Grand jury will not file criminal charges in Nolan Wells’ death on Horn Island – National & International News
Nolan Wells grand jury finds insufficient evidence to file charges in his death
A grand jury in Jackson County Mississippi will not file criminal charges in the case surrounding the death of Nolan Wells. Wells, 18, joined high school friends boating out to Horn Island for a July 4th gathering. During the course of the day, the three boats carrying Wells’ group of friends returned to the mainland, with all saying that Wells decided to stay behind to continue socializing. What transpired after they left remains unclear, but Wells did not return home that night. After an extensive search, his body was found near the shore of Horn Island two days later.
The grand jury found there was insufficient evidence to blame any person for Wells’ death. Two autopsies (one by the state and one commissioned by Wells’ family) were inconclusive as to a cause of death. Both examiners said that drowning could not be excluded. Wells’ family has disputed that finding since Wells was an athlete and a strong swimmer. However, both locals and the United Cajun Navy (who took part in the search) pointed out that dangerous rip currents around Horn Island could have quickly overpowered even a strong experienced swimmer.
Grand jury, DA decry “malicious” and “false” rumors; Crump and Wells family fire back
The family of Wells, who was Black, have retained the services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump. A narrative driven largely by unfounded social media rumors quickly arose that his race had played a role in his death, with many seeking to blame Wells’ friends (most of whom are white). Several of the friends received death threats targeting both themselves and their family members.
The grand jury report stated that based on the evidence they had reviewed, the accusations against Wells’ friends were “malicious, false, and have no truth in fact or evidence”.
Following the report’s release on Monday, Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath castigated Crump and his team for doing nothing to address the malicious rumors in public. Myers McIlrath pointed out that Crump’s own team had informed her office that their investigation had uncovered no evidence of a crime against Wells. The grand jury report also makes note of this on page 2. “What I am suggesting,” Myers McIlrath said, “is that the Crump team knew better but did not do better”.
On Tuesday, Crump held a press conference with Wells’ mother Christine Wells-Wonsley. Both expressed disappointment at the way the district attorney’s office had handled the case. They claimed the investigation had not been exhaustive enough and that few answers had been unearthed as to how Wells died. In a statement, Crump said, “This grand jury result leaves us with more questions than answers. Nolan’s family will not rest until we know what happened to him, and neither will we.”
