LGBTQ+ Leaders Call For DOJ To Investigate Nex's Death

Police claimed trauma "did not cause" the death of Nex, a trans teen beaten in Oklahoma. However, a search warrant states police suspect foul play. LGBTQ+ leaders call for the DOJ to get involved.

Nex, from the family’s gofundme

On Thursday afternoon, news emerged that investigators from the Owasso Police Department filed a search warrant for cellphones and lockers of students involved in the beating of Nex Benedict, a transgender teenager in Oklahoma who lost their life following the incident. News of the search warrant came after a claim by police that initial paraphrased autopsy results showed Nex “did not die as a result of trauma,” a finding that came under scrutiny by LGBTQ+ activists and Nex's family. Now, LGBTQ+ rights leaders are calling for a DOJ investigation into their death, casting doubt on the initial statements of local police officers and school officials.

Here is what we know: According to early reports, after a year of being bullied over their transgender identity, Nex Benedict was involved in a fight in a bathroom in which three girls allegedly beat them. Some reports state that Nex's head was “banged into the floor.” Nex's mother substantiated the reports in an interview with The Independent. The school reportedly did not call an ambulance for Nex, and instead, Nex was brought to the hospital by their mother and was discharged from the hospital later that evening. The following day, Nex collapsed and was pronounced dead. In later released text messages, Nex revealed that those involved in their beating had a history of bullying them.

Following news of Nex's death, many pointed to the influence of major anti-LGBTQ+ figures in Oklahoma and nationally. Libs of TikTok, for instance, targeted a previous teacher and mentor of Nex two years prior. Chaya Raichik, who runs the anti-LGBTQ+ hate account, was appointed to an advisory role in the state Department of Education in Oklahoma as part of a plan to "make schools safer," according to State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. Walters himself has led extreme anti-trans initiatives in the state, such as directing the Department of Education to release a video calling trans people in bathrooms "an assault on truth."

On Wednesday, though, police officers in Oklahoma released a statement questioned by many, stating that Nex’s death was not due to trauma, even though they were taken to the hospital over their head injury and experienced difficulty walking. You can see that police statement here:

"While the investigation continues into the altercation. Preliminary information from the medical examiner’s office is that a complete autopsy was performed and indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma. At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received. The official autopsy report will be available at a later date" - Owasso Police

The statement immediately aroused suspicion. Independent journalist Judd Legum wrote about the event, noting that the statement released by the police closely mirrored that issued by the school. "If the police will not release the autopsy report, why are they releasing partial, paraphrased information?" asked Legum. These sentiments were echoed by many following the case.

The statement also prompted a response by attorneys for Nex’s family calling into question the police statement:

"While various investigations are still pending, the facts currently known by the family, some of which have been released to the public, are troubling at best. We urge those tasked with investigating and prosecuting all potentially liable parties to do so fully, fairly and expediently. Notwithstanding, the family is independently interviewing witnesses and collecting all available evidence."

Meanwhile, a local transgender student who went to the same high school released their own video, claimed that they were “called slurs almost daily” and “called slurs by a teacher in the school.” They also allege that they were sexually assaulted in the school and told by the administration to keep quiet so as not to ruin their attacker’s life. “The administration has never cared about its LGBTQ+ students, the murder of Nex is a direct product of their design,” they say, adding later, “Now they are playing the cover-up game, one that they know all to well, because they have been using it the last ten years.”

The same day, many LGBTQ+ leaders began calling for a civil rights investigation by the Department of Justice, casting doubt on the credibility of local police officers and investigators' ability to impartially carry out justice. Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor and national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, stated, "The Department of Justice needs to tap in. Nex’s family deserves a full, thorough investigation into what happened." Similar calls for DOJ involvement came from Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign. Other major LGBTQ+ figures, such as Senator Sarah McBride, the first transgender candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, similarly called for a "full investigation."

Now, one day after releasing their statement that trauma was not involved in Nex’s death, news reports state that the Owassu Police Department suspected foul play in a search warrant. A search warrant from the police department was filed on Wednesday, according to USA Today, targeting the cell phones and lockers of those suspected of involvement in Nex’s death. The search warrant states that “Owasso police officers suspect foul play involved and need to initiate an in-depth investigation into the death."

The search warrants of cellphones may be important in establishing if any premeditation occurred around the incident and can establish a track record around targeted hate and a history of animosity towards Nex over their transgender status.

Many prominent Democrats have issued calls for justice for Nex and an end to anti-LGBTQ+ hate, including Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Mark Takano. The Biden administration and the Department of Justice, however, have yet to comment on the incident. Meanwhile, questions about the competency and motives of the Owasso Police Department remain prominent. Unless the Department of Justice gets involved, there may always be lingering questions and doubts about the ability to serve justice in Nex's death.

Edit: The story has been updated to note ambiguity over the dates that the search warrant was issued, signed, served, and filed, referencing USA Today’s breaking news on the warrant.