Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath issued the following statement.
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.
30 comments:
Have they turned over the phone yet?
Why didn't she save key strokes and just type, "Hello, all, I'm still here."
She might also address whether or not, by law, someone can withhold subpoenaed information or evidence (cell phone) on advice of their attorney or if that would be a felony.
A simple "go f*** yourselves" would suffice.
That is an excellent statement to put out. Good for that DA.
Now that Derrick Johnson brought Kristen Clarke into the mix, I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it, just like they did in the federal receivership of Jackson’s water system.
And by “bottom of it,” I’m talking about scraping the bottom of the race-baiting barrel.
For those not familiar with Kristen Clarke, you can search this blog for her name. For further study, see “melanin theory” and the dictionary’s definition of “racist.”
She is the only one connected to this case that has had anything at all to say that's been worth reading! Is she running for governor yet?
Something to consider: not a single official, nor the parents, nor Crump and crew, nor anyone else not present at the moment of death had information instantaneously. If the poor kid drowned and no one saw it, what could anyone state as a fact until an investigation was done. There may have been evidence of whatever happened (or not), but until facts were discovered there were no facts for anyone to state or hide. Had this kid been murdered by other kids on Horn Island on July 4th, it would have been a pretty difficult thing to hide and cover up. Not impossible, just difficult. Clearly, the Crump crew isn't shy about saying things so if there was or is real evidence of a crime having been committed, it is probable -- not certain, probable -- they would have said something publicly. I'd say everyone would be better off waiting at least a reasonable time for the process to play out before going off on a rant alleging without basis that the process is corrupt.
Trying to reason with the unreasonable
The question remains when will the Grand Jury get the investigation results so we can get this farce behind us. Speculation is that Crump wants this to fester until the November elections, go figure.
Occam's Razor: He got drunk and drowned.
Serious question. If Nolan was white and was accompanied by several black friends while mysteriously perishing, where would all of this attention be focused? I feel it certainly wouldn't be on Nolan.
6:53, Your feelings about a hypothetical situation that doesn’t exist are completely immaterial and irrelevant to what has actually transpired.
Do you really think you can balance the scales of racial equality with that BS?
It would have been nice if the race hustlers had viewed the Delta State hanging in 2024 as a cautionary tale and did their due diligence before charging into the Nolan Wells case with guns a-blazing. They’ve left themselves with no elegant exit strategy.
The death of this young man with undeniable great potential is a true tragedy. What will make it worse would be that all this speculation and jumping to conclusions will make it impossible to find out what really happened. In turn, if someone else is responsible, then would it possible to get a fair prosecution. This DA has it right... justice is not in the media but in slow pursuit of the truth... and if the media parasites don't like it, tough!
I kind of agree with 5:16, but she is an elected politician under a microscope at this time with the world watching. It sounds like she is getting hammerd to give the pro Nolan Wells crowd some kind of golden nugget. It also sounds like she is standing her ground and there will be no stepping outside of her sandbox for anyone. Good for her. The real downside is when there is no foul play proven, no trial and this thing ends. She will get a lot of blame for simply doing her job.
Ahh , the ole “saying a lot without saying anything” ehh. Could have just saved the ink
Y’all can’t really be that slow. If there were no foul play and it was an open and shut case.. there would be no investigation for 2 month. There would be nothing to investigate!
"My obligation and commitment is to present the Grand Jury with all the evidence collected in this case..."
It has long been my understanding that the prosecution commonly withholds exculpatory evidence from grand juries.
9:40, So the family demanded a thorough investigation, and when they get one it’s proof of foul play?
Maybe I’m just too slow to understand that fast-moving logic.
Or maybe I just don’t have enough melanin, per Kristen Clarke.
I think the DA is in over her head. I also know the Judge and her family, and she royally f'ed up by issuing a statement and then letting her idiot stepson do those interviews. Should have been satisfied with marrying a 20 year older doctor and quick kicking it at the Beau with her sister.
Broken record in Mississippi. Race is always the central issue. Neither side can be trusted so you bring in the idiots from outside because that is all that the Wells family trusts. Throw in the racebaiting and you have now blown the issue literally into a black and white case without regard for the young man that drowned. Sound familiar? It sounds like Mississippi’s George Floyd. Nothing changes, no transparency and no one trusts the other color. I call it the generational curse of Mississippi. Until you actually strive to be better, you live in this craziness of stupid race issues. All while the quality of life slips further south. What a mess.
As a former district attorney—your assumption is incorrect.
7:08, What you fail to realize is that this was blown up into a race issue by people who are almost all from outside of Mississippi.
Except Derrick Johnson and Carlos Moore. And those of us from Mississippi know those two guys are completely crooked and full of crap.
That’s the point so many of us have tried to make.
I believe the name of a person of interest has to be placed in front of a grand jury. Who do you recommend? A grand jury can't indict a telephone, an inconclusive autopsy, a report from a Cajun group or a meaningless letter from a District Attorney. If it could indict a head of lettuce, it would indict Ben Crump.
This doesn't even rise to the level of Occam.
What it all comes down to is neither side gives a damn about the kid. He is already forgotten. It doesn't matter if he got so drunk he passed out while in the water or every kid on the island held him under the water. Now it is all about how much money can be made from his death.
Just another Mississippi case about to be swept under the rug..
Well why did the sheriff say that there was no foul play and it was an accidental drowning the same day the body was found. So basically you’re comment is foul
Didn’t the Wells family bring in Crump? Aren’t the Wells family Mississippian? It always starts with the backwardness that repeats in this state. Blacks and whites do not trust one another. And they racebait each other while your leaders take advantage of you. Your leaders eat you alive while you fight one another. It’s called divide and conquer. Wake up and smell the coffee. You must identify the problem before it can be corrected. Otherwise you live in the same ole crap.
9:49 p.m., That's not what he said.
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