The Murder of April Kauffman: A South Jersey Secret | Crime Salad
Crime Salad
04/24/26
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Egg Harbor Township in South Jersey is a place where community roots run deep, and no one was more rooted than April Christine Kauffman. A beloved local business owner, fiercely outspoken radio personality, and dedicated veterans' advocate, April was a pillar of Atlantic County. But on May 10, 2012, the affluent, quiet neighborhoods of Linwood, New Jersey, were shattered when April was found murdered inside her own home.
In this episode, Ricky and Ashley unpack a case that frustrated a community for years. We dive into the immediate alibi of her husband, prominent endocrinologist Dr. James Kauffman, the shocking involvement of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, and an illicit drug ring hiding in plain sight. Most importantly, we follow the relentless, six-year fight for justice led by April’s daughter, Kimberly Pack, who refused to let the system sweep her mother's case under the rug.
Support April's Cause
April’s family and friends continue to keep her legacy alive. If you want to follow the ongoing work in her name or support the causes she championed, please visit:
- Website: aprilkaufman.net
- Facebook: Justice for April Kaufman
- Veterans Support: If you are in Atlantic County, consider supporting the American Legion Post 352 in Somers Point, home of the annual April Christine Kauffman Veterans Advocate Award.
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⚠️ Listener Discretion is Advised: The following episode contains intense and explicit descriptions of domestic violence, suicide, and a highly traumatic death involving fire. The information presented is based on publicly available records, family statements, and alleged accounts. This podcast is for informational purposes only. We are not law enforcement, legal professionals, or medical experts, and we are not accusing anyone of any crimes.
On February 8, 2018, in the freezing cold of Plymouth, Minnesota, 24-year-old David Elmquist was burning alive inside his apartment. His death was ruled a suicide before he was even officially pronounced dead. But for the last six years, his family has fought tirelessly to prove that the official story doesn't add up.
With reports of perfectly unburned wrists on a body covered in severe burns, a pristine knife found in a soot-filled room, shifting timelines, and a tragic 38-minute standoff where police waited outside the burning apartment, the physical evidence points to something much darker. Furthermore, just hours before his death, David confided in his parents that he was planning to leave his wife, warning them that if he told her, "she'd go ballistic."
In this episode, we unpack the glaring inconsistencies, the alleged forensic bias, the mental health stigma that clouded the investigation, and a father’s relentless fight for justice.
Call to Action & Resources:
- Listen to The Stacked Deck Podcast: Hear the six-part series directly from David’s father, Scott, detailing the entire case.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stacked-deck/id1767907803
- Support the Family: Follow the Truth and Justice for David Elmquist Facebook page and sign the petition demanding an independent prosecutor. Sign the Petition
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Need help? National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or visit thehotline.org. Available 24/7, free and confidential.
On April 27, 2024, 30-year-old Mica Francis Miller was found dead at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, North Carolina. Two days earlier, she had served her husband, Myrtle Beach pastor John Paul Miller of Solid Rock at Market Common, with divorce papers. The medical examiner ruled her death a suicide. Her family has never disputed that ruling. What they have disputed, from the day she died, is what was done to her in the 528 days before she walked into that park.
In this episode of Crime Salad, Ashley and Ricky trace the Mica Miller case from her childhood in Wichita, Kansas, through her marriage at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach, the involuntary psychiatric commitment she said her husband fraudulently initiated, the tire deflation devices, the GPS trackers, the nude photo posted online without her consent, and the police reports that piled up in the months before her death. We walk through the December 2025 federal indictment charging John Paul Miller with cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators, the push for South Carolina's coercive control bill known as Mica's Law (Senate Bill 702), and the suspicious death of Johnnie Jacobs, the fisherman who heard her last cry.
This is a case about coercive control, a pastor's wife, and a system that called every cry for help a civil matter until a federal grand jury caught up to what Mica had been telling police all along.
Keywords: Mica Miller, Mica Francis Miller, John Paul Miller, JP Miller, Solid Rock Church, Myrtle Beach pastor, Lumber River State Park, coercive control, Mica's Law, cyberstalking indictment, true crime podcast, South Carolina, Robeson County
Content warning: This episode discusses suicide, stalking, harassment, and intimate partner abuse.
SUPPORT JUSTICE FOR MICA
Justice for Mica Miller Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Justice-for-Mica-Miller-61559351220695/ FacebookFacebook
Sign the Mica's Law petition on Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/enforce-south-carolina-law-to-protect-against-stalking-and-harassment-mica-s-law Change.org
Read about Mica's Law and Mica's List at Way Makers SC: https://waymakerssc.com/micas-law Way Makers
Track South Carolina Senate Bill 702 (Criminal Coercive Control): https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/bills/702.htm South Carolina Legislature
Find and contact your South Carolina legislators: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/legislatorssearch.php Way Makers
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Need help? National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or thehotline.org. Available 24/7, free and confidential.
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