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Illinois Man Indicted For Allegedly Threatening Friend Of Nolan Wells
There is no doubt that the curious case of Nolan Wells, the Black teen who went missing after traveling with an otherwise all-white friend group on a trip to Horn Island, only to turn up dead days later, has millions of people across the country outraged, especially since, going on two months after Wells’ body was found on July 6, we don’t seem to be any closer to finding out what happened to the 18-year-old, and why all of his so-called friends returned home without him.
The public outcry for justice and accountability surrounding Wells, his traveling companions, and the investigation into his death has been widespread and constant, and it’s possible some supporters for the Black teen and his family have taken their advocacy too far.
One such person has been indicted by a Mississippi federal grand jury for allegedly threatening to injure or kill witnesses in connection with the investigation.
According to WLOX 13, 32-year-old Edward James Porter of Berwyn, Illinois, was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Southern Division, for calls he allegedly made on July 31 to Bart Edmiston Jr. and his father. Edmiston, a friend of Wells, assisted the rest of the group when their boat became stuck in the Mississippi Sound on the Fourth of July, according to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
WLOX noted that last month, Edmiston’s family addressed the outrage surrounding Wells’ death, including outrage directed at Edmiston himself, which reportedly resulted in a cease-and-desist notice being served on at least one social media user.
“At no point in this process has Bart Jr. ever been identified as a ‘suspect’ in Nolan’s death. We cannot allow our son to be slandered or our family to be doxxed and threatened, including threats made as recently as yesterday on Bart Jr.’s life, without attempting to correct the record and hold egregious actors responsible for the danger they are manufacturing,” the family said in a statement released by its attorney, Russ Latino, on July 29.
Porter was charged on July 31 with transmitting a threatening message in interstate commerce, according to SunHerald. He’s accused of threatening to kill Edmiston’s father, though it’s unclear why him specifically.
Porter is facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 4.
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