Nolan Wells' case has taken a new turn with a friend clarifying some events on Horn Island, including the video where the dead teen was allegedly heard demanding his phone back.
This comes even as an alleged video has surfaced of lawyer Ben Crump, who took on his case, seen dozing off during an interview.
Wells, an 18-year-old Mississippi football player, was found dead on July 6 after an all-day party on Horn Island which is off the coast of Ocean Springs. Crump, representing Wells' parents, had said on Friday that Wells was among the group of people who were standing on the island and was heard on video, which was shot from a boat on the water, asking for his phone to be given back.
However, Tracestin Shepherd, who has been identified as a longtime friend of Wells, contradicted this and revealed what really happened on Horn Island. He spoke to ABC11 about the incident.
Nolan Wells' friend reveals what happened on Horn Island
Shepherd claimed that the voice on the video was his own, and not Wells'.
{{/usCountry}}Shepherd claimed that the voice on the video was his own, and not Wells'.
{{/usCountry}}“That's me yelling. ... there was no talk about a phone in that video,” Wells' friend told the publication. As per Shepherd, he was telling friend Jayvon Williams and a family member, who were restraining him, to let him off the boat so he could continue the fight.
As per Shepherd's claim, Nolan was not ‘on the island’ at the time. The dead teen's friend said that the altercation broke out between him and a stranger who allegedly started the fight. As per Shepherd, he and a group of friends, including Wells, had been drinking alcohol since late morning on multiple boats. Their friends were present on all these vessels and they arrived on the island for an outing. It was meant to be one ‘last hurrah’ before the group returned to school or work after their holiday break.
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Nearly 300 people, many of whom were former high school classmates, were present on their part of the island. Shepherd said that later in the day, their boat needed to return to shore due to an electrical issue. However, Wells had wanted to stay back, saying he met a girl, and would later return on another friend's boat.
The teenager's body was found on Monday off the island shore. While authorities believe he drowned, they are still investigating the matter. Results of the autopsy are not out yet.
Remembering Wells, Shepherd said he had known the teen since freshman year at Ocean Springs High School. He said Wells was ‘just somebody that you automatically just felt so comfortable to talk to’. Shepherd added “Nobody would ever hurt Nolan in our friend group. We would die for him. We would do everything in our power for that guy. If he needed anything, we would do it. Nolan brought us all together.”
Crump, the family lawyer on the case, had suggested that it was suspicious Wells' phone was found with his friends. However, Shepherd claimed this was not unusual since many would leave the phones on deck as they were spending the day in water – that too salt water.
Crump seen ‘dozing off’? New video sparks ire
Even as Shepherd contradicted some of Crump's claims, an alleged video surfaced online claiming the lawyer was ‘dozing off’ during an interview.
“Ben Crump, might be done with them too. I don’t think the check cleared…Ben Crump was seen dozing off during a live interview,” the person sharing the video alleged.
While the video appears to show the lawyer with his eyes closed, there's nothing concrete to suggest Crump had dozed off, as he might merely have been listening with his eyes shut, as many people do.