Nex Benedict
Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary Native American sophomore at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, died Feb. 8 after being beaten by classmates the day before in a bathroom at the school.
The teen was laid to rest on Feb. 15.
According to local news outlet KJRH.com, Owasso police have issued a statement saying that detectives have been and will continue over the next two weeks to interview school staff and students about the incident. Once their investigation is complete, police will hand over their findings to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine if charges will be filed.
Officials said police are waiting on the results of the autopsy and toxicology tests before releasing more information. They said police were not notified of the incident until Benedict’s parent told them what happened. They also said they “still don’t know if the fight was related to the teen’s death or if a separate medical issue was the cause,” according to KJRH.
READ A STATEMENT FROM LAMBDA LEGAL AND THE ACLU HERE.
News reports say Benedict was beaten by three older girls, with one of them “pretty much repeatedly beating [Benedict’s] head across the floor,” according to a woman who identified herself as the mother of Benedict’s friend, who was also beaten in the attack. She said Benedict “couldn’t walk to the nurse’s station on her own, and the staff didn’t call the ambulance, which amazes me.”
The woman told KJRH.com that Benedict died from “complications from brain trauma, head trauma.” She said a teacher eventually came into the bathroom and broke up the attack, but that school officials did not report the attack to police. Police were not notified until Benedict was taken to the hospital.
Benedict was taken to the hospital that same day by a grandparent, but released and sent home. They were taken back to the hospital the following day and died there.
LGBTQ Nation reports that many LGBTQ advocates are laying the blame for the deadly attack ultimately at the feet of Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s elected superintendent of public instruction since last year. Prior to his election he served in the appointed position of state secretary of education.
During his tenure in both positions, LGBTQ Nation notes, Walters has “pushed inflammatory anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.” He also recently hired anti-LGBTQ hate-monger Chaya Raichik, “who goes by Libs of TikTok on social media, for a state school book-banning committee after she targeted the Owasso school district for employing a pro-LGBTQ+ teacher who was later fired.”
Both the school district and the Owasso police have refused comment because an investigation is ongoing. The school district has sent a letter to parents saying the district is increasing security personnel, updating safety drills and updating rules on disciplinary violations and hall supervision. The district will also provide additional student resources including on-campus counselors.
LGBTQ Nation notes that local news media have repeatedly deadnamed and misgendered Benedict in reports since the teenager was murdered. A Go Fund Me organized by Kasandra Phelps on behalf of Sue Benedict to cover final expenses, which raised $27,836 before donations were cut off, also initially deadnamed and misgendered Benedict.
However, an update to the page, written by Sue Benedict, corrects the mistakes:
“We at this time are thankful for the ongoing support and did not expect the love from everyone. We are sorry for not using their name correctly and as parents we were still learning the correct forms. Please do not judge us as Nex was judged, please do not bully us for our ignorance on the subject. Nex gave us that respect and we are sorry in our grief we overlooked them. I lost my child, the headstone will have correct name of their choice. The rest of the monies will go to other children dealing with the right to be who they feel they are in Nex Benedict’s name. God bless.”
— Tammye Nash
