Ben Crump and Congresswoman Maxine Waters took the microphone again today, and they made it clear they are not letting the Nolan Wells case go. The two joined Nolan’s parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, along with Cynthia Choi of Stop AAPI Hate and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, at a news conference this afternoon at the Center of Hope in Inglewood, California, where they renewed the demand that the FBI and the Department of Justice open a federal investigation into the 18-year-old’s death.
The family alleges there are still too many questions with no answers. Nolan vanished during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, and his body was found two days later. The official cause and manner of death remain undetermined. A Jackson County grand jury that reviewed testimony from 43 witnesses and evidence gathered through 132 subpoenas declined to bring any charges last month, with the grand jury’s report noting the evidence was consistent with drowning. The family commissioned an independent autopsy that, according to Crump, found recent unexplained blunt-force injuries to the back of Nolan’s head and additional bruising on his back, injuries the family says nobody has explained.
Not everyone is buying the family’s framing. Brian Trascher, the United Cajun Navy leader who helped find Nolan’s body, has accused Crump’s team of presenting some facts in a misleading way. That dispute is part of the story too.
There is real money behind the push. Willie D of the Geto Boys teamed up with more than 20 content creators for a 12-hour YouTube-A-Thon that raised over $300,000 for the Justice for Nolan Wells Reward Fund. The stated goal is a $1 million fund for verifiable evidence leading to a conviction, and a second event is already planned.
The Congressional Black Caucus wrote to the Attorney General and the FBI back in August asking for a federal review. Today’s press conference was about turning the pressure back up.
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