Nolan Wells’ close friend has refuted claims that anything was erased from the 18-year-old’s cellphone before he was discovered dead following a July Fourth boating excursion, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Warren Hudson, in a recent interview, stated that “no one touched” Wells’ phone and asserted there was “nothing to hide.”
Hudson addressed rumors that he or others in the group accessed Wells’ phone after the teen was last seen on Horn Island.
“There was no reason for us to get on Nolan’s phone,” Hudson explained during an interview on The Officer Tatum. “No one touched Nolan’s phone.”
He added, “If none of us had touched Nolan’s phone, then, you know, there’s no reason for anything to be deleted.”
Hudson continued, “No one even was in contact with his phone until it was moved from the boat to the truck, and none of us have access to Nolan’s password to get on his phone and delete anything. We had no reason to delete anything. There’s nothing to hide here.”
Hudson’s remarks come in response to allegations from attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wells family, who suggested the teen’s friends had the phone after departing Horn Island.
Crump alleged the phone had a video of Wells arguing with someone on the boat before his disappearance.
He also asserted that when the phone was returned to the family, some messages were missing.
Hudson countered this, noting that many attendees at the gathering left their phones on the boat while on the island.
According to Hudson, Wells’ phone was placed in his truck once the group left and was returned to Wells’ mother that evening.
“The only time anybody came in contact with the phone was moving it from the boat to my truck,” Hudson reiterated, emphasizing no one tried to access or change the phone’s contents.
He recalled last seeing Wells around 3 p.m. on July 4, mentioning that “dozens of boats” were still anchored near Horn Island when they departed.
Hudson also responded to online accusations about his involvement in Wells’ death when host Brandon Tatum directly asked if he was responsible.
“Absolutely not,” Hudson stated.
He further explained why he missed Wells’ funeral despite calling him “one of my best friends.”
“It breaks my heart that I can’t go. And it hurts me more than anything because I want to say my last goodbye to one of my best friends,” Hudson shared.
“But if I’m getting crazy death threats of people saying they’re going to kill me and do crazy things to my family, I just couldn’t bring myself to go,” he continued. “I’ve got to put my own safety first, even if that means missing my friend’s funeral.”
“It’s horrible and I wish I could’ve been there, but that’s what’s been going on,” Hudson added.
Hudson’s mother, Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, has also defended her son, noting that he last saw Wells around 3 p.m. before the group left Horn Island due to a mechanical issue with their boat.
Cole mentioned that their families have known each other for years and that her son “loved Nolan dearly.”
She also disclosed that her family received death threats and said they would avoid public statements but remained open to private discussions with Wells’ family or Crump.
