Nex Benedict's friends remembered him as a talented artist who was "always one of the brightest kids in the room" at a vigil over the weekend, while also confirming how the transgender teen identified.
Robin Gray, 16, who dated Benedict on and off, began his speech by noting that Benedict was a transgender boy who used he/him pronouns, according to NBC News. Benedict's family has referred to him primarily using they/them pronouns, which other friends said he also used, but were not what he preferred.
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“I want to start off by saying that Nex was transgender, and he used he/him pronouns," Gray said. "He was so much more than his transness.”
Benedict's current partner, Spencer, who went by only his first name, also spoke at the vigil Sunday night in Redbud Festival Park. He recalled how Benedict had helped him come out to his parents as gay, and said that the teen always "made everything easier."
“He kept energy levels high. He would always keep the room in a good mood," Spencer said. "He was always one of the brightest kids in the room, whether he would smile or not.”
Benedict, 16, had reported being bullied for months before he was involved in a physical confrontation in a school restroom with three older girls on February 7. The teen told law enforcement that the girls "jumped" him and his friend “because of the way that we dressed." Benedict then died on February 8 after being transported to a hospital following a medical emergency at home.
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The Owasso police department said in a statement last week that preliminary findings indicate trauma was not the cause of the teen’s death, while noting an official cause had not been confirmed. Sue Benedict, Nex’s grandmother and adoptive mother, called the statement a “big cover” that was put out only as “something to calm the people."
A department official then walked back parts of the statement, clarifying that the medical examiner has not ruled that trauma did not cause the death, and confirming that there’s still the possibility of a murder charge.
Benedict's friend, Ally, who also went by only their first name at the vigil, told NBC News that the teen could spend just 30 minutes working on a piece of art and it would become a “masterpiece." They also recalled Benedict's fearlessness in standing up for himself or other bullied students.
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“They were always someone who was never afraid to be who they are,” Ally said. “It was like wherever they went, you were going to accept them, and if you didn’t, that was your problem, and they were going to make it your problem."
They continued: “For some reason, it’s like I’m always looking for them wherever I go, even though I was there at the funeral. I watched them be placed in the ground. I was one of the last people to leave. I always look for them in crowds, and I’m still waiting for them to come back to our class. I do miss them a lot.”
