Court transcripts in Mica Miller case reveal details about confidential settlement between JP Miller and family of the deceased

Mica Miller's death case is one of the most high-profile and scrutinized true-crime cases in recent years. Law&Crime Network revealed the court transcripts after the case disclosed new details about a confidential settlement between John Paul Miller and the family of the deceased.

Netflix's Death of the Pastor's Wife docuseries detailed how Mica died by the water at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. Time Magazine revealed that on January 12, 2026, JP Miller appeared in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, where he was formally arraigned on the charges against him. Later, the case was postponed, and his federal trial was rescheduled for the January 2027 term.

Jesse Weber, host of the Law&Crime Network's Sidebar, said that newly obtained court transcripts gave them important details that were previously unknown about the estate dispute and settlement issues after Mica Miller's death. Jesse further revealed that Mica's sister, Sierra Francis, was appointed special administrator of Mica's estate by the Horry County Probate Court five days after Mica's death. However, about a week later, JP Miller filed a petition seeking to become the personal representative of Mica's estate.

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Jesse Weber revealed court transcripts in the Mica Miller death case

In Law&Crime Network's Sidebar, Jesse Weber highlighted details about a confidential settlement between JP Miller and Mica Miller's family. According to Jesse, the court transcripts helped fill in missing details about the legal battle over Mica's estate and revealed arguments JP made when seeking control of it. Jesse read the statement made by Mica's mother's attorney, Liz Dalzell.

"After her death, the parties entered into a settlement agreement. It was three months after her death. That was the agreement that Mr. Long brought up early today."

The host revealed that the person referred to in the statement was Russell B. Long, the attorney representing JP Miller in the case. Jesse continued,

"As part of that settlement agreement, which is part of the record in this case, Mr. Miller agreed to pay the family $100,000 in exchange for the release of all potential claims against him and the church pertaining to Mica Miller's death."

Jesse added,

"Most pertinently, part of this agreement also was the agreement that she, that he be appointed as a personal representative of the estate and that they would not contest that. So, in effect, Your Honor, he paid for the right to be the personal representative of this estate. That itself is an act of self-dealing and presents a conflict of interest. In addition, since her death, he has been federally indicted on crimes related to Mica Miller."

The host also read Russell Long's reference to the settlement agreement. Jesse stated that, according to paragraph 4, once the family court case was dismissed, Sierra Francis would complete her duties and her appointment would end.

The agreement also stated that all of Mica's property had already been transferred to JP and that no additional property remained to be turned over to him or the estate's personal representative.

The host further explained that paragraph 5 mentioned that JP would be appointed as the personal representative of Mica's estate under the probate court's appointment certificate. In that role, JP would be responsible for completing the administration of the estate, including handling all related documents, legal paperwork, and court filings.

However, court transcripts aren’t available online for the general public, as South Carolina probate court proceedings are not automatically transcribed or published for public web access.

Read more: Mica Miller's close ones expose chilling secrets about her husband in Death of the Pastor’s Wife.

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