Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump seen at TILL special screening hosted by Courtney B. Vance and Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, Los Angeles, CA, USA - 02 Dec 2022 (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for MGM)
Ben Crump shared details about the death of Nolan Xavier Wells in a new interview with ABC News, and he noted texts appear to have been deleted from the teen’s cell phone. He also noted that the 18-year-old was a strong swimmer.
The college student’s body was found off the coast of Horn Island in Jackson County, Mississippi, on Monday, July 6. He’d been on a Fourth of July outing with friends and was reported missing when they returned home without him. The authorities claim he drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but Crump has reservations about the state of Mississippi conducting a transparent investigation.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump told journalist Linsey Davis that there were concerning contradictions in the case. Sheriff John Ledbetter from the Jackson County Sheriffs Office claims that he suspects no crime occurred, and the authorities believe Nolan may have drowned.
However, a video captured an argument among the group. Furthermore, Crump says Nolan was a strong swimmer, and the family does not accept the sheriff’s theory.
“You know, his father said he was an elite athlete that he prided himself on his physical prowess,” said Crump. “He said that his son could swim, and so they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally.”
“Uh ,you know, the guys on the boat, they said Nolan stayed, but they took his cell phone,” he said. “That’s not adding up to them. The fact that then when the family gets the cell phone back, Lindsay, they’re saying they are trying to understand why there are deleted messages, and so it’s very concerning to them.”
Ben Crump said an independent autopsy is being conducted. He added that Nolan’s parents, Elmore Wonsley and Christine Wonsley, won’t let their son’s death be swept under the rug.
“Obviously, the biggest question is ‘What happened to Nolan Wells?'” Crump said. “I think the reason this case has caught such fire is because they see the pictures, they see the video, and they’re saying, ‘Hold on. You’re trying to tell us just accept this an accident and sweep it under the rug.’ His mother Christine, his father, Elmore, say ‘no.’ They will not allow that to happen.”
“So, the family is concerned about that,” he continued. “So, we’re going to have an independent autopsy. We have investigators talking to witnesses that have no allegiance to the state. And that’s important. Lindsay, when you think about Mississippi and the history of Mississippi, you know, this is the state where Emmett Till was lynched.”
