Following the murder of an LGBTQ adolescent who had allegedly endured months of bullying at school, Oklahoma’s LGBT community is in shock.
Nex Benedict, 16, passed away on February 8, the day after his family claims the sophomore at Owasso High School was attacked in the school’s restroom. A police investigation is still underway, and many questions remain unanswered.
What happened to Nex Benedict?
New details of Nex’s death and the investigation were revealed via a search warrant that was issued in Tulsa County courts on Wednesday and was obtained by the Oklahoman, a USA TODAY network affiliate. The document revealed that a detective had requested permission from a judge to investigate Owasso High School for evidence, including blood traces.
Penny Hamrick, an Owasso Police detective, wrote in the search warrant that “officers suspect foul play involved and need to initiate an in-depth investigation into the death.”
According to the warrant, police were called to an Owasso hospital shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 in response to a report that Nex had been injured in a fight at school. Sue Benedict, Nex’s mother, wanted to report the assault and asked police to talk with school administrators about what had happened. She did not ask officers to pursue charges against the other students at that time, Hamrick wrote.
Who was Nex Benedict?
Nex attended Owasso High School, a suburb northeast of Tulsa, as a sophomore. The teenager resided with Sue Benedict, their biological grandmother, and her husband Walter. Sue Benedict had reared Nex since they were small and had recently formally adopted them. According to the family, Nex identified as nonbinary and used the pronouns they/them. Benedict said of Nex, “They did not see themselves as male or female.” Nex perceived themselves as being in the center. Nex was educating me about it, so I was still learning about it.
