Mississippi grand jury declines charges in Nolan Wells death

newsSep 22, 202632975

A Jackson county grand jury unanimously decided not to bring criminal charges in the July 4 death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, concluding there was "no credible evidence" of criminal conduct and that Wells’ cause of death was "consistent with drowning." The jury convened from September 14 to 18, issued 132 subpoenas, heard from 43 witnesses and investigators, and reviewed physical and digital evidence including mobile phone data, GPS, photographs, videos, forensic reports, and an independent investigation commissioned by the Wells family. The grand jury report, posted online by the district attorney’s office, rejected public allegations about occupants of the Triton, the Palm Beach, and the Tideline boats and said it was not unusual for people to return from Horn Island on different boats. The family’s independent autopsy, released in July by forensic pathologist Roger A. Mitchell Jr. and announced by attorney Ben Crump, reported recent unexplained blunt force injuries to the back of Wells’ head and other areas of his back; both that autopsy and the state medical examiner had earlier listed cause and manner of death as undetermined. The grand jury noted that drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion and said the position, condition, time of discovery, and location of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning, while the Wells family has disputed the finding and pressed for further answers. After the decision, Ben Crump and family attorneys criticized the ruling and signaled continued demands for investigation and public explanation of unresolved questions.

Harry Dunn

@libradunn1.bsky.social

This Nolan Wells news its a tough pill to swallow. I pray for justice for him and his family.

31517d ago

Patricia11

Someone covering up for the white boys. It’s not hard to see.

Bad Wendy 🟧 📎#Witchtifa2

I would really like to know what the pathologist saw. There’s a lot of questionable shit in this case.

˗ˏˋ･ﾟ 𝔶𝔢𝔢𝔫𝔦𝔢 [𝔱𝔢𝔞𝔪 𝔯𝔲𝔟] ˚｡⋆ˎˊ˗

@yeeniebeans.art

Nolan Wells was lynched by Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour—all of whom were acquitted. White people are not angry enough about this. I wish y’all knew generational racial trauma beyond whatever White-centric performative posts y’all make/retweet instead of listening to Black voices.

10817d ago

🌲🍋ForrestLemon 🍋🌲→ Tired, But We're so Back10

When I saw this, I was so livid and pit on my stomach wanted to hurl. Sad thing is that the boys are going to have a normal life and not be ridicule by the media as they "move" on the next big thing.

ExhaustedOcto(He/Him)🔞3

It's actually so depressing to hear this be the verdict. Meanwhile Karmelo Anthony is potentially facing jail for defending himself against radicalized white boys who were JUMPING HIM.

Roo Wolf Who Loves Big Hugs1

Saw this earlier today. Had me just absolutely miserable.

Sassy0210

@sassy0210.bsky.social

Mississippi Goddam. "Those who commit the murders write the reports." --Ida B. Wells Justice for Nolan Xavier Wells 🕊️ abcnews.com/US/criminal-...

8117d ago

Sassy02107

It truly were a drowning, all the body parts would have made it to the independent autopsy.

Rhymers gonna RibbityRhyme🐸3

'Some of those who work forces...'🐸

Stephen James2

"Based on all the evidence they received."

NurseGenius1

Nolan and his family deserve justice. Mississippi Goddam is right

hayatoijuin.bsky.social1

Reads like a script from a bad teen horror movie left on the cutting room floor, but a young person is still deceased Something happened that day with too many witnesses to remain a secret for long Whether one day or a thousand days from now the truth will come out We remember And wait

TravailAuNoir1

I reject the damn MS DA in this case as well! These folks proved they can't be honest and fair and pointing fingers everywhere but where it belongs - THEMSELVES! Justice for Nolan Wells indeed!

Freethinkers United For Change

@freethinkersunite.bsky.social

So a completely healthy 18-year old MAGICALLY dies for no reason while in the company of hundreds of White people? The grand jury's only explanation is drowning. No reasoning for the head trauma! No explanation of how the body wasn't there on the 5th! How stupid people reach stupid conclusions!

8017d ago

C.A. Dickson2

sounds totally reasonable amirite?? like all those recent ✌️suicides✌️ from people hanging themselves in public trees

DrAtomic2

People drown everyday at the beach. If they didn't have evidence that someone hurt him, there's not a lot of evidence to charge anyone is there?

jlm617.bsky.social2

Big thanks to the MAGA faithful for successfully trading a once-functioning democracy for a reality TV circus. You’ve let division tear this country apart, treating a literal tragedy like a game while real people pay the price. Congratulations on burning down the house just to rule the ashes.

Seditious Veteran1

I feel bad for the grand jury. They made a decision based solely on evidence presented. What they had is what they had. The 3 white boys that went over with him may not have anything to do with his death. It could have been anyone that was still on the island. Yes, it could have been an accident.

Pericles the Platypus1

This is incredibly sad and so frustrating

Quoting this

💙 Gigi4

OMG! OMG!! OMG!!! Who the hell was on the grand jury?

ExhaustedOcto(He/Him)🔞

@lonedaecepha.bsky.social

PLEASE repost this reel I downloaded from instagram as much as possible. This video talks about some of what went on over the Nolan Wells case all this time. I genuinely don't feel good just letting this die. I can't, not when I've been following this case for so long.

3217d ago

Quoting this

✦.11

this case is just being swept aside. please, we need to show up for this too.

Sailor Michael

@sailormichael.bsky.social

I urge you all to watch this if you want to know everything. There are things that are not being discussed and why I am keeping my mouth shut: LIVE: Ben Crump, Nolan Wells’ family to hold press conference following grand jury finding www.wlox.com/2026/09/22/l...

4517d ago

Mull5

That's some grade A bs. Ain't no damn way that young man drowned. Weak ass jury.

“CALL ME MISSUS…Thee Well Read Bonnet” 🖕🏽🤷🏽‍♀️4

We will never know what was said in the grand jury but I guarantee you the prosecutor put forth the worst and weakest case possible, bc it’s Mississippi.

THEE NWMagpie - I Don't Argue With Ppl John Brown Would've Shot3

My God. Thank you for posting this, sir. This is horrifying.

Ellen Enders2

There has to be a witness.

gracenhope.bsky.social2

This family deserves to have the AG finishing the job take care of yourself

Kim K 🏳️‍🌈1

Thank you for sharing this.

Zee207702🇨🇦🍁🍃🎃🐈‍⬛

@zee207702.bsky.social

The white racists in charge, white washed this young Man’s murder! It was Murder! www.cbc.ca/news/world/g...

3317d ago

🦋 Aldamar 🦋 📎🇺🇸🇩🇰🇺🇦🇨🇦🇲🇽3

Definitely murder. Give it time, often people involved think they’re in the clear and start talking or getting rid of evidence. 🤞🏻

Kate1

Absolutely! My heart breaks for his family.

silverbeard20261

No Doubt about that! #ItWasMurder

.·:*¨¨*:·.Kathy.·:*¨¨*:·.1

I saw this earlier, and my blood is boiling! There have been multiple black people hanging themselves, and nothing is being done about it either. Disgusting.

The TRiiBE

@thetriibe.com

NEW — The Mississippi district attorney leading the investigation into the mysterious death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells has not shown a level of care that his grieving family needs and expects. thetriibe.com/2026/09/comm...

2517d ago

Reincarnated! I'm a Star Gazer (aka David)

@ncred.bsky.social

After Nolan Wells case comes back from a grand jury with no indictments, Hope Giselle tells us what the next steps are. We can not stop saying his name. #JusticeforNolanWells #BlackSky

2017d ago

Scott Colom

@scolom.bsky.social

My statement regarding the recent developments in the Nolan Wells case.

2417d ago

Janai Nelson

@janainelson.bsky.social

Our prayers are with the family and friends of Nolan Wells in this dark hour. We renew our call to both Congress and the U.N. for an independent investigation into the recent suspicious deaths of Black people like Nolan Wells. www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

2217d ago

Jews For Racial & Economic Justice Action

@jfrejnyc.bsky.social

Nolan Wells’ life mattered. It still matters. Black Lives Matter.

2317d ago

Lindsay Beyerstein

@beyerstein.bsky.social

Al Sharpton is still pushing the false narratives that got him sued for defamation. He keeps claiming that Nolan was one Black kid with three white kids, when in fact Nolan was one of at least three Black kids in a core group of thirty.

2517d ago

Lindsay Beyerstein10

Sharpton is claiming that Nolan was filmed arguing with someone. In fact, the video shows another Black kid with the group, Tracetin, yelling that he wants to get off the boat and continue scrapping with some third party. This version was confirmed by Tracestin and others who saw it.

Lindsay Beyerstein7

Sharpton literally said he'd rather be sued than walk back any of this stuff. So, now he's being sued for defamation.

Lindsay Beyerstein4

This is the press conference from about 10 weeks ago.

Johnathan Perkins, Esq.

@johnathanperk.bsky.social

Grand juries are 1-sided DA presentations—so easy to bring charges they say “a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich.” Yet, a grand jury found 0 evidence of criminal wrongdoing when the Nolan Wells case was presented. i.e., DA didn’t want charges—didn’t even try to get the grand jury to see crimes.

1117d ago

🇺🇸𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕪 ℝ𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕘𝕖𝕖🇺🇸 ᵀʳᵘᵐᵖˡᵉˢˢ ᵁˢᴬ

@indyrefugee.bsky.social

Let’s do a public Q&A with the members of the grand jury in the Nolan Xavier Wells case. Black Americans didn’t stop trusting the decisions of our legal system for no reason. The legal system has been found over and over to have covered for murderers. Proof required.

1217d ago

3 sources

theguardian.comMississippi grand jury decides not to charge anyone in death of Nolan Wells npr.orgGrand jury finds no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of Nolan Wells apnews.comMississippi grand jury finds no cause for charges in the July death of Nolan Wells

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Mississippi grand jury declines charges in Nolan Wells death

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