By admin Three friends of Nolan Xavier Wells are suing NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, accusing him of defamation over a social media post they say accused the trio of murdering Wells in the aftermath of a Jackson County grand jury finding no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Read more U.S. soldiers subdue woman armed with knife at scene of rollover car crash on I-5
The fathers of Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour filed the lawsuit in federal court in Gulfport on behalf of their sons. The three young men are between the ages of 18 and 21.
Mississippi attorney Tyler Cox filed the federal lawsuit Monday in the Southern District of Mississippi in Gulfport.
ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!!
LIKE YESTERDAY!!https://t.co/b9swOY0DsW
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) September 26, 2026
The lawsuit centers on a Sept. 26 post on X by Owens, five days after a Jackson County grand jury found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the three young men and other friends who were with Wells when they traveled to Horn Island on July 4.
The friends left the island without Wells, saying he stayed behind to talk to a girl. Two days later, authorities found his body in the water off the northwest tip of Horn Island, a barrier island about 10 miles from the Mississippi Coast.
Owens made the post at 12:15 a.m. It included a photograph of Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour, along with the words, “ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!! LIKE YESTERDAY!!”
The post included a link to an Instagram video posted by social media producer Trent Out Loud, identified by Cox as Trent Hall.
According to the lawsuit, Owens did not simply share Hall’s claims but made his own independent statement when he called for the three young men to be arrested immediately.
The social media video shared by Hall accuses Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour of murder and tampering with evidence. It alleges they deleted messages from Wells’ phone to help cover up a crime.
The lawsuit points to the Jackson County grand jury’s finding as significant because Owens made the post after the grand jury cleared Hudson, Pitalo, Seymour and the other friends who were with them on the day Wells went missing.
The lawsuit also goes into detail about the three young men’s account of what happened July 4.
Read more El Niño hype is loud. The numbers back it up, but here’s what they really mean
According to the complaint, about 30 young people from Ocean Springs traveled to Horn Island aboard three boats. Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour were among them, along with Wells.
Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour were not on the same boat as Wells when the group traveled to the island. However, the friends aboard all three boats were cleared of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Wells’ death.
The friends left the island without Wells, saying he appeared happy and in good spirits and wanted to stay behind to talk to a girl.
According to the complaint, the boats began leaving the island at about 4:28 p.m. Wells had left his cellphone on one of the boats.
On the way back to shore, one of the boats began taking on water because of a malfunctioning bilge pump, prompting a call to Sea Tow for help. The young men later canceled the call after a friend was able to tow the boat, and they pumped enough water from it to continue to shore.
After the friends realized Wells had not returned, Hudson called Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, at about 11:07 p.m. and told her Wells had not returned and that they still had his cellphone.
Hudson later called the U.S. Coast Guard Heartland District to report Wells missing and describe what he was wearing when the friends last saw him.
All three young men deny accessing or manipulating Wells’ cellphone and have consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his death.
As a result of the alleged defamatory comments by Owens, the lawsuit alleges that all three young men have suffered and continue to suffer mental anguish, emotional distress, and humiliation, along with fear for their physical safety because of online and face-to-face threats to them and their families.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The attorneys are asked for the case to be heard before a jury.
Read more Jim Bakker, ‘Praise the Lord’ evangelist brought down by scandal, dies at 86