Friends of Nolan Wells Sue Terrell Owens for Defamation

Three friends of Nolan Wells, the college student who disappeared from a Fourth of July celebration on a Mississippi island and was later found dead, have filed a federal defamation lawsuit against former NFL star Terrell Owens. The lawsuit, filed by the fathers of Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour, alleges that Owens defamed the three friends, all under 21, with a social media post that read: "ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!"

Hudson, Pitalo, and Seymour were part of a group that traveled by boat with 18-year-old Wells to Horn Island on July 4. They stated that Wells did not return with them because he was speaking to a girl, an account disputed by his family. Wells' body was discovered off the island's coast two days later.

Owens amplified criticism of the friends in a Sept. 26 post on X, linking to a video that accused the young men of deleting messages from Wells' phone and suggesting they were responsible for his death. However, a digital forensics expert hired by attorney Benjamin Crump examined Wells' phone and determined no one accessed it between July 4 and July 5, when Wells' parents gained access. The expert also clarified that Snapchat messages can be remotely deleted by the sender.

The lawsuit claims that Owens circulated a false narrative and accused the friends of crimes they did not commit, placing them in a false light as murderers and participants in a coverup. The suit states there was no evidence or probable cause to arrest the plaintiffs.

On Sept. 22, a grand jury concluded that Wells' death was consistent with drowning and declined to recommend charges against anyone. The grand jury did note that the state's autopsy report and an independent autopsy commissioned by the family indicated Wells had bruising on the back of his head. The family's forensic pathologist classified Wells' death as "undetermined," citing apparent blunt force injuries prior to death.

Following the grand jury decision, Wells' family called for a federal investigation into his death, with his father stating, "Our son was found on ​federal ⁠land and we are asking the FBI to step in and do a full investigation."

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