Death of Nex Benedict

Nex Benedict
Born	2008 (2008)
Died	February 8, 2024 (aged 16) Owasso, Oklahoma, U.S.

Nex Benedict (c. 2008 – February 8, 2024) was a 16-year-old non-binary American student who died after being attacked at their high school. Benedict, who had previously been bullied at school, was beaten in the women's restroom at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, dying the following day. As of February 2024, the cause of their death has not yet been established, and an autopsy is still pending.

Background

Nex Benedict was born in 2008 to a mother enrolled in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Death

According to Benedict, they and their friends had been bullied at Owasso High School before the incident. As retaliation, while in the bathroom of their assigned sex per Oklahoma law, Benedict committed assault by throwing water on one of the three girls who had bullied Benedict, which led to the girls retaliating and assaulting Benedict and their friends. During the assault, Benedict sustained severe head injuries after being knocked to the ground and having their head repeatedly slammed into the floor. They were found covered in facial bruises near their eyes, and had scratches on the back of their head.

Per school officials, the students involved were in the bathroom for less than two minutes and the "physical altercation" was broken up by other students that were present in the restroom and a staff member who was supervising outside of the restroom. By the school officials' account, all students walked under their own power to the nurse and then to the assistant principal's office after the fight, where they were given a health assessment, gave statements, and contacted their parents. While Benedict was not identified as the student, officials stated that they advised one student's parent to take them to a medical facility for further examination.

According to Benedict's grandmother, Sue Benedict, who had raised Benedict since they were two months old and adopted them in 2022, the school did not call an ambulance or the police, and instead ordered Benedict suspended for two weeks. Sue took Benedict to a nearby hospital for treatment, where she summoned the Owasso Police Department at around 3:30 p.m (CT). Benedict was discharged later that day, and reportedly went to sleep with a sore head.

The following day, on February 8, as they were preparing to travel with their grandmother for an appointment, Benedict collapsed in the family's living room. An ambulance was called, and Benedict had stopped breathing by the time EMTs arrived. Benedict was declared dead at the hospital that evening.

Investigation

In a statement to The Advocate, Dan Yancy, Owasso Police Chief, said that "no report of the incident was made to the Owasso Police Department prior to the notification at the hospital." Investigations by the Owasso Police Department to determine the events that led to Benedict's death are ongoing. As of February 21, 2024, police are awaiting toxicology and autopsy results from the local medical examiner's office before determining whether anyone will be charged. Law enforcement conducted interviews with school staff and students with all findings sent to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office.

On February 21, a police department spokesperson said that hallway video from inside the school, showing Benedict before and after the incident, has been reviewed by investigators and will be released "at some point". On February 23, the Owasso police released footage from school surveillance cameras, officer worn body cameras, and audio of the 911 calls made by Sue Benedict on February 7 and 8.

The Owasso Police Department said that initial autopsy information showed that the death was not-trauma related, though this is disputed. The Benedict family is privately investigating the incident, also stating there were other facts not publicly available.

Aftermath

In a letter to parents, Owasso Public Schools said it would be increasing the number of security personnel within the district, updating their safety drills and rules, and providing counseling services for students affected by the death.

Reactions

While Benedict's cause of death has not yet been determined to have been caused by the attack, at least one LGBTQ advocacy group, Freedom Oklahoma, has described the reported attack that preceded Benedict’s death as a possible hate crime.

Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, spoke out about Benedict's death, stating they were a "wonderful child whose experience and identity matter and was worth celebrating".

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement linking the attack on Benedict with Oklahoma Senate Bill 615, a law passed by the state legislature that required multi-occupation restrooms in public schools or public charter schools in Oklahoma to be for the exclusive use of either the male or the female sex, "as designated on individuals' original birth certificates". LGBT activists and advocacy groups have linked the death to rhetoric spread by Chaya Raichik on her Libs of TikTok social media accounts, including an event in which a video featuring one of Benedict's teachers was shared by Raichik. This came in the wake of Raichik's appointment to the Oklahoma Department of Education's Library Media Advisory Committee by Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, in January 2024.

A hotline run by the Indianapolis-based Rainbow Youth Project was reported as receiving over 200 calls from Oklahoma in the weekend following Benedict's death, more than three times the usual amount, with many mentioning Benedict's death, and most reporting having been bullied themselves.

After city police claimed the death was not related to the altercation, multiple activists and groups called for an independent or federal investigation, including the Human Rights Campaign and House Minority Leader Ritchie Torres.

Vice President Kamala Harris said that 'her heart goes out to Nex Benedict's family' and that she stood with LGBTQ+ youth.