r/mississippi • u/NineOfWonders • 13d ago
DA issues statement regarding release of information in Nolan Wells case
https://www.wlox.com/2026/08/18/da-issues-statement-regarding-release-information-nolan-wells-case/New statement released by the Jackson County DA on August 18,2019
No specific events are mentioned but I imagine it’s in response to the letters Crump and Co released to the press in the last few days.
Nice to see a new official statement on why she has not spoken about the case in an effort to counteract the narrative that the official investigation is anything but fair and thorough.
If anyone can provide a link to the direct statement, I’ll edit this post.
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u/WAOM81 13d ago
As District Attorney, I do not have the same freedom to share information publicly that private individuals may have. For example, I do not have the freedom to release letters I’ve sent in this investigation, discuss witness cooperation, or the testing of evidence. I do not have the freedom to identify what information is verified and what information is false. I do not have the freedom to publicly adopt a narrative and choose one fact over another.
Nor do I control the information released by private individuals who are not part of the investigative team. I cannot control whether private individuals release letters they have sent to me, just as I cannot prevent them from releasing letters I’ve sent to them. I cannot control which facts or bits of information are shared or whether that information is being shared in context, twisted, or misconstrued. Public commentary does not make the speaker transparent, just like exercising restraint consistent with the law does not make the process corrupt. The fact that something is said does not necessarily mean it’s actually true.
Prosecutors are held to the highest ethical standard under the law, as we should be. The people we serve deserve no less. I understand that a void is perceived when some are speaking publicly about a matter while others do not. I would be stepping outside the bounds of the law if I were to fill that void and share information publicly. With all of the public “pressure” being placed on my office, filling the void would only serve to get “pressure” off of me. Nolan deserves better. There is no pressure that can be placed on me and no force that is greater than the weight of the oath I took and my responsibility to the people I serve.
My obligation and commitment is to present the Grand Jury with all the evidence collected in this case in order for them to reach a decision based on a thorough investigation, complete evidence presentation, the actual truth, and an understanding of the law. I am obligated to do so in keeping with the law and the rules of the court.
On July 23, 2026, I released a recorded statement explaining the process and what the people of Jackson County should expect in this matter. There is nothing more to be shared at this time. I caution the public about assigning trustworthiness to things they read and see online. I also ask that, rather than those individuals demanding that I step outside the bounds of the law and make public statements, we all step back, allow the process to work and allow us to do the job we were elected to do.
I stand firmly on the rule of law and my ethical obligations. That is what the people of Jackson County elected me to do. I will present the Grand Jury with a thorough, complete, and fair investigation into the death of Nolan Wells.
Seems pretty fair. I absolutely understand the emotion behind wanting more communication from the investigative team and I believe a lot of folks simply want more info to make it seem that progress is being made or that it’s being taken seriously. But I believe they should be committed to getting it right once, rather than potentially giving people ammo to find “inconsistencies” in the State’s understanding of the story, when it’s really taking in new evidence and clarifying previous questions that were solved with more evidence.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
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u/Low-Highlight-9740 13d ago
I’ve witnessed a Jackson county employee destroy my documents I’m sorry but you have a lot of to do to regain public trust. Tate reeves should not be in office connected to fraud!!!
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u/WAOM81 13d ago
Not sure what that has to do with this statement. It’s related to why they haven’t spoken publicly on a matter that’s still in open investigation. I’m sorry for whatever happened to your documents and that failure.
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u/ANotSoFreshFeeling 601/769 13d ago
She’s been clear from the beginning. Crump needs to calm down and let the process work.
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u/DecantsForAll 13d ago
Crump wants to make as much money as he can before the truth comes out. He'd rather the process not work.
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u/Fluffy_Rip6710 10d ago
So why isn’t he screaming about the Sea Tow call if it’s real? That would trigger an arrest?
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u/BriBriSlug 13d ago
And what, pray tell, are lawyers like Tyler Cox doing? How about people like Brandon Tatum? You don’t think they’re in this for financial gain?
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u/DecantsForAll 13d ago edited 12d ago
are lawyers like Tyler Cox doing
Making money by providing a necessary service.
How about people like Brandon Tatum?
I mean, he definitely puts out a lot of clickbait, but he also did some good journalism. He's not making money off accusing innocent people of murder and stoking the flames of paranoia and racial division (that I know of, I don't follow him very closely).
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u/OldYellerSnowCone 13d ago
Unfortunately the people who need to hear this will be screaming "foul play!!" so loudly that they won't be able to hear it. It's common sense that a DA can't release they stuff, but because one side wants Nolan to be the victim of the racial and murderous tendencies of his white friends so bad, the disinformation campaign will continue. Muddying the waters does nothing but make it harder to find justice.
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u/thinkingdeads 13d ago
Their unfalsifiable standards grant them an "invincible ignorance".
They decided ahead of time it's true. So either A, it's discovered they were right and they're vindicated, or B, it's discovered they were wrong, which actually means it's all just a coverup, so not only are they still right, but they're MORE right as a "racist state suppression of evidence" angle to the narrative vindicates them even more than the "lynching" would alone.
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u/Due_Reputation3785 13d ago
Yep they’ve constructed a belief system where they won’t be wrong either way, and never will be.
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u/thinkingdeads 13d ago
I had one guy tell me this was a moronic claim and that such a mindset was valid and justified, and in another thread about religion, I saw him talking about "delusional fundamentalists"
I was like mf YOU are a delusional fundamentalist.
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u/snoodle908 12d ago
Much of online discourse these days and peoples "beliefs" are religious fundamentalism and even more so cult behavior. The extremes on both sides are in a cult and just point to the other side and claim they are the ones brainwashed. It is crazy to see. When one can hear someone's opinion on one specific topic and then accurately state what their position is on every other single topic, that is a cult like mind set. People should not be in lock step on every single thing especially when those beliefs are often contradictory to other beliefs.
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u/Fluffy_Rip6710 13d ago
I think she is stretching it a tad… it’s common to give updates on investigations without compromising the integrity of the investigation. The law does not preclude her from that.
But, I don’t blame her for not talking with all of the ridiculousness
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u/NineOfWonders 13d ago edited 13d ago
With people like Crump and Sharpton, I can agree with her staying back as she is damned if she does say something and damned if she doesn’t. At least by this way she’s minimizing the amount of ammo they can use against her.
And when the dust finally settles, she’ll probably come out looking spotless.
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u/snoodle908 12d ago
Exactly, Crump is why they are being more quiet then they otherwise would. And they might not say anything public but they might have given more info to Nolan's Mom. But with Crump involved anything that they say to the public or to Nolan's parents is going to be used against them in the public and used to potentially sue them. Crump already has made the case for an improper investigation, so if they say anything before the investigation is done it will be used as further evidence of a rush job.
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u/NineOfWonders 12d ago
Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if the DA had offered but Crump didn’t pass it on or he did and everyone on that side just ignored it.
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u/Thasauce7777 12d ago
Ehhh, I think the reason why she isn't doing that is implicit in the message itself with her pointing out what private citizens are allowed to do (which is also a statement of what's happening). It seems like she is saying if she did that, it would just feed the media beast that has already run wild, while providing no actual value in the pursuit of justice for Nolan.
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u/macimom 11d ago
mmm-I don't know about this-there's families with cold cases still under investigation that aren't getting updates bc its an open investigation. What info could she give thats not already public that couldn't possibly impact the investigation or grand jury proceeding. People will just have wait for the grand jury
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u/SocomPS2 13d ago
Don’t forget the other side that has already closed the case and decided there was no foul play. But the DA and LE have repeated that they’re still gathering the facts and the investigation remains open.
Don’t forget those people.
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u/DecantsForAll 13d ago
That side doesn't exist.
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u/DecantsForAll 13d ago edited 13d ago
Yeah? Every MAGAt and racist breathes oxygen.
The difference is that saying Nolan drowned doesn't do anything. It doesn't get in the way of the investigation. Saying that the friends did it has real consequences. It's also far less likely.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
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u/BriBriSlug 13d ago
Sure it does. Your replies all over this thread show you’re a member of that side. Why are you denying your own existence?
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u/snoodle908 12d ago
I would say most people are in the camp of innocent till proven guilty, that until there is a shred of evidence that something nefarious did happen then the presumption is nothing did. To date, there has been no evidence of wrong doing and the most logical answer is an accidental drowning till proven otherwise.
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u/DecantsForAll 12d ago
When I say "he drowned" I'm basically saying it's way more likely that he drowned, so much more likely that it's not worth thinking about the alternative until there some reason to do so. I also think it's nearly certain that the friends had nothing to do with it.
But here's the thing, there's no consequence to saying "he drowned." I'm not standing in the way of the investigation. No one is getting death threats as a result of my belief. No one's family is getting death threats. I'm not stirring up racial animus and paranoia. I'm not lying about anything.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
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u/Tiger_Town_Dream Current Resident 13d ago
Nor do I control the information released by private individuals who are not part of the investigative team. I cannot control whether private individuals release letters they have sent to me, just as I cannot prevent them from releasing letters I’ve sent to them.
Sounds like she's tired of Crump and company publicly accusing her of not acting in good faith and not doing her job and being able to create their own framing by only sharing their letters to her with the media but not her letters to give full context to the communications when she can't ethically defend herself by releasing her part of the communications or any information showing she's doing her job.
With all of the public “pressure” being placed on my office, filling the void would only serve to get “pressure” off of me. Nolan deserves better. There is no pressure that can be placed on me and no force that is greater than the weight of the oath I took and my responsibility to the people I serve.
She's calling them out without calling them out.
I don't blame her for this statement. It would be so frustrating to be publicly accused of not doing your job as an elected public official and not being able to defend yourself to your constituents and show them that you are. Crump and company are creating distrust in entire judicial system of Jackson county by what they're doing, not just this case. It's patently unfair not just to her but to all the people who live there to try to make them think that their District Attorney is not properly serving the community by doing the job she was elected to do.
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u/Firm_Individual_5609 13d ago edited 13d ago
Well Christine and Crump are supposed to meet with her again today before they go to a church and grift some more. Wonder if they have installed the ATM'S yet?
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
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u/Square_Draft_1579 12d ago
And now we have pastor holy whore (RHOP). When will this stop?!
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u/NoSupermarket9119 11d ago
Okay, you have my attention. What’s the story of the “pastor”?
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u/SweetLittleOldLady Current Resident 11d ago
Pastor Jamal Bryant, the sketchy leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, was the keynote speaker at a national prayer rally in Biloxi for what would have been Nolan Wells 19th birthday. He joined Crump and the Wells family in honoring Nolan by vilifying and defaming the DA and other innocent parties.
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u/donzelso 9d ago
These people are so shamelessly evil. They used his birthday as yet another grifting tool to defame his friends and the DA. Unbelievable. They have no respect for Nolan. Why couldn’t they just let his birthday be his birthday??
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u/NoSupermarket9119 11d ago
I saw that. I was more curious about the history implied by the nickname “pastor holy whore”.
Granted I could look it up but shrugs
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u/SweetLittleOldLady Current Resident 11d ago edited 11d ago
I don't watch reality tv, so I don't know the details either, but it's something from one of the real housewives shows.
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u/International-Wind-4 12d ago
Just saying the shit is fishy af especially given that it’s MISSISSIPPI of all places, of all histories. So, wild speculation? Maybe, but it definitely is worth noting.
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u/According_Duty_1554 12d ago
I am not from the south but please explain how a heinous past / history effects young people who have hung together for years in a mixed group....what do they have to do with heinous crimes of the past.....how will we move on and how will i hang with my black friends knowing that i will be looked at as a white devil if anything happens to him? It seems like the people of mi want to see justice done for past injustices...
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u/International-Wind-4 12d ago
The same reason why the civil war has been over for a couple hundred years but somehow sundown towns still exist and black people have been found hanging from trees to this day and nobody seems to know what happened. Let me guess, those were all suicides and these sundown towns are only myths huh. Not saying don’t trust people of different races, but Mississippi has definitely led the way for quite some time when you consider the way it’s treated people who weren’t “average Americans”. I will say I haven’t been to Mississippi to judge it in person, but I will say the shit that I’ve heard coming out of Mississippi is perfect enough of a reason to stay where I’m at, lest I end up like this young man myself. I want to see all 50 states though, and in order to do that I must also see MS, and when that day comes may god be with me
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u/Due_Reputation3785 12d ago
Why Mississippi of all places? There is a history of racial issues all over the country, even Los Angeles, Chicago, New York. Why do you single out MS?
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u/No-Juice-2920 12d ago
In my nearly 70 years of life, I have had blessed opportunities to have lived and worked for weeks, months, and sometimes years in MS, AL, FL, GA LA, TX, TN, PA, NJ, NY, MA, MN, OH, MI, IL, OK, KS, MO, CO, WA, OR, CA, PR, Ontario, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. I find the folks of Mississippi, especially along the Coast, to be among the most respectful, welcoming, and tolerant of other races, religions and national origins. BY FAR... It is simply unimaginable that a group of friends from OS would drown, lynch, shoot or otherwise harm one of their friends because they happened to be a different race or origin. Intolerance of those that are different is more of an issue for the very self-segregated communities in places like NY, NJ, MA, CA, PA, plus Toronto and Japan. I don't expect anyone to accept my opinion, just open your eyes to your own communities. Do you accept folks that are different? It is hard, yet so easy!
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u/According_Duty_1554 12d ago
yes....and how do we make it better with characters like ben crump running around pointing out our differences as a bad thing.
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u/DecantsForAll 12d ago
How about just planet Earth? Lots of suspicious shit has happened on planet Earth. So basically every death ever should get a federal investigation. You never know if the doctors officials have some ulterior motive or personal vendetta.
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u/Due_Reputation3785 12d ago
Well then all the media heads and social justice warriors couldn’t shit on MS.
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u/EveryFootball2482 12d ago
No one has drowned on that island in quite some time....doesn't pass the clear sniff test
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u/NoSupermarket9119 11d ago
By sometime do you mean months as I’m pretty sure Nolan wasn’t the first drowning death on Horn Island this year.
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u/VeterinarianSame1778 13d ago
She look like the grinch that stole Christmas images what she look like without make-up 😆
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u/holllygolightlyy 13d ago
When this does turn out to be a crime, will any of you retract your statements or just double down? You all know it's coming.
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u/clone0112 13d ago
Yes. But if it turns out to be an accident, will you retract your statements or double down?
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u/thinkingdeads 13d ago
There is literally no possibility of it being an accident for people like /u/holllygolightlyy. Either it's a crime, or it's a coverup.
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u/SocomPS2 13d ago
Sure is taking a long time for them to conclude it was an accident and no foul play.
Reddit - Young man, partied, intoxicated, drowned. Case closed.
Oh but wait 45 days later we can’t rule out it was accident yet. 🤔
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u/Due_Reputation3785 13d ago
Duh because it has to go before a Grand jury that hasn’t convened yet and I think doesn’t until October.
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u/snoodle908 12d ago
Not sure why people think investigations like this are quick and if it was quick it would be questioned as being not detailed enough and a rush to judgement. So either way they are blamed.
But on average an investigation like this takes 6-18 months to get to a grand jury, for instance
"forensic pathologists often must wait 6 to 12 weeks (or longer) for complete toxicology reports, tissue analysis, or specialized testing before finalizing a definitive cause and manner of death"
People watch too many crime shows and ignore the timeline of the case they are watching, because it all gets wrapped up in an hour it gives the impression it was fast but in reality it takes months without a direct confession or some smoking gun evidence like video of the crime happening
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u/DecantsForAll 13d ago
Yeah, absolutely! Especially if it's the friends dun it.
You all know it's coming.
They just look less and less guilty with every new piece of evidence that comes out, even though it's just a trickle, so I don't know about that. Keep in mind there's still a $100,000+ reward for evidence leading to an arrest.
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u/snoodle908 12d ago
Yup, $100k up for grabs and there were 100's of people there that day that had no relation to Nolan or his friend group. You think someone wouldn't gladly speak up and get that money if anyone saw anything? Hell even some of the friends would be more than happy to get that money if they knew something
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u/CodexForPants 13d ago edited 10d ago
I would be happy to admit I was wrong if the grand jury comes back with an indictment. I think it was accidental drowning right now, but that’s only based on the evidence I’ve seen, if there is new evidence I’m willing to change my mind.
The most likely outcome from the autopsy is going to be death by drowning. I’m sure there are many that will say he could have been murdered by being held underwater. That could be true, but unless there are witnesses or bruising then there is no evidence. If Nolan’s throat showed signs of strangulation the investigators would have known that weeks ago and they would have seized the phone with a warrant. The didn't do that, so death by drowning is a safe assumption, again, I'm happy to be proven wrong.
The family’s defense has stated to the prosecution they have not uncovered ANY evidence that would be helpful to the grand jury. They've had a hotline open and received hundreds of tips, they got nothing.
Christine has admitted she has gone through Nolan’s phone already. If she found anything incriminating she or her team would have announced it. The phone extraction is going to be a nothing burger.
The conspiracy theorists will be able to deal with any ruling of accidental death; it will be just another sign of how deep the corruption and the cover-up goes.
Edit: actually the phone might have some new information. If Christine deleted stuff she didn't like off Nolan's phone, things like: lots of pictures and videos of him with his friends having a good time, any texts he might have made to his friends critical of his parents and any talk about getting hammered at parties, etc. This might explain why the phone still has not been turned over. Even if her intentions were innocent it's still tampering with evidence.
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u/Capital_Payment4284 13d ago
I saw her and his stepdad the other day in D'Iberville. Didn't look like she was too concerned with anything other than shopping.
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u/CodexForPants 13d ago
I feel for her on the loss of her son, if she wants to go shopping that's just fine with me.
I have lost some sympathy for her though as time has gone on, Crump is not helping her get answers, he has his own agenda, I hope she wises up and fires him.
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u/Capital_Payment4284 11d ago
Yea shopping would be perfectly normal for anyone attempting to occupy their time from grieving the loss of her son. However her race baiting and fishing for money make it look like a racist minority that's just cashing in on her victim donations.
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u/jm0112358 12d ago
I would be happy to admit I was wrong if the grand jury comes back with an indictment.
That shouldn't be enough for you to think you were wrong, because the standard of proof for an indictment ("probable cause") is lower than the "preponderance of evidence" standard (the standard of >50% of it being true). In other words, a grand jury does not need to think that someone is most likely guilty in order to properly indict them. They can even think that the person is more than likely innocent, and still think the "probable cause" standard was met.
Also, grand juries in Mississippi only (like most states) omit hear from the prosecution. The defense isn't there to contest it.
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u/NineOfWonders 12d ago
A grand jury is not a trial, nor should be treated as such. Without a trial, there is no prosecution and there is no defense merely the DA and a random selection of her constituents.
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u/jm0112358 12d ago
I agree about the difference between a grand jury proceeding and a trial, which is another reason a grand jury's indictment shouldn't be taken as evidence of guilt.
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u/sstone1019 13d ago
When this turns out to be a drowning, will any of you retract your statements and apologize personally to the parties you've accused or just double down? You all know it's coming.
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u/nljgcj72317 13d ago
And when it doesn’t, will you?
RemindMe! 4 months
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u/Due_Reputation3785 13d ago
If it turns out the friends did I will. I’ve stated many times that something could have happened to him afterwards, although I doubt it based on present evidence.
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u/Admirable-Guest-2560 13d ago
Well myself I'd admit it if I'm wrong. I'm wrong all the time and have absolutely no problem admitting it.
You on the other hand, I'd wager with 100% certainty would never admit that you've been bamboozled. You want this to be a racist murder so badly that no amount of evidence to the contrary will sway your opinion
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u/Defiant_Value7185 13d ago
I think it is possible that this was a crime, but if so, the perpetrators are not the same boys have been implicated so viciously. Whatever happened to him (criminal or accidental) happened after they left.
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u/lovelesschristine Current Resident 13d ago edited 13d ago
You can easily find the post history by searching on Reddit desktop author:username You can also google their username site:Reddit.com
I have been on reddit for years, since you could see downvotes and upvote numbers. It is interesting to see the changes this site has done.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 13d ago
Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.
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u/CodexForPants 13d ago
Oh good, now the wild speculation can continue unabated.
EDIT: I just checked youtube, yep.