As the Nolan Wells controversy rages, allow JJ to pour some more fuel on the fire. Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath released all correspondence with the legal team of Nolan Wells' family earlier this week. Posted below are all 17 letters as well as summaries provided by yours truly. Get to work.
July 27 Bufkin Letter
Attorney Gary Bufkin notifies District Attorney he represents the Nolan Wells estate.
July 29 McIlrath letter to Bufkin
McIlrath asks Bufkin to provide names of witnesses and any other evidence the family wants to present to the grand jury. She asks that all digital evidence and media "be provided in its native format."
Bufkin asked the D.A. to share information but she was having none of it:
I have considered your request of my office to share information. There is no legal authority for a prosecutor to share information publicly or with civil counsel during an active investigation pending grand jury. As I have explained, we have a process, procedure and rules we follow in death investigations and it is not appropriate to deviate from them in this matter.
The D.A. also warned all harassment and threats would be investigated.
August 9 Bufkin Letter to McIlrath
Bufkin says he forwarded her letter to the family's lawyers. The lawyer says someone will be contacting her to "discuss downloading Nolan's phone" and to schedule a date for the independent expert to visti the state crime lab.
August 11 A.R. Smith Letter to McIlrath
Smith advises he is serving as local counsel for the Wells family. He reiterates they are willing to cooperate in "arranging a joint forensic inspection of" Nolan's phone.
August 12 McIlrath Letter to Bufkin
The D.A. says she has been waiting since July 15 for Bufkin's team to schedule the so-called examination for the phone. McIlrath calls out the family's legal team: "As you know, the State has never had possession of Nolan's phone and access to it is controlled entirely by Mr. and Mrs. Wonsley.
The letter states the FBI is involved with the investigation and agreed to conduct the examination of the phone. McIlrath states the letter must be 'delivered to the FBI by August 14." The letter contains a little jab at the Crumpsters:
The only information derived from the family's investigation of which the State is aware is what has been presented at press conferences and shared by Mr. Crump on social media. Attorney Liza Park stated in a July 30, 2026, press conference that the family's legal team is receiving one hundred tips per day. Additionally, statements made on behalf of the family indicate that your investigation has led to videos, pictures and other digital evidence being received. There have also been representations made to the public that the family has retained audio engineers and other experts in this matter. If anyone on your team believes that your investigation has revealed any evidence relevant to criminal conduct concerning the death of Nolan Wells, you should provide that information to my office so that we can review it, follow-up if needed, and present this information to the Grand Jury when it convenes.
The D.A. expresses her wish for Dr. Mitchell testify before the grand jury.
August 13 A.R. Smith Letter to McIlrath
Smith says he will serve as point of contact for the Nolan Wells family. The letter states the August 14 deadline for providing the cellphone is not "practical." The D.A. provided less than 48 hours notice. The Wonsleys were not in Mississippi when the letter was sent to Bufkin. "The parties never agreed to simply deliver the phone to your office." Smith cites an "agreement" that allowed the phone to be jointly examined by the D.A. and Wells team. The parties have not agreed on the scope of the examination, its methods, chain of custody, and other matters regarding the phone.
The letter states despite the numerous tips, the legal team has not identified any additional witnesses. Smith asks McIlrath provide three dates for Dr. Mitchell to examine the body parts held by the State Medical Examiner.
August 17 Smith Email to Angel Myers, McIlrath, and Eric Hertz
Smith states the family will make the phone available for a joint forensic examination from August 18 to August 21. The letter requests a 12-hour notice. Dr. Mitchell is available from August 19 to August 21.
August 17 McIlrath Letter to Smith
The D.A. states there is no legal basis for her to "seize and search" the cellphone, thus she must rely on the cooperation of the Crumpsters. The FBI agreed to conduct the forensic examination of the cellphone at the Mississippi Cyber Security Center in Gulfport. She asks Smith to contact the FBI to set "the parameters" of the Wonsleys' consent. The phone was supposed to be delivered to the FBI on August 19 at 9 outside the MCI lab. The letter states Smith agreed to the site.
McIlrath reiterates the Wonsleys should provide the phone to the FBI on that date if they want it included in the presentation to the grand jury.
The letter mentions "serious threats" and harassment of the State Medical Examiner and State Crime Lab staff. McIlrath concludes by thanking Smith for confirming the Crumpsters uncovered no new evidence.
August 18 Smith Letter to McIlrath
The Wonsleys plan to deliver the phone at the scheduled time mentioned above.
August 19 McIlrath Letter to Smith
Apparently the FBI exam did not take place as scheduled. McIlrath states the Wonsley's "have chosen to have Nolan's cell phone extraction completed by independent examiners." Surprise. Shocker.
The D.A. asks Smith to provide a complete copy of the raw extraction data and any reports generated "within" within ten days.
August 20 McIlrath Letter to Dr. Mitchell
Mitchell and McIlrath spoke on the phone. The D.A. promised to provide full access to the tissue collected and photographs taken. He can examine the tissue samples with a microscope and inspect the full investigative file at her office. McIlrath asks for a copy of his report so she can present it to the grand jury.
August 28 Smith Letter to Hertz and District Attorney's Staff
Smith states the examination is "ongoing" and a report will be provided within 48 hours.
September 1 Christi Robinson (D.A.) letter to Smith
Robinson says the D.A. has not received the forensic examination report of the phone.
September 2 Smith Letter to Robinson and Others
Smith claims the examination is taking longer than expected. The attorney promises the final report will be completed before the end of the week.
September 14 McIlrath Letter to Smith
The D.A. confirms Dr. Mitchell conducted his examination at the Medical Examiner's office. The histological slides (nightmares of Dr. Meydrech at M.C.) were provided to Dr. Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell provided his final report to the Wonsleys on September 13. McIlrath asks Smith to provide a copy by September 16 so it can be presented to the grand jury.
September 15 Smith Letter to Robinson
Smith sends Dr. Mitchell's final report. The letter asks the D.A. to notify the Wonsleys of the grand jury's decision as soon as "practicable."
September 16 Smith Letter to McIlrath Staff
Smith sends the finalized forensic report of the extraction and examination of the cellphone. The report includes a sumary of the Snapchat messages reviewed .
32 comments:
All this over an accidental drowning.
Did they release the toxicology report? That will be all we need
All this is an example of why the Internet will be the reason humanity is completely lost. Low iq people can’t tell who they should believe.
But I read on the internet that if it is posted on the internet it has to be true.
You go girl!
Race baiters lose again
Good for Ms. McIlrath. She’s not putting up with the B.S. Crump is spitting out, and she shouldn’t because they are saying she hasn’t done her job properly which is, of course incorrect
No. It's not that they can't tell who to believe. They know what they want to believe and that's that. I think it's call 'locked on a narrative'. In this case, and so many others, the narrative is 'white people lie, can't be trusted and are guilty'.
This narrative would be prominent and lasting with or without Crump and Sharpton. They just happen to be the tuba and trombone players in this circus.
Prayers for healing of all the innocent accused whether law enforcement, DA, young men. May your road & day ahead be blessed with God keeping watch over each of you. Thank you for your courage in the face of evil. Goodness prevails.
I still don't understand how the cellphone would not be consider evidence since sounds like it was with him on the island.
It’s fantastic that this D.A. is not backing down to Crump. He is insulting her work, and she’s having none of it. Great job
Leftist grifter trial lawyers have infiltrated government like a cancer so much so that we must find a way to deal with them.
Kings of Tort and The Fall of the House of Zeus should be mandatory reading to graduate from high school, as should this grifter Nolan Wells case.
Parasite trial lawyers are destroying our country. The more I think about old Billy was right.
KF, thanks for staying on this. Sending another check.
Why didn’t the grand jury simply subpoena the phone? Makes no sense.
The low IQ gang is automatically attracted to the race baiters. Like flies to....honey.
The contents of a chest cavity draw showed .27 but since decomposition produces alcohol, it's considered undetermined. Apparently there was no blood to test. I assume that that high level reflects that he had to have been drinking but I'm not a doctor.
8:06 am: Who do you think should represent people at trial,, if not “trial lawyers”?
Or should we just get rid of the judiciary (which is 1/3 or our constitutional government)?
So...I'm not impressed with either of the attorneys. Since this was a " high profile case", the forensic exam ought to have been handled by the State Medical Examiner's office. I wish the Mississippi Bar required, at least in these death cases of our teens, a list of their members who are members of the American College of Trial Lawyers who would consider taking the case pro bono as many do or require every attorney who solicits the family to require to tell them where they attended law school (so the family knows how that school is ranked) and class standing as well as whether or not they made Law Review ( that is writing a paper so even if the law school is not ranked highly, the best students can be highly ranked) and what State Bar Exams they passed. And, any area of expertise they claim. One doesn't want a family law lawyer representing them in a criminal trial. The Mississippi Bar Exam went from " Mission Impossible" when only Ole Miss Law School Grads were automatically admitted to perhaps, way too easy! The key is to know Mississippi Law as it's got a lot of Louisiana influence ie. Napoleonic Code, in it still.
I also would like every lawyer who is appointed by the State or who runs for office to share their full legal credentials including their scores on the LSAT and bar exams and what kind of law they specialize in. Frankly, only 3 of our national Supreme Court Judges reach that level of excellence so we need to make these national requirements as well. Politics and self-promotion have no place in our legal system nor should frivolous demands for " documents" between law firms (the latter doesn't apply to this case) but there are big law firms who have advertised " we can paper your opponents into submission". Billboards and tv commercials are no way to pick a lawyer!
For the love of God & all things holy, PLEASE STOP over using the word 'that' when sending correspondence. You're not talking to someone so stop writing how you'd talk.
Agreed 3:34 a.m. Not only that, but it's often also how the crime is "presented." Since everyone knows black people can only die by hanging if a white person is involved, the race hustlers' hair gets set afire when a black person is found in that condition. Such were examples in the recent Delta State student case, an earlier death in SW Mississippi (it was an older case, because Jesse was on the race-for-a-living throne then), and the most recent case in Jackson, none of which were, of course, found to be lynchings by white people. However, in the Jackson case, in looking at the (now 3) perpetrators, you wouldn't think they would have been astute enough to try to throw law enforcement off the trail by first killing her, then hanging her white person-style, but apparently they were..........and social media almost helped that ruse work!
10:09 AM, thanks for the you want to a be trial lawyer question. Are you 1L, or 2L?
Regardless, grow a set and give your corrupt law professors pushback when they teach you immorality.
FYI, the judiciary being a branch of our government doesn’t give parasite trial lawyers a pass for their immoral corruption; including from this grifter race baiting POS Ben Crump and those like him willing to tear our country apart with frivolous BS for ill-gotten gains. It’s past time to start holding trial lawyers responsible for their deceptions and outright lies.
10:09, when you pass the bar be sure to migrate towards the experienced trial lawyer typical response of “move to another country if you don’t like our corrupt injustice system.” That’s the excuse they almost always use since that’s all they’ve got, because this so-called justice system is anything but.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Isaiah 13:11
"The key is to know Mississippi Law as it's got a lot of Louisiana influence ie. Napoleonic Code, in it still."
So where did you go to law school?
"'The key is to know Mississippi Law as it's got a lot of Louisiana influence ie. Napoleonic Code, in it still.'
'So where did you go to law school?'"
I'm not the Napoleonic Code poster, but think about it: chair-kooter-ee, ling-ger-ee, chan-sir-ee, tar-zhay, Coupe de Ville - they all sound French! I did go to law school and I'll say this much: If you think Mississippi chancellors can be annoying, inept, ill-prepared, ill-informed, have bad table manners, and even on occasion unethical or even crooked, they have nothing on Loosyana chancellors. I can state as an absolute fact that every single Loosyana chancery court judge in the history of the state has been an outright fake, fraud, and deceitful liar.
BSEG
Clearly the person didn’t go to law school and has no clue about Louisiana law, the Code Napoleon, or Mississippi law. There is lot of nonsense in that post.
"Represent at trial"? What trial? There will be no trial and a trial was never anticipated. The race-baiting grifters appeared for one reason and it was not to 'represent at trial'.
"So where did you go to law school?"
I'll guess Ole Miss because if they had gone to Tulane or LSU, they'd actually know something about law.
follow moms money
7:07, I've been a practicing attorney for about 25 years. Therefore, you probably assume I'm corrupt and incompetent, as you clearly have an anti-lawyer agenda.
My law professors taught ethics, and my experience with judges and attorneys is that the vast majority are hard-working people who try to do the right thing, day in and day out.
You, on the other hand, continually show up in JJ comments and point to a 20-year old scandal involving one or two attorneys and one corrupt judge.
You do know that it was a judge that blew the whistle on the Scruggs and Delaughter deal, don't you?
Personally, I once sat for an interview with the MS Bar, the Justice Department, and an FBI agent, when I discovered a forged document in a case. It's called a mandatory duty to report, and most of us take it very seriously.
Tulane - probably so. You are giving LSU entirely too much credit.
9:48 AM, as a 25 year practicing attorney what is your position on this tear our country apart with frivolous BS for ill-gotten gains grifter race baiting Ben Crump/Nolan Wells case?
Since Crump is a trial lawyer, does this make him special, like royalty, and not accountable for his grift?
As to your comment “a 20-year old scandal involving one or two attorneys and one corrupt judge,” you are JOKING, right? If not, why do the names
Richard “Dickie” Scruggs,
Joey Langston,
Timothy Balducci,
Steven Patterson,
Sidney “Sydney” Backstrom,
Robert “Bobby” DeLaughter &
Ed Peter’s names keep flashing in our minds?
And isn’t ole Ed so royal that he got to keep the million dollars?
And in a somewhat similar scandal why do the names:
Paul Minor (Bill Minor’s son) — Biloxi attorney; convicted of bribery, honest-services fraud and RICO violations.
John H. Whitfield — former Harrison County Circuit Judge; convicted.
Walter “Wes” Teel — former Harrison County Chancery Judge; convicted
keep flashing in our minds as well?
P.S. your “anti-lawyer agenda” accusation strategy isn’t going to work so you better come up with another ruse.
10:22, Patterson wasn't an attorney. As for the others on your list, that was all about 20 years ago. I assume you're one of the guys who wrote a book about it.
We needed a house-cleaning, and we got it. People were disbarred and sent to prison.
And as for Crump, I think he's the lowest of the low, since you asked. I think his misrepresentations and outright lies have earned him a Bar complaint, whether it sticks or not. I hope he gets sued and loses.
-9:48
"Tulane - probably so. You are giving LSU entirely too much credit."
Naw. I didn't compare them to a real law school, I compared them to Ole Miss, so just enough credit when it is due.
11:22 (9:48), so happy to hear your position on Crump. Maybe you can lead the way on making sure the BAR actually does something about him (we won’t hold our breath). Or maybe the trial lawyers that actually have integrity can at least publicly show us your disgust at no morals grifters like Ben Crump that have diminished the lawyer's status as an officer of the court….to that of a bogus used car salesman will to lie, cheat, and extort for ill-gotten gains.
A person either has integrity, or they do not. A person’s actions either make the world a better place, or, their actions usually make it worse.
Fee churning lawyers make our world worse (there’s a no morals legend in Madison that says “it’s just the system”).
Frivolous lawsuits make our world worse. When a financially successful trial lawyer hands off a case to a young trial lawyer while stating, there’s nothing there, but the insurance company will pay to make it go away; someone has pay for that trial lawyer’s ill-gotten gains via his or her no morals extortion.
Lazy judges that love continuances, make our world worse.
Overzealous prosecutors more concerned with wins than righteousness, make the world worse.
The US system has become an injustice legal fee generation system. Access to justice is too expensive, its too slow, it rewards settlement rather than finding the truth at trial, the quality of representation varies enormously (it is NOT equitable), the adversarial system obscure’s the truth, we end up with too many wrongful convictions while evil doers laugh at the system while going free, then end up doing more harm to innocents.
How do we fix it? Maybe we could start with morals. When people complain, those of us married longer than you’ve been practicing law don’t need to be accused of being lawyer haters due to multiple divorces we’ve never had. We don’t need to hear “move to another country.” We don’t need to hear it was “a 20-year old scandal involving one or two attorneys and one corrupt judge,” when it clearly was much, much more.
There’s an old line that if you don’t go to bed with a whore, you won’t wake up with one. Maybe this should become the new lawyer’s creed.
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