A friend of Nolan Wells has lawyered up as serious allegations have been levied against him online amid the investigation.
As Perezcious readers know, Nolan, just 18, was found dead shortly after going missing following a boat trip with friends on July 4th. Local authorities believe he may have drowned after friends claim Nolan stayed back on Horn Island to hang out with a girl after his friends left. Concerned that there may have been foul play involved, the family has launched a private investigation to determine what happened.
And now, amid all the evidence emerging, Nolan’s friend Bart Edmiston Jr. has found himself at the center of some internet users’ suspicions. According to TMZ on Wednesday, he’s been accused by online sleuths of potentially killing the teenager over a girl! OMG!
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The allegation stems from a “old” photo of Bart with a woman that has gone viral, and some people online are trying to connect it all to Nolan. The theory that’s being pushed by some online followers of the case is that Nolan and Bart may have both been romantically linked to a girl named Katie McCormick, who Nolan supposedly stayed back on the island with before his death. These same online followers wonder if such an entanglement could have resulted in violence.
Bart has now lawyered up, and his attorney, Russell Latino, is vehemently denying the allegations! Russell told TMZ and announced in a Facebook statement that while the viral photo does show his client with a woman, it is not Katie. The woman is an unidentified individual he went to high school with and is from several years ago. The lawyer went on to say that Bart has not dated Katie and didn’t even know who she was before Nolan’s death. He also denied the allegation that Bart killed Nolan or contributed to his death in any way, saying the college student simply helped a boat in distress. That seems to refer to Nolan’s friends’ boat, which was sinking as they left the island.
The lawyer added that Bart, 21, has fully cooperated with law enforcement, including by providing access to his boat, GPS, and phone to investigators. He now plans to sue anyone spreading what the family is calling “wholly fabricated” claims about him, especially since this has led to real-world danger. Russell said Bart received a “credible death threat yesterday” because of the “made-up speculation.” Jeez. The FBI, state, and local officials have been notified.
Read the lawyer’s statements in full (below):
Violence is never the answer. While everyone wants justice for Nolan and his family, spreading misinformation about others and sending threats isn’t the answer.
Thoughts? Let us know (below).
[Image via GoFundMe]
