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3 charged with threatening judge, witness and officials in Nolan Wells investigation
PBS • • nation
Key Points:
- Three individuals have been charged with threatening a judge, a witness, and local officials involved in the investigation of Nolan Xavier Wells' death, an 18-year-old found dead after a July Fourth boat trip off Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
- None of the accused appear to have any connection to Wells, his family, or the investigation, and the threats coincide with heightened public scrutiny and distrust surrounding the case.
- Edward James Porter of Illinois allegedly made death threats to a witness and family members connected to the investigation, leading to federal charges on July 31.
- Michelle Francine Edwards from Ohio is charged with making bomb threats to two local government offices, while Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce of California faces charges for sending a bomb threat to a judge involved in the case.
- Authorities have not named suspects in Wells' death, which remains under investigation with an independent autopsy ruling the cause of death as "undetermined."
