Friends remember Nex Benedict, Oklahoma student who died after school fight, as ‘fiery kid’

Ally, a senior at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, said the last thing Nex Benedict said to them was “happy birthday.”

Nex was involved in a fight at the school on Feb. 7, Ally’s birthday, and died the next day. Nex’s mother, Sue Benedict, told The Independent that Nex, 16, was bullied because of his gender identity. As a result, his death has become a rallying cry for LGBTQ activists as Oklahoma and states across the country consider dozens of bills that target the community.

Ally, who uses they/them pronouns and asked to go by only their first name to protect their privacy, said in an interview that they were close friends with Nex.

“It was one of those things where you meet them and you automatically feel like you’ve known them for years kind of thing,” Ally said Sunday before a vigil for Nex, whom they met at the start of the school year. “They were such an adventurous little thing. It was never really a dull moment with them.”

Ally said Nex primarily went by he/him pronouns at school but also used they/them pronouns, which Nex's family also used. Several other friends said Nex preferred he/him pronouns.

The Owasso Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that preliminary information from an autopsy report shows Nex’s death wasn’t the result of trauma. A toxicology exam is still pending, and an official autopsy will be released later.

The department released a series of videos Friday that offer a glimpse into the day before Nex’s death, including body camera video from a police officer’s interview with Nex, in which he described how three students “jumped” him after he threw water on them because they were bullying him and his friend.

Ally and Nex's friend group would always get in trouble for laughing too