No criminal charges in death of Nolan Wells, grand jury finds

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