A grand jury concluded there was no criminal conduct in the college student’s death, drawing immediate pushback from his heartbroken family, his legal team and the public.
Bridgette Bartlett Royall
Essence
https://www.essence.com/
Is this justice?
A Mississippi grand jury has determined there is not enough evidence to bring criminal charges in the tragic death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old Black college student whose body was recovered following a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island off the Gulf Coast. The jury’s decision sparked immediate heartbreak and fierce pushback from the teen’s family, their legal team led by attorney Benjamin Crump and across social media platforms.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced the findings late in the evening of Monday, September 21. The announcement concluded months of painful speculation and community outcry surrounding how the young student vanished from a crowded gathering on Horn Island—and why the people who are being referred to as his “friends” who brought him there left the island without him. Wells would have celebrated his 19th birthday last month. Instead, vigils were held across the country including large tributes Martha’s Vineyard.
According to the grand jury, there was no evidence of foul play in Wells’ death. Reportedly, the jury concluded that the position and condition of Wells’ body when it was discovered two days later were “consistent with drowning.” This soul stirring ruling has done little to ease the family’s search for the truth. While the official state autopsy remains sealed from the public, the grand jury report revealed a deeply unsettling detail: both the state’s medical examiner and an independent forensic pathologist hired by the Wells family discovered bruising on the back of Nolan’s head.
Celebrities and notable public figures including Tabitha Brown, Don Lemon and MC Lyte have spoken out in disbelief and frustration over the grand jury decision
Crump shared the following statement on his official website:
We are releasing the final independent autopsy report in its entirety, so everyone can read it for themselves. 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.”
The 23 jurors from Jackson County, MS heard from more than 40 witnesses and reviewed evidence ranging from GPS data to cellphone extractions to photos and videos from Horn Island, according to NPR. Despite this, there are clearly still a lot more questions than answers in this case.
What we do know is that there is a grieving and traumatized family and a devastated community demanding real accountability. Mississippi doesn’t have a statute of limitations on homicide cases, meaning new evidence that comes up could be considered at a later date.
