On February 8, 16 year-old Nex Benedict woke up after going to bed with what they described as a “sore head.” They were attacked the previous day in the Owasso High School bathroom by three girls who had made comments about Nex and their friends.
The girls beat Nex to the point where they temporarily lost consciousness, and because of that, their grandmother Sue Benedict took them to the hospital to be evaluated. Nex was discharged a few hours later.
Nex was suspended for two weeks for their role in the altercation, and they were going to go to an appointment with their grandmother on the morning of February 8. However, before Sue and Nex could get out the door, Nex collapsed, their eyes rolled to the back of their head and by the time first responders arrived, Nex had stopped breathing.
Nex was pronounced dead by that evening.
Nex’s death has left LGBTQ+ students in their small town of Owasso, Oklahoma, and communities across the country outraged, demanding answers and, ultimately, justice for the death of one of their own.
What we know
School surveillance footage shows a group of girls walk into the bathroom a few minutes before Nex and their group of friends enter. Around 21 minutes later or so, the security footage shows all parties leaving the bathroom on their own.
Police body cam footage was released of an interview with Nex and their grandmother at the hospital after the fight. Nex recounted their side of events, and the police officer engaged in “questionable” lines of interrogation, going as far as to insinuate Nex could potentially have been charged with assault.
“An assault in the legal terminology is an act that gives rise to someone believing they’re in imminent threat for injury or death. So an assault is very defined in the state of Oklahoma,” said Tulsa attorney Clark Brewster. “In this instance, it’s not an assault … I take issue with just listening to the idea that [Nex] threw water and saying you’re gonna be charged if you go further and I don’t want you to be charged. It’s really just a proposition that has no legal basis.”
Brewster also said it was odd for a law enforcement agency to just release footage, especially when it involves a minor.
“I found that to be quite odd — I’ve never seen it happen frankly,” he said.
Investigators also claim the preliminary autopsy results show trauma wasn’t the cause of Nex’s death, and they’re waiting on results from toxicology to see if that provides any answers.
What we don’t know
Nex’s cause of death has been a debated topic among their peers and people across the country. According to friends of Nex, classmates have started to spread rumors claiming the death was a drug overdose. Others in their school have suggested it could’ve been suicide, but those close to Nex have insisted they don’t believe that could be the case.
Some online, however, have speculated the teen could’ve succumbed to an epidural hematoma — bleeding between the inside of the skull and the outer covering of the brain. According to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, epidural hematomas are often caused by a skull fracture and happen more often in adolescents than adults.
One of the defining characteristics of epidural hematomas is often they’re a result of a head injury or trauma followed by loss of consciousness, a period of alertness, then rapid deterioration back to unconsciousness. According to the Mount Sinai website, it could take hours for the signs of the bleeding to show up on scans, which could explain why Nex was discharged despite still having symptoms.
The response
Nex’s death has resulted in demonstrations and vigils beyond Oklahoma’s borders, with many claiming the anti-trans policies enacted by Oklahoma lawmakers as a catalyst in the violent attack on Nex.
Some claim the outrage from queer folks across the country is nothing more than a “desperate political game.” One of those critics is Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who continues to stand by the policies even after Nex’s death.
“To make sure that all individuals are safe in a school, we want every student to be protected, we want every student to be successful,” Walters told ABC News in an interview. “That also means we’re not going to lie to students. And we’re not going to push a gender ideology.”
Memorials for Nex at Owasso High School have been taken down multiple times, and when there was a local vigil for Nex, no one representing the school system spoke or volunteered to speak, according to reporting from The Oklahoman.
Despite the state and school system’s attempts to brush Nex’s death off as one of many unfortunate outcomes, Nex’s friends, family and people across the U.S. are fighting to keep their name in the forefront and to get their loved one justice.
“They were always someone who was never afraid to be who they are,” Ally, a close friend of Nex’s, said during a vigil for their friend. “It was like wherever they went, you were going to accept them, and if you didn’t, that was your problem.”