Warren interview Part 1 | Nolan Wells Case

0:00 Tatum So Warren I'm going to ask you some very pointed questions I mean just straight out. The first thing I want to ask you is did you kill Nolan? All right Warren we had a chance to get to know each other over the last what two days. Went out to Horn Island. So I've had an opportunity to talk to you about a few things and the things that you've told me have literally blown my mind. But the world haven't had a chance yet to hear your story, to hear Nolan's story through you, through his friend. And it's not just you. It's a bunch of y'all but you know some of some of the other guys were afraid because of the threats and the violence that's been threatened against their lives and and all of the above. But you decided that you wanted to take this bold step and and give a statement and you know get your your side out here. And I want to start at the very beginning of all of this and ask you what was your relationship like with Nolan? Who was he to you?

0:59 Warren Nolan I could describe Nolan in a million ways I mean Nolan was not just a best friend to me but he was a brother. I grew up through elementary, middle school, high school, and our freshman year of college you know we talked on the phone all the time. We were really close friends and I mean Nolan was like a brother to me. And he Nolan lit up every room he walked in. He always had a smile on his face. He always had something good to say. I've never seen Nolan get in an argument with somebody and say bad things about someone you know there's a lot of people that talk crap nowadays and Nolan was never that person. Sweetest soul ever. And I mean I had a great relationship with Nolan. I I've never got in argument with Nolan. We were super close and I I've never said or will ever have anything bad to say about Nolan Wells.

1:50 Tatum Yeah. And you guys you said you you kind of grew up together.

1:55 Tatum Did you know his mom or did you–How was that? Because I saw in the media where it appears that she may have said at least I saw in part that she said as if she didn't know any of you guys.

2:07 Warren Right. Well Nolan a lot of the times was at like my house and at my buddy's house. We never went to Nolan's house and hung out. I mean and my friend my friend group's very very tight-knit. I mean we we hang out every day when we're back home from school. In high school we hung out most weekdays and every day on the weekend. And I mean we were never at Nolan's house which you know there's nothing wrong with that but I uh I'd met his father and I mean in 8th grade Nolan that's when Nolan and I like got really close. It was Covid year and we were in class all year long together me and a couple of my buddies. And Nolan and I just got super tight cuz we'd go to Waffle House once a week together, eat, and I mean we were just super super close. But his dad would swing by Waffle House you know and like you know hang out hang out around us but never you know I was never around Nolan's parents a lot. But I mean that didn't change our relationship any. Nolan and I were still just as close and he was just as close with my friends as you know anyone else.

3:14 Tatum And walk me through the day of Fourth of July where you guys were all going out.

3:21 Tatum That seemed like something that I would assume that may have occurred more than just this year–

3:26 Warren Yeah of course.

3:27 Tatum –was this something that you you guys did more than just this year? This is a two-part question. I want to know is this something that you guys typically did together? Did you hang out often in this fashion? And then I want you to then walk me through Fourth of July this year when the incident happened.

3:43 Warren Okay. You know being from the Gulf Coast there's a boating and fishing is very very popular. The Fourth of July every year my friends and I or my family and I are out on the water. I mean that's the one day is guaranteed everybody's going out and that's a known thing. Everybody's trying to get a ride out to Horn Island or you know people go to Ship Island but most of everybody from Ocean Springs and the Gulf Coast go to Horn Island. And you know we went last year. Nolan was on the boat with me last year and he was I mean this was a common thing. My friends go on the boat when we're home. Very very common. That's what we like to do. My friends like to fish also and like to go on the boat not just fishing but like to go on the boat like to go on sunset cruises like just like like to do it all you know on the water you know and I mean Nolan loved to do that too. I mean he was not like any he was just like everyone else in our friend group. He he loved to go on the water and you know have a good time with the guys and that's what we did a lot. But Fourth of July everybody was out there like I said like Nolan was always trying to go on the boat trying to go out there with us and we he was always welcome to come. Nolan was always out there with us and uh but start of Fourth of July you know my buddies and I had talked about this week's upcoming you know everybody's very very excited for the Fourth of July from down here. Like it's it's a big thing.

5:12 Tatum It's it's a big deal.

5:13 Warren Very very big deal. And uh I mean I actually stayed with Nolan that night at my buddy's house and I woke up at my buddy my buddy's house and we went to McDonald's, got food. Nolan was not with me and I went and got breakfast. My buddy I had my buddy's boat hooked up to my truck and well first I ran to my house then I went to McDonald's and came back and I the boat was already hooked up to my truck. My buddy Wyatt and I went and with my buddy and we went filled the top the boat off, loaded it down with ice and just got everything ready. Then Wyatt went and put his smaller boat in the water which is the Palm Beach. He's an 18 foot Palm Beach. And Wyatt I drove the boat from Fort Bayou boat launch to my buddy my my buddy's grandparents house. And that's where we all planned to meet up that day.

6:09 Tatum You say we all. Who who who you talking about? You Nolan or Nolan? How many people are going to meet you guys there?

6:16 Warren We had roughly 20 to 30 people coming on three separate boats with us. And so we were all following each other out there.It was one big group you know it wasn't just me and Nolan and a couple other my buddies. There was 20 or 30 people spread out where we all met at the dock before and then we departed to go to Horn Island. It wasn't just a couple of us. I mean we were there were so many people we had to split up between three boats and we all left and all got there at the same time.

6:45 Tatum Yeah. I just want to make sure that's clear because the the statements that are out there made it appear that it was just you, Nolan, and probably two or three other guys and y'all the only y'all are the only ones that went out to this island.

6:57 Warren Right. And that's completely incorrect. I mean Horn Island on the 4th of July is the most popular day to be on the water on you know the entire throughout the entire Gulf Coast. I mean everybody and their mom is on the water on Fourth of July you know there's no telling. I mean roughly probably two to three maybe even 4 thousand people out there. There were boats lined up off the island. I mean there was three rows of boats all the way until my vision ended until I could see of people from I mean there was one row of boats and then there was another row of boats and then there was a third row of boats.

7:36 Warren I mean there was people lined up all up and down the island to where I mean who knows I mean and that wasn't just we were parked at on the north side on the west tip. It wasn't just there. I mean there was tons of people packed out on the south side and on the east end and in the middle of the island but just where we were I mean there was easily a thousand people. It wasn't just us.

7:59 Tatum Yeah. Let's let's go back a little bit.

8:05 Tatum I I want to go back to you guys at the dock getting on the boat. You're saying there's multiple people probably 20 or 30 people getting on three boats.

8:10 Tatum What boat were you on and what boat was Nolan on?

8:14 Warren Nolan was on Wyatt's 22 Triton on the way out. I went with my buddy Bart cuz we had a lot of uh friends from college coming down and Bart I called Bart that morning I was like hey man can you take your boat out and he was like yeah well my dad decided not to go and I I'll take the boat and I'll take your you and your friends of course. I mean he's a buddy of mine. And so Bart pulled up at the dock and I mean I rode out there with Bart and all a lot of the girls that go to college with my friends and I and Nolan rode out on the Triton and then we had a Palm Beach 18 Palm Beach. There was four guys on that. There was like eight people on the Triton and then there was eight or nine people on the Triton and then there was the rest of the group which was probably ranged from maybe 10 to 15 or 16 people on my buddy's Tideline which is 24 Tideline.

9:12 Tatum And so you guys get on and and I know a little bit more than the audience do because we went out there a little earlier–

9:18 Tatum –cuz I wanted to see exactly what the what the drive was like.

9:22 Tatum What the dock was like.

9:23 Tatum How far it is out there.

9:24 Tatum But I want you to tell you know the audience like what was this what was this trip like you know how was the waters you know did you guys did you guys do anything in between the time you you you rode and the time you get to the island? Was it music–

9:38 Tatum –was is it like a big party, like what is that?

9:39 Warren Yeah. Well I mean obviously music's blasting. It's Fourth of July man. I mean you know how I mean everybody's really excited and I mean we had a lot of people loaded down so obviously our biggest you know we're just trying to make sure everybody you know gets out there safe and uh so I mean on the way out there it was pretty calm. I think it was blowing like three or four knots.I mean the waters were clear. It was a great day to be on the water. Sunshine not cloudy at all and I mean it was a great day to be out there on 4th of July. And so I mean we followed each other out and I mean it was calm. It was calm. On the way back it was a little more rough but it was not anything my all my buddies boats couldn't handle or like it wasn't like we were getting beat really beat up or anything. I mean it was it was pretty calm.

10:29 Tatum And so you guys get out there. I'm assuming that you line the boats up cuz I'm I'm I'm envisioning the picture of getting out there and there's hundreds of boats.

10:38 Tatum There's thousands of people.

10:42 Tatum So it wasn't just you guys on a deserted island–

10:44 Warren Of course not.

10:44 Tatum –with just not a few people. This is thousands of people out there.

10:46 Warren Right right.

10:46 Tatum And there's a lot of people doing what? What does it look like when you first pull up?

10:50 Warren I pull up and we pulled up at 10:30. I mean it wasn't I mean early afternoon. I mean it wasn't but 10:30 is you know still pretty early in the day. And when we got there there was already three rows of boats lined up all the way like I said until I could see and–

11:07 Tatum You're talking when you say all you can see you you're you're speaking about miles?

11:11 Tatum –of boats. When we went out there earlier–

11:13 Tatum –or not earlier today but when we went out there the the the island is is massive.

11:18 Warren Correct.

11:19 Tatum I mean it's it's several miles long.

11:21 Warren Roughly 10 to 12 miles. I mean it's–

11:24 Tatum So do you think that the boats were stretching from one end to the to the next–

11:27 Warren I mean–

11:28 Tatum Or just a a small area of about a mile or less than a mile of boats?

11:30 Warren Yeah. Well I mean I think there was boats all the way around the entire island but I think some spots were more popular than others. Like the west tip is usually very very crowded on the 4th of July and everybody knows that. So that's where a lot of people park because they want to be around other people. And the east end's a little more there's not as many people and but there's still a lot of boats out there. I mean it's not like no one I mean every area of the of Horn Island is covered 100%.

12:00 Tatum Wow. So you get out there y'all jump out. What do you do? You know when I say jump out you obviously not just sitting on the boat. The island is there. Like what what exactly are people doing there? Like are are you are you spending more time in the water on the island in the boat? Like how is that how is that look out there?

12:19 Warren I mean everybody as soon as you get there I mean there's people on boats yeah. Grabbing drinks and you know food whatever else. Like I mean everybody is fully prepared for the 4th of July. They bring you know all the drinks and food that they need cuz I mean they've been preparing for forth for a little while now. But when we got there I helped my buddies tie the boats up cuz we were the Tideline was right here, the Palm Beach was in the middle, and then the Triton was on the outer side. And we were there was about a drop off from where the bow was. I mean if you jumped off the bow you were probably about neck deep in water but if you got off the stern you were probably waist deep in water. I mean but when we got there we tied up, got you know bow, and rear anchor set and we tied up all the boats made sure they were good and everyone just got on the water. Then eventually next thing you know it's our group and then you know next thing you know there's 50 other people around us. And then it just grew and grew as the day came on. And you know I mean that's just how it was. Everybody's drinking you know. I mean it's Fourth of July. Everyone's just trying to enjoy themselves and you know it's a big party basically. Big party.

13:31 Tatum Yeah. So y'all y'all y'all pretty much having a good time–

13:34 Warren Of course.

13:34 Tatum –just like just like anybody would imagine it’s 18 year olds.

13:37 Tatum Probably 20 year olds.

13:38 Tatum College students.

13:40 Tatum Out on the island.

13:41 Tatum Women you know you probably had alcohol.

13:43 Tatum So y'all having a good time.

13:47 Warren Yeah of course.

13:48 Tatum And so where is where's Nolan in this? You know you you guys out there the friend groups are out there. Three boats full of people that came out there that seem to be the closest friend group.

13:55 Tatum Where is Nolan in this in comparison to where you and others are at?

13:59 Warren Well you know I had a couple conversations with Nolan that day and uh I talked to him and a couple of my other buddies in a group. I was not focused on anyone solely like looking and pointing anyone out because there were so many people out there. I mean I was talking to my friends that I haven't seen in a while from high school. I was talking from people I knew from college. I was talking to you know everybody my age and even people older than us were you know over there. Like I mean it was just a regular thing. You know we're all used to this. We we've been out to the islands before. My buddies don't just go out to the island on Fourth of July but they go out you know every weekend. Like I fish the islands. I don't just you know fish around Horn Island I fish around Ship Island too so I'm very familiar with the islands. And I feel like it was just a big I I talked to Nolan and you know Nolan was drinking. Everybody was drinking most of everybody. And I mean Nolan seemed completely fine every time I talked to him. We had just regular conversations. And you know Nolan was making me laugh. I had a couple couple conversations with Nolan and Jayvon. Nolan and my buddy James. Nolan and I mean I could tell you I mean I I talked to Nolan a couple times but it wasn't like I was strictly sitting there talking to Nolan the whole day. I mean there was hundreds of people I knew out there.

15:14 Tatum Yeah. And Nolan said something interesting you told me about this. Something he said to you I would say would would be indicative of y'all's friendship.

15:25 Tatum And then he also mentioned uh something to you about that particular day and what it meant to him.

15:32 Tatum And uh could you share that?

15:33 Warren Right. Yeah. So Nolan and my buddy Jayvon are talking and you know I grew up I grew up with Nolan and Nolan's you know just like I said like just so joyful like always happy. Like every picture I have with Nolan or picture I have of Nolan he's smiling I mean like he's always happy. If I always need like a shed a light I'm calling Nolan you know and Noah and I laugh and joke a lot. Like that's how our friend group is. We're really jokingly laugh you know. No one takes anything that serious you know. We just we we enjoy our time with together you know. I mean it's never there's never any awkwardness within our friend group. We're very very tight. So if I ever need to get something off my chest or talk to anybody I'm talking to all my friends. I'm not just talking to like specifically anybody. I'm just I I would go out like even if if I'm having issues with something I go talk in my group chat and my guys are there to you know give me a hand anytime I need it. And all my guys are the you know all my buddies are the same exact way. You know Nolan was the same exact way. If you ever need something I'm here man. Like that's how he was.

Warren Interview (Part 1)