OK - Nex Benedict, 16 year old student died after being beaten in school restroom, Owasso, Feb 8 2024

[Laughing]

Thanks for posting, I think I was still reeling from the comments from Superintendent Ryan Walters.

(((hugs)))

 

[housewife]

Then NB responded by pouring water on the girls and the situation (wrongly) escalated from there. Where does this turn from a group of kids who just didn't get along into a hate crime?

RSBM
When kids use physical violence it becomes a crime. Just like adults.

IMHO I don't focus on the hate crime designation, nobody deserves to be assaulted by a group of people at school.
Nobody. No matter what.

IMHO I want to know why there is a suspicion that a victim caused their own assault. We are victim friendly. The "both sides" interest means we are looking for exculpatory evidence on the attackers, which doesn't exist. Nothing justifies the attackers' actions.

Why are violent kids in schools being protected, instead of expelled? Why is being jumped in the bathroom so common in the first place?

edit:RSBM

 

[LouTennant]

RSBM
When kids use physical violence it becomes a crime. Just like adults.

IMHO I don't focus on the hate crime designation, nobody deserves to be assaulted by a group of people at school.
Nobody. No matter what.

IMHO I want to know why there is a suspicion that a victim caused their own assault. We are victim friendly. The "both sides" interest means we are looking for exculpatory evidence on the attackers, which doesn't exist. Nothing justifies the attackers' actions.

Why are violent kids in schools being protected, instead of expelled? Why is being jumped in the bathroom so common in the first place?

edit:RSBM

I know that you believe that nothing justified the attack but the water throwing incident is very important In the known sequence of events.

After the event we now know that the liquid that made contact with the 3 girls was water.
The 3 girls have a strong case to argue that they panicked not knowing what the liquid was.

Yeah I know this will be an unpopular opinion but that's how I can see it being argued if it went to court.

JMO

 

[Bbgiraffe]

I know that you believe that nothing justified the attack but the water throwing incident is very important In the known sequence of events.

After the event we now know that the liquid that made contact with the 3 girls was water.
The 3 girls have a strong case to argue that they panicked not knowing what the liquid was.

Yeah I know this will be an unpopular opinion but that's how I can see it being argued if it went to court.

JMO

If you think that'll be unpopular, wait till you hear my opinion that Nex is the one who escalated this to a physical altercation. The girls were verbally mocking them so they throw water at the girls? How about we use our words instead of escalating a situation unnecessarily.

 

[MyBelle]

I know that you believe that nothing justified the attack but the water throwing incident is very important In the known sequence of events.

After the event we now know that the liquid that made contact with the 3 girls was water.
The 3 girls have a strong case to argue that they panicked not knowing what the liquid was.

Yeah I know this will be an unpopular opinion but that's how I can see it being argued if it went to court.

JMO

BBM. No, the three girls don't have a strong case at all. The girls were not injured.

There is no justification for the three of them to tackle Nex onto the floor and head-bash to the point of unconsciousness.

All three should be prosecuted.

JMO

 

[pukasonqo2]

BBM. No, the three girls don't have a strong case at all. The girls were not injured.

There is no justification for the three of them to tackle Nex onto the floor and head-bash to the point of unconsciousness.

All three should be prosecuted.

JMO

There is currently a similar situation in the USA with a 16 yo in a coma and possibly brain damaged after a similar attack:

Missouri, St. Louis - Teenage girl in critical condition after brutal fight with another female teen near Hazelwood East High School, 8 March 2024​

Throwing water into somebody does not justify murder, at one point they must have realised what they were doing and I said this from experience of hitting another girl when I was a teen, it was like a switch came on and I stopped, I clearly remember walking away (she was bruised badly and I cannot remember what brought the fight, I didn’t even know her…)

 

[Elley Mae]

There is currently a similar situation in the USA with a 16 yo in a coma and possibly brain damaged after a similar attack:

Missouri, St. Louis - Teenage girl in critical condition after brutal fight with another female teen near Hazelwood East High School, 8 March 2024​

Throwing water into somebody does not justify murder, at one point they must have realised what they were doing and I said this from experience of hitting another girl when I was a teen, it was like a switch came on and I stopped, I clearly remember walking away (she was bruised badly and I cannot remember what brought the fight, I didn’t even know her…)

Pounding someone’s head on concrete and dumping water on someone’s head are the same?

The cases are no where similar, and should not be compared.

Jmo

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Pounding someone’s head on concrete and dumping water on someone’s head are the same?

The cases are no where similar, and should not be compared.

Jmo

I don't think that poster is comparing dumping water to the St. Louis case. I think the poster is comparing the jumping Nex in the bathroom to the St. Louis case.

 

[Elley Mae]

We don’t know if there is a crime. Nex escalated the altercation by throwing the water, then the three girls escalated it by making direct physical contact with Nex. The crime would presumably be if any of those escalations themselves violated the applicable laws, or if the actions after the initial escalation were considered to continue beyond what was legal.
I personally find it hard to believe that three people beating up one person is a reasonable escalation from one person pouring/throwing water/a water bottle on someone, but we just don’t know what happened or if it rises to the level of a crime. Which is why it would be nice to hear the three girls’ accounts of the situation. I doubt we will until or unless charges are filed.

We don’t know what happened, and what we do know we are hearing from very biased sources (I include OK public officials and LE as biased).

Two sides to everything and then throw in biased makes one wonder who to believe. Too many opinions about anything anymore that i have backed off of reading lots these days.

Some things best left unsaid.

Jmo

 

[pukasonqo2]

Pounding someone’s head on concrete and dumping water on someone’s head are the same?

The cases are no where similar, and should not be compared.

Jmo

Nobody is saying they are the same. Two kids have been bashed, one is dead and one is severely injured
If you read my post carefully you’d read this:
Throwing water into somebody does not justify murder, at one point they must have realised what they were doing (…)
And actually was supporting your post:
There is no justification for the three of them to tackle Nex onto the floor and head-bash to the point of unconsciousness.(…)

 

[pukasonqo2]

I don't think that poster is comparing dumping water to the St. Louis case. I think the poster is comparing the jumping Nex in the bathroom to the St. Louis case.

Thank you!

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/13/us/nonbinary-teen-nex-benedict-manner-of-death/index.html

The death last month of a Oklahoma 10th grader the day after they told their family they were involved in a fight at school was determined to be a suicide, says an autopsy summary by the state medical examiner that was released Wednesday.

 

[MyBelle]

Schools need to have a zero tolerance for bullying. On the LE body cam video, Nex's mother told the Resource Officer that she had been trying to discuss the bullying with the school to no avail. There is no way I will ever believe suicide. Evidently Nex's family and protestors don't believe it, either. I'm glad the family has attorneys.

JMO

Biden, LGBTQ+ Oklahomans react to autopsy report on Nex Benedict

After Oklahoma’s Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death of Owasso teenager Nex Benedict a suicide, President Joe Biden called for parents and schools across the country to do more to protect nonbinary and trans youth. Benedict also got support at the state capitol.

www.kosu.org

In a statement through their attorneys March 14, the family pointed out the full autopsy report says Benedict had contusions and blood in their right eye and cuts on their face. While non-lethal, the reported damage must be related, the family says. The full report is slated to be released March 27.

 

[Elley Mae]

Thank you!

I’m not aware that her head was bashed, I was referring to the girl that is in a coma not the one dumping water. That was suicide.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Advocate spoke to Dr. Joshua King, medical director of the Maryland Poison Center at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Masha Yemets, a clinical toxicology fellow at the same institution, to gain insights into the risks associated with fluoxetine and diphenhydramine, particularly in overdose scenarios.

Both said they couldn’t comment definitively on Benedict’s death — “Without the full autopsy report and associated toxicology data, we couldn’t comment about the medical examiner’s determination,” Yemets cautioned — but they agreed that both of the medications reported to be in Benedict’s system are commonly taken and pose a low risk of dangerous interactions when used correctly. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine taken for allergies and fluoxetine is used for depression and anxiety. Because diphenhydramine can make a person drowsy, it is also a common ingredient in over-the-counter sleep aids.

“In general, in therapeutic use, meaning taking it as prescribed or directed, death, while not an impossibility, would be very, very uncommon,” King said, noting that while most overdoses do not lead to death, they can cause significant harm, sometimes causing the patient to require hospitalization.

Toxicology experts say death from medications in Nex Benedict case ‘very, very uncommon’

Following the announcement that the teenager’s death was suicide through the combined toxicity of two common medications, The Advocate spoke with experts about the risks of these drugs.

www.advocate.com

 

[MyBelle]

I’m not aware that her head was bashed, I was referring to the girl that is in a coma not the one dumping water. That was suicide.

Nex's head was bashed against the floor to the point of unconsciousness. Concluding it was suicide is laughably absurd.

JMO

Former students, parents speak on anti-LGBTQ bullying at Nex Benedict's school

Nex Benedict's death has been ruled a suicide, shining a renewed spotlight on the intensifying environment in Oklahoma schools and anti-LGBTQ bullying.

abcnews.go.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Below is the Summary Report; It should be noted that the medical examiner's office acknowledged Benedict's preferred name was Nex but stated that the report uses the legal first name of Dagney.

The Owasso Police Department released a statement about the results on Facebook on Wednesday:

"From the beginning of this investigation, Owasso Police observed many indications that this death was the result of suicide. However, investigators did not wish to confirm that information without the final results being presented by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s report has now been made public. See Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s report for Cause of Death and Means. The Owasso Police Department would like to take this moment to inform anyone in crisis or contemplating suicide of the Oklahoma Mental Health Lifeline, just call or text 988."

Full Nex Benedict Coverage
Video Transcript:

Nex: "We don't know each other."

Officer: "You know of each other, with the vape situations and all that."

Nex: "No. Before this ISP thing, We never saw each other. They're freshmen, we're sophomores. We didn't know any."

Benedict told the officer the girls in the bathroom were making fun of the way Benedict and their friends were laughing about something.

Here is the transcript of what Benedict said happened next:

Nex: "They were talking about us, in front of us. So I went up there and I poured water on them. And then all three of them came at me."

Nex: They grabbed onto my hair. I grabbed onto them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser. Then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground and started beating me."

Owasso Teen Nex Benedict Died By Suicide, Says Medical Examiner Report

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner has released part of the results of their investigation into the death of an Owasso High School teen.

www.news9.com

 

[Mack the Knife]

I’m confused as to why WSers would doubt the possibility of suicide? I understand why the family has opinions, and I think it would make sense for them to want an independent autopsy, but why should we think it couldn’t be suicide?

Nex was a teenager whose identity made them the target of active bullying and passive hostility, from their peers to their government. IMO Nex’s description of the altercation doesn’t sound like the girls at the time were necessarily saying anything about Nex’s gender identity, but it was maybe just one more instance of being “othered” and made to feel less than. Nex did not have to pour water on the girls to defend themself (according to Nex’s description) or get out of the situation. I’m not stating if that action was wrong, but it was an escalation and to me seems like someone who was fed up. If that’s the case, especially to a teenager who has relatively little control over their life, suicide could feel like a reasonable choice.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I’m confused as to why WSers would doubt the possibility of suicide? I understand why the family has opinions, and I think it would make sense for them to want an independent autopsy, but why should we think it couldn’t be suicide?

Nex was a teenager whose identity made them the target of active bullying and passive hostility, from their peers to their government. IMO Nex’s description of the altercation doesn’t sound like the girls at the time were necessarily saying anything about Nex’s gender identity, but it was maybe just one more instance of being “othered” and made to feel less than. Nex did not have to pour water on the girls to defend themself (according to Nex’s description) or get out of the situation. I’m not stating if that action was wrong, but it was an escalation and to me seems like someone who was fed up. If that’s the case, especially to a teenager who has relatively little control over their life, suicide could feel like a reasonable choice.

I think it was determined to be a suicide long before is reasonable, regardless of what LE saw at the scene. And that includes a note. I think this result was touted by officials before anyone could reasonably know with any level of certainty. That and their obviously bigoted stance on the matter make me question the validity of the autopsy and whether or not other causes of death were explored with any legitimate curiosity. Even if they did take more of these meds than is safe, it doesn't mean they died of a suicide.

But let's say for the sake of argument it was a suicide. I still blame the girls. Public humiliation is a strong risk factor for suicide. The girls should be held accountable for their own criminal conduct regardless, MOO.

 

[al66pine]

Head Bashed Against Floor? Unconscious?

Nex's head was bashed against the floor to the point of unconsciousness....

snipped for focus. @MyBelle Per your post, Nex's "head was bashed against the floor to the point of unconsciousness."

(ETA: This, FWIW
From Owasso PD Facebook, on Feb 22, a re-release of info released Feb 21:
"...All students involved in the altercation walked under their own power to the assistant principal's office and nurse's office...."
There are a few more points about that, including the "registered nurse" gave each of the students "a health assessment... and it was determined that ambulance service was not required."
"...the school nurse recommended that Nex Benedict visit a medical facility for further examination."

https://m.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=797682522395068&id=100064599824990

Nothing there re head bashing or unconsciousness, not that it would necassarily have been released at that point.)

I've tried to read all the MSM links but apparently missed some.

A link pls. @MyBelle ? Anyone? TiA.