A grand jury will not pursue charges in the death of Nolan Wells, the local district attorney said Monday, forcefully rejecting months of speculation that race played a role in the death of the Mississippi teen this summer.District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath made the announcement in a video message, saying the grand jury returned a “no true bill,” meaning it did not find sufficient evidence to indict anyone with a crime.A partially redacted copy of the grand jury report was also posted to the DA’s Facebook page.Wells, 18, was with friends celebrating July Fourth and was last seen on Horn Island, a barrier reef off Mississippi accessible only by boat.
His body was found at the northwestern tip of the island on July 6, his family’s lawyer said.“There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s disappearance and death were racially motivated,” Myers McIlrath said.“Nolan’s friends loved Nolan, and Nolan loved them.
Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that.”The family’s lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, previously called into question whether race was a factor in Wells’ death, as it appeared Wells was one of a few Black people there that day.On Monday, Myers McIlrath took direct aim at Crump and his team, saying they also previously informed her office that they’d found no evidence a crime had been committed against Wells.“I’m not suggesting that a grieving mother police the rumors surrounding her child’s death,” the DA said.“What I am suggesting is that the Crump team knew better but did not do better.”Crump’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Tuesday.
However, he posted on his official Instagram account a brief statement noting: “No True Bill Does Not Resolve How Nolan Wells Died.”“The public still deserves a clear account supported by records, evidence and independent scrutiny,” Crump added.“...