re: Nolan Wells Case: D.A. releases grand jury report, Says Crump Lied

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Close to $900k....

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Let’s talk about what is true and what is false in the Nolan Wells investigation:

It was false that Nolan went out with just 3 white friends to a deserted island. It was false that his phone was taken from him. It was false that he was involved in an altercation. It was false that his phone was tampered with or had anything removed from it. It was false that anyone supplied Nolan with alcohol. It was false that he got back on the Triton boat to go home on the Fourth. It was false that he appeared at a pool party in the early morning hours of July 5th. It was false that Bart Edmiston, Jr. had any reason to be jealous of Nolan. It was false that he had a previous relationship with “Katie.” It was false that he ever denied being on Horn Island. It was false that an activist with a music production degree discovered hidden words that proved anything at all. It was false, categorically, that Nolan’s friends did anything to him. It was also false that Sheriff John Ledbetter ever jumped to the conclusion of “no foul play” at the beginning of an investigation he repeatedly described as “active and ongoing.”

It is true that Nolan was part of a very large, mixed-race group that went to a very busy Horn Island on July 4th. It is true that multiple people left their phones on the Triton boat he rode out on, several of whom later had to retrieve their phones back on the mainland. It is true that Tracestin Shepherd had an altercation that Nolan was not involved in. It is true that when Nolan’s friends implored him to get back on the boat, he elected to stay on Horn Island. It is true he was seen on the island after his friends had left. It is true that when Nolan’s friends figured out he’d not made it back that day, they contacted his mom and the Coast Guard and turned over his phone to the family that night. It is true that the Crump team’s examination of Nolan’s phone revealed no tampering. It is true that Nolan used a fake ID to buy his own alcohol. It is true that the autopsy showed physical evidence consistent with drowning and no signs of defensive wounds. It is true that Bart Edmiston, Jr. helped the Triton boat that was experiencing a bilge pump issue that afternoon. It is true that 24 witnesses all said Nolan wasn’t on either the Triton or my client’s Tideline at the time of departure. It is true that there are videos and photographs that show he was not. It is true that the “pool party” had occurred in another city on another date and that Bart was not there.

It is also true that Ben Crump knew or had access to this information and chose to ignore it, to remain quiet about it, and to stoke the conspiracies of internet sleuths instead of telling the damn truth. It is true that when his team was afforded the opportunity to present any witnesses and any evidence of a crime, they told the grand jury “we don’t have any.” It is true that a long list of people are about to find out that letters sent to them were not a “silencing effort,” but a prelude to real accountability in court. And more of that is coming.

It is true that Nolan Wells’ death is a tragedy and even that there are questions we may never fully answer. It is false that his friends hurt him.

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I don't know a ton of details about the kids' families, but from what I have heard, they appear to be folks with some resources to fight back if they choose to.

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The family of Nolan Wells and their attorney, Ben Crump, hosted a press conference following the release of the grand jury findings in the death of Wells. It began at 11 a.m. in Atlanta, Georgia. Crump and Nolan Wells’ parents spoke about the blunt force trauma to the back of his head and body that was found in an independent autopsy report early in the investigation, and why that wasn’t included in the grand jury report that was released Monday night.
Tuesday morning, Crump released a statement saying, in part, that “the state of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Wells’ death without getting to the truth.”

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Kristen Clarke, General Counsel of the NAACP, released the following statement in response to the grand jury decision: “The results of the grand jury investigation leave Nolan’s family and the public with far more questions than answers. Make no mistake, we will continue to stand with Nolan’s family and use every tool available in the quest to uncover the full truth surrounding his tragic death. Nolan’s family deserves nothing less than a full, fair, and independent investigation that is exhaustive and leaves no stone unturned. We urge the District Attorney to continue the investigation, release the full autopsy report from the state’s medical examiner, and make the investigative file public.”

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I wouldn't say he wishes for black boys to be killed, but I do think he looks forward to the next potentially "a murdered" black victim case.

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