The story of Mica Miller has returned to national attention following the release of Netflix’s three-part documentary series Death of the Pastor’s Wife. While much of the series examines Mica’s turbulent marriage to pastor John-Paul “JP” Miller and the events preceding her death in 2024, another relationship from her younger years has generated fresh curiosity.
For those searching “Mica Miller first husband,” the answer is Jeremy Deas.
Mica married Deas when she was only 18. Their relationship was closely connected to Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—the same church where JP Miller served as pastor.
In a detail that became much more significant years later, JP himself officiated Mica and Jeremy’s wedding.
The marriage eventually ended, and Mica went on to marry JP. Netflix’s documentary has now placed those earlier relationships back under scrutiny as viewers attempt to understand the complicated timeline of Mica’s life.
Who Is Jeremy Deas?
Jeremy Deas was Mica Miller’s first husband and a member of the same Myrtle Beach church community that played such an important role in her teenage years.
Mica and her family began attending Solid Rock Church when she was young. She became deeply involved, participating in worship and eventually taking on responsibilities that were unusual for someone her age.
Jeremy was also active within the church.
Recent reporting says he was involved with Solid Rock’s sports ministry and had a close relationship with JP Miller. Some accounts have characterized Jeremy as one of the pastor’s trusted associates during that period.
This meant Mica, Jeremy and JP were connected long before Mica and JP became a couple.
Young Marriage
Mica married Jeremy on September 29, 2012, according to recent reporting about her two marriages.
She was 18 years old.
JP Miller officiated their wedding ceremony, an extraordinary detail considering what would later happen between Mica and the pastor.
At the time, however, JP occupied a position of spiritual authority in Mica’s life.
Netflix describes him as her pastor and mentor. He was approximately 15 years older than Mica and had known her through the church community since she was a teenager.
After marrying Jeremy, Mica also began working closely with JP as his assistant.
That professional and spiritual relationship eventually changed.
Relationship With JP
According to Mica’s relatives interviewed for Death of the Pastor’s Wife, the boundaries between Mica and JP began shifting while she was still married to Jeremy.
Netflix reports that JP initially sent messages expressing appreciation before the communication became increasingly romantic.
JP was also married at the time.
In July 2015, he addressed his congregation and acknowledged what he called a “moral failing” in his marriage. The relationship between Mica and JP subsequently became known within the church community.
Other recent reporting describes their relationship during this period as an affair.
The situation fundamentally altered both marriages and created controversy within the church where the relationships had begun.
Marriage Ends
Mica and Jeremy ultimately separated.
Recent reporting states that divorce proceedings were filed in September 2016, approximately four years after their wedding.
Jeremy subsequently disappeared almost entirely from the public narrative surrounding Mica.
That absence is particularly noticeable in Netflix’s documentary.
Although his marriage to Mica provides important context for the timeline, Jeremy does not become a central participant in the series. Instead, the documentary concentrates primarily on Mica’s later relationship with JP, allegations made by her family and friends, and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Mica Marries JP
Following the end of their previous marriages, Mica and JP eventually married in 2017.
The relationship therefore represented a dramatic reversal from the situation only five years earlier, when JP had stood before Mica and Jeremy and officiated their wedding.
Mica’s marriage to JP would become the defining relationship examined in Death of the Pastor’s Wife.
Friends and relatives interviewed for the documentary make allegations about controlling behavior within that marriage. Netflix also details Mica’s efforts to leave the relationship and reports she served JP with divorce papers shortly before her death.
JP has disputed allegations made against him.
Mica’s Death
Mica was found dead at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27, 2024.
She was 30 years old.
Authorities determined that she died by suicide. The case nevertheless generated enormous public attention because Mica had previously made reports to police concerning alleged harassment and had expressed fear for her safety.
JP has not been charged in connection with Mica’s death.
In December 2025, however, a federal grand jury indicted him on separate charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to federal investigators. He pleaded not guilty.
Netflix reported in August 2026 that his trial was scheduled for October 2026.
Those federal proceedings are separate from the official determination concerning Mica’s death.
Where Is Jeremy Now?
The release of Death of the Pastor’s Wife has also produced renewed interest in Jeremy Deas.
Information about his present private life remains limited, and recent reports conflict somewhat on how much can reliably be established.
Hindustan Times reported in August that there was no verified public information concerning his current whereabouts or occupation and noted that he had not publicly commented on Mica’s death or the Netflix series.
Other reporting has identified church speaker pages and archived services under the name Jeremy Deas, including appearances connected with Myrtle Beach churches. Those records alone should not be used to make assumptions about details of his current personal life.
Most importantly, Jeremy is not accused in the federal cyberstalking case against JP Miller.
Why Jeremy Matters
For viewers trying to understand the chronology presented in Netflix’s documentary, Mica Miller’s first husband Jeremy Deas represents an important part of her early adulthood.
Mica married Jeremy at 18 after becoming deeply involved in Solid Rock Church. JP Miller—the pastor who would eventually become her second husband—performed their wedding ceremony and subsequently employed Mica as his assistant.
Several years later, Mica and Jeremy’s marriage ended as her relationship with JP became part of a much larger controversy within their church community.
Jeremy has largely remained outside the public spotlight since their divorce, and there is no reason to fill those gaps with speculation.
What is documented is enough to explain why his name has resurfaced.
The first marriage reveals how closely interconnected Mica, Jeremy and JP already were years before the events that would eventually turn Mica Miller’s life and death into a nationally followed story.
