Lawmaker introduces coercive control bill nearly 1 year after Mica Miller's suicide
Republican State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch of Murrells Inlet introduced the bill during Tuesday's regular session. It was read a first time and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
The bill looks to 'amend the South Carolina code of laws by adding section 16-25-140 so as to create the offense of coercive control over another person, to provide examples of the types of behavior and evidence that may be used to support the offense, to provide a penalty, and to define terms related to coercive control.
Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller
Mica Miller, the wife of Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller, died on April 27, 2024, at a state park in Robeson County. Her death was ruled a suicide, but the case sparked nationwide interest after claims surfaced that John-Paul abused her before her death.
Regina Ward, the attorney for Mica's family, urged lawmakers last June to pass a coercive control bill.
Four years ago, a South Carolina lawmaker filed a bill that would criminalize 'coercive control,' with punishments of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Since that time, efforts to get such a law on the books have stalled in both chambers of the General Assembly.
A 'coercive control' bill was most recently filed in 2021 by state Republican Sen. Katrina Shealy of Lexington. However, it never made it out of the Judiciary Committee, which is now led by Conway Republican Luke Rankin.
Count on News13 for updates.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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