Prosecutors decline to file charges in death of nonbinary high school student in Oklahoma

Oklahoma prosecutors declined to file charges in the controversial death of a nonbinary teenager after a fight in a high school bathroom.

16-year-old Dagny Benedict, who identified as nonbinary under the name Nex Benedict, was rushed to a hospital a day after a school fight at the Owasso High School on Feb. 7. Benedict was declared dead, and activists rushed to use the tragedy in order to advance the LGBTQ+ agenda.

On Thursday, prosecutors said they found no basis on which to file charges in the case.

"Based upon the investigation of the Owasso Police Department, I am in agreement with their assessment that the filing of juvenile charges is not warranted," said Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen A. Kunzweiler.

"From all of the evidence gathered, this fight was an instance of mutual combat," Kunzweiler added. "I do not have a reasonable belief that the State of Oklahoma could sustain its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt if charges were presented for prosecution."

He went on to say that notes were found by police that did not reference the bathroom fight.

"An important part of the Owasso Police Department's investigation was the discovery of some brief notes, written by Benedict, which appears to be related to the suicide," said Kunzweiler.

He added that the medical examiner's report said Benedict suffered only superficial injuries from the fight.

Liberal narrative collapses

Initially, the story was used by LGBTQ+ activists and liberal politicians to bash Republican policies on transgender issues. Some claimed, without evidence, that the student had been beaten to death in the bathroom fight because of anti-LGBTQ+ hatred.

Police released video of an officer's interview with Benedict in which the student admitted to sparking the fight by tossing water on the girls in the bathroom.

Then police revealed that an initial medical examiner's report found that Benedict had died of a suicide and not from injuries incurred from the bathroom fight.

Activists have nevertheless continued to blame Republicans despite the facts undermining their accusations.

"Nex Benedict’s death from a brutal assault in their high school bathroom is outrageous and heartbreaking. The anti-trans fervor fueled by extreme Republicans across the country is having deadly consequences for our children," wrote former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Bullying is hurtful and cruel, and no one should face the bullying that Nex did. Parents and schools must take reports of bullying seriously," said President Joe Biden (D) in a statement about Benedict. "In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children."

GLAAD released a statement about the lack of charges, demanding that people value the lives of "Indigenous and 2STGNC+ (Two Spirit, transgender, gender-non conforming+) students" like Benedict.

"We will never stop seeking justice for Nex and we will never stop holding leaders accountable to serving their communities fairly and with compassion," the statement concluded.

Kunzwieler said Benedict's death was a tragedy.

"Mostly, we are left with questions about what any one of us could have done to prevent the tragedy from happening in the first place," he added.

Here's more about the development:

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