Non-Binary Oklahoma Teen Said They Were ‘Dizzy and Nauseous’ Hours Before Death: Texts
‘I GOT JUMPED’
The 16-year-old nonbinary student who died a day after an altercation with three alleged bullies in an Oklahoma high school bathroom earlier this month was feeling “dizzy and nauseous” in the hours before they collapsed, according to text messages they sent to a family member. “I got jumped at school,” read one of Nex Benedict’s messages, which were shared with Tulsa station KOKI on Wednesday. “3 on 1,” they wrote, in apparent reference to the three older girls that Benedict’s mother told The Independent had attacked the teen, “had to go to the ER.” Asked how they were doing, Benedict replied, “All good, just [scrapes] and bruises. Got a shot in the butt for my pain but if I’m still dizzy and nauseous in the morning I might have a concussion.” No cause of death has been released for Benedict, and authorities have not disclosed what led to the Feb. 7 fight. But their family has since said that they had been harassed at school for their gender identity. Describing the incident to their relative, Benedict texted, “They had been bullying me and my friends and I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me.” They added that the school had not reported the fight to police.