Death of the Pastor’s Wife

What’s it about?

A three-part true-crime documentary investigating the promising life, toxic marriage, and mysterious death of Mica Miller.

The facts 

• Directed by Michael Gasparro and Julia Willoughy Nason (American Murder: Gabby Petito)
• English language 
• Runtime: Three episodes that are around 45 minutes each

Why did it get this rating? 

This documentary series was self-rated by Netflix. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Domestic violence

We hear from friends and family of Mica about the abuse and fear she suffered under her husband, pastor JP Miller. Some of this includes:

• He had her institutionalised for mental health issues, and we hear from her family members that they were sceptical about both the need and for the trigger for it. They were worried about him being the one to look after her.
• Further into their marriage, he would withhold her medication to control her mental state and threaten further institutionalisation.
• We hear how he would phone her over and over to check where she was and when she was coming home.
• As their marriage breaks down, he takes control of her social media accounts and posts photos and other content, impersonating her.
• He threatens to come over to Mica’s sister’s house, where she’s staying, with a weapon. He then sends her dozens of messages asking her to come home or things will get worse.
• He stalks her, calling and texting hundreds of times despite her changing numbers. He shows up in person when she is out. Her car has tracking devices attached to it and more than once her tyres have razorblades in them.

Sexual violence themes

We hear that in Mica’s marriage there was a “no breaks allowed” rule, meaning there had to be sexual activity to “meet the husband’s sexual needs” multiple times every day. He wouldn’t let her sleep if she tried to refuse sex at night. We hear she starts taking testosterone in order to keep up with his sex drive.

JP took video footage of their sexual activity and threatened to share it as a form of control. We learn that after their marriage breaks down, a nude photo is posted publicly.

We learn that JP would pay “homeless” men to do sexual acts on Mica, like ejaculate on her or touch her breasts.

Content that may disturb and suicide themes

At the opening of the first episode, we hear the call made by Mica to 911 emergency services where she says she is planning to kill herself. In the final episode we are shown security camera footage of her buying a gun on the day she dies. It is described where her body was found but we are not shown any footage of her dead body.

The filmmakers use voice recreation technology, so Mica’s diary entries are heard in her voice even though she is no longer alive. This could be disturbing to some viewers.

There is a lot of discussion of faith, worship, and devotion to Jesus and the church. We see footage of JP preaching and using scripture to justify his belief that wives need to submit and obey their husbands, especially sexually.

Helplines

The sexual violence, domestic violence, and suicide themes could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?