A Mississippi federal grand jury has indicted an Illinois man for threatening to injure or kill witnesses in connection with the Nolan Wells’ death investigation.
Edward James Porter, of Berwyn, Illinois, faces a felony charge of interstate transmission of threatening communication.
The crime carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus up to three years of supervised release.
The indictment marks the latest development in the case that has gained national attention.
Wells’ body was found on Horn Island on July 6 after he went missing while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends. They maintain the teen decided to stay behind for a girl before he disappeared.
Later that month, Porter made a “telephone call threatening to kill B.E”, according to the indictment obtained by Atlanta Black Star.
B.E. is Bart Edmiston Jr., a friend of Wells, who was on the island with him that day.
Edmiston helped tow the boat Wells had traveled on after a failing bilge pump prompted a call to Sea Tow,” the Sun Herald reports.
Threatening Calls
Porter made threatening phone calls and texts to Edmiston and others on the morning of July 31, according to his criminal complaint.
“During the telephone calls to W-1, PORTER stated he was going to come and kill W-1, W-1’s family and that PORTR had W-1’s address,” the complaint said.
After the call, Porter allegedly sent a message with Edmiston’s address. The complaint says that Porter then called a second witness, known as W-2″.
“PORTER informed W-2 over the telephone that PORTER was going to come kill W-2, everyone in the home, PORTER would kill any cops, and W-2 [would] die.”
The complaint adds that Porter further said he “was going to cut up W-2 and put W-2 into a suitcase.”
Porter then called Edmiston back and claimed he was outside his home.
A Fast Arrest
Federal authorities determined Porter used a TextFree number to make the threats.
After receiving Porter’s IP address from the app Pinger, authorities arrested him at his home in Illinois.
A federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois initially granted Porter bond. However, according to the Sun Herald, a Mississippi federal judge blocked his release and ordered he be held without bond.
Porter is one of three people who have been arrested for making threats against individuals tied to the case.
Federal prosecutors charged Michelle Francine Edwards, of Cincinnati, Ohio, with the same crime after authorities said she repeatedly called government offices in Mississippi during July.
Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, of Sacramento, California, was also arrested for allegedly sending violent online threats to Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole. Her stepson, Warren Hudson, was among the friends who accompanied Wells to Horn Island on July 4.
Wells’ family has also received threats and hate mail. However, no one has been arrested.
‘No Answers’
Although authorities have made threat-related arrests, they have yet to charge anyone in connection with Wells’ death.
As she waits for answers, Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, holds out hope that she will learn what happened to her son. For now, she remembers him as the “dedicated” person he was.
“He rarely missed any practices, always showed up, and never had any suspensions. He was a dedicated student-athlete,” Wonsley wrote on Facebook.
Wonsley said that around this time, Wells would have been starting his football season. “We will miss watching him play the sport he loved,” she said. “We are almost 60 days out and still have no answers.”
The family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump to help with an independent investigation. They also commissioned an independent autopsy, which came back “undetermined.”
The state autopsy has been completed, but those findings have not been made public.
Wells’ case will be presented to a grand jury once the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office finishes its investigation. The grand jury will determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
