The decision announced late Monday by Angel Myers McIlrath, the district attorney overseeing Wells’ case, comes after months of intense speculation about how the 18-year-old disappeared from a bustling party and why the friends who ferried Wells to the island left without him.
The grand jury in Jackson County, Mississippi, found no evidence of criminal conduct and noted that examinations of his body by the Mississippi medical examiner’s office and an independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family found the cause and manner of death to be undetermined.
“If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration,” the panel’s report said.
Lawyers for Wells’ family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the grand jury’s report leaves more questions than answers and accused the district attorney of ending the investigation despite not determining what caused blunt force trauma on the back of Wells’ head and body.
Crump, Wells' family and the NAACP planned a news conference Tuesday.
McIlrath, in a 15-minute social media video posted Monday night, expressed frustration about inaccurate speculation by some members of the public about what happened to Wells. She also said that lawyers for Wells' family told her office last month that their own investigation found no evidence of crimes.
“What I cannot accept, what I cannot ignore, is that false narratives that Nolan’s death was somehow racially motivated, and that this is a case of another young Black man denied justice by a racist, corrupt system, were perpetuated and allowed to spread. There is not a shred of evidence to support these narratives,” she said.
The grand jury also debunked public assertions that Wells was the only Black person on Horn Island on July 4.
“These false assertions have led to misidentification, speculation and rumors concerning the death of Mr. Wells,” it said.
The report concluded with the panel expressing sympathy for Wells’ family. “The evidence received in this matter convinced the Grand Jury of Mr. Wells’ outstanding character,” it said.
