Prosecutors revealed on Thursday that no criminal charges would be pursued in the case of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who passed away following a school altercation suspected to be linked to bullying over their gender identity. The Oklahoma medical examiner concluded that Benedict’s death was a result of suicide by ingesting antidepressants and antihistamines, noting nonlethal injuries from the fight on their nose and mouth.
The case of Benedict, a 16-year-old, has sparked concern among LGBTQ advocates who suspect that school authorities may have overlooked instances of abuse. Consequently, the U.S. Department of Education has initiated a civil rights investigation to ascertain if any laws were violated or if the school district failed to address harassment adequately.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler acknowledged Benedict’s passing as a tragedy but stated that the conduct of the juveniles involved in the altercation did not meet the criteria for prosecutable offenses.
“I concur with the assessment made by law enforcement that the filing of juvenile charges is unwarranted. Based on all available evidence, this altercation appears to have been a case of mutual combat,” Kunzweiler commented.
Benedict, who was assigned female at birth, expressed a preference for they/them pronouns with some individuals and he/him pronouns among close acquaintances, as per the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization.
Following the suicide ruling, the Human Rights Campaign reiterated its plea for a comprehensive investigation, highlighting the correlation between bullying and harassment and increased suicide rates among LGBTQ youth.
According to friends and family, Benedict had endured months of harassment.
Kunzweiler disclosed that Benedict left brief notes seemingly linked to the suicide and characterized the altercation as “involving two groups of students,” lasting under a minute after Benedict poured water over two girls.
“Allegedly, remarks were made about Benedict’s laughter, which led to the water-pouring incident,” the district attorney stated.
Source: No charges to be filed in death of Oklahoma nonbinary teen (msn.com)
