one-star review appeared on Travinia's TripAdvisor page from a 'John M' later that evening that staff believe was left by Miller.
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staff → appear → Miller
Thomas explained that after the documentary was released multiple tables would get up and leave when he arrived.
'They would say things like, "I can't believe you're letting him eat here," or "I'm not sitting here having dinner and staring at that guy,"' Thomas said.
asserted
Thomas → explain → guy
Miller is now reduced to ministering to around 50 people from Mercy Church, a former nail salon on a rundown strip mall, wedged between a dog groomer and a Colombian barbershop in South Carolina
Miller is now preaching to a few dozen faithful sparsely filling the tiny former nail salon
'
asserted
Miller → reduce → salon
Nobody wants to wait on him, and I'm not gonna force anyone to.
asserted
I → want → anyone
So we just decided it would just probably be for the best that he does not come in here.
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he → decide → best
'
Miller and Suzie were spotted at a Myrtle Beach Pelicans minor league baseball game on September 2, dressed casually and trying to blend in.
asserted
Miller → spot → September
But when they tried to enjoy a post-game drink at nearby Uncle Tito's bar in Murrells Inlet – about 10 miles from Miller's home – they were jeered by other patrons.
asserted
they → try → patrons
One local said 'everyone in the bar started yelling... and (the Millers) put their heads down and got the hell outta there real quick.'
Suzie is accused of having a long-running affair with Miller before Mica's death. Her own late husband drowned in a swimming pool in 2021 – allegedly after discovering her betrayal.
uncertain
husband → say → betrayal
Mercy Church is Miller's attempt at a rebrand after the fallout from Mica's death doomed its previous incarnation, Solid Rock Church, which had hundreds of followers.
asserted
which → doom → followers
The tale of Mica's death has been told in a chilling new documentary on Netflix
Miller married Suzie Skinner, 51, on the sands of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on June 1, 2025, barely a year after Mica's death after they were accused of having an affair while she was alive
Miller’s humble new venue, measuring just 1,120sq ft and so narrow it could only fit rows of seven chairs, was acquired for $155,000 in cash.
uncertain
it → tell → cash
Miller is accused of a shocking alleged campaign of harassment against Mica in the leadup to her death.
asserted
Miller → accuse → death
He faces up to five years in prison for federal cyberstalking charges and two years for making false statements to investigators, plus a fine of up to $250,000.
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He → face → 250,000
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
