Nex Benedict was a nonbinary student who died by suicide after getting into a fight with several other students at Owasso High School on February 7th.
The Tulsa County District Attorney, Stephen A. Kunzweiler, has announced that no charges will be filed in the death of Nex Benedict.
The Tulsa County District Attorney, Stephen A. Kunzweiler, has announced that no charges will be filed in the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student who died by suicide after getting into a fight with several other students at Owasso High School on February 7th. The district attorney stated that from all evidence gathered, this fight was an instance of mutual combat and he does 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. Kunzweiler also noted that both drugs used by Benedict were legally inside the home.
The fight between Benedict and three girls was an instance of mutual combat.
Nex Benedict died by suicide last month. AP
Both drugs used by Benedict were legally inside the home.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when citing the district attorney's statement that injuries Benedict suffered from the fight might have contributed to their death. However, this is not supported by evidence and should be considered a speculation rather than a factual claim.
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when citing the district attorney's statement that injuries Benedict suffered from the fight might have contributed to their death.
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes Nex Benedict by referring to them as 'nonbinary teen' and using the pronouns 'they/them'. The use of these words implies a negative connotation towards non-binary individuals. Additionally, the author quotes Owasso police investigators who describe the fight between Benedict and three girls as an instance of mutual combat, which may not accurately reflect what happened in the situation.
The author quotes Owasso police investigators who describe the fight between Benedict and three girls as an instance of mutual combat, which may not accurately reflect what happened in the situation.
The author uses language that dehumanizes Nex Benedict by referring to them as 'nonbinary teen' and using the pronouns 'they/them'.
The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office will not file charges in connection with Nex Benedict's death.
Accuracy
The fight that led to Nex Benedict's death was not one-sided and there is not enough evidence to press charges against those involved.
Attorneys for Nex Benedict's family have said injuries sustained during the fight were significant even if their death was ruled a suicide.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it implies that the investigation into Nex Benedict's death has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the other teens who were engaged in the fight with him are not responsible for his death. However, this is not true as there was no evidence presented to support this claim.
The article states '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.' This implies that the investigation has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the other teens are not responsible for Nex Benedict's death. However, this is false as there was no evidence presented to support this claim.
The article states 'From all the evidence gathered, this fight was an instance of mutual combat,' which implies that both parties were equally at fault in the altercation. This is not true as it has been established that Nex Benedict's death was a result of suicide and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an informal fallacy known as 'appeals to authority'. The author cites the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office and the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner's Office without providing any evidence or context for their opinions. Additionally, there is a lack of diversity in sources cited, which could lead to confirmation bias.
The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office will not file charges in connection with the death of 16-year-old nonbinary Owasso High School student Nex Benedict. | MORE
On Feb. 7, authorities say Benedict got into a fight in a bathroom at Owasso High School.
The following day, Benedict collapsed while at home and was rushed to a hospital, where police said the 16-year-old later died.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that the Tulsa County District Attorney will not file charges in connection with Nex Benedict's death. The author cites a news release from the district attorney stating that there is no evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to prove any of the other teens involved in the fight were responsible for Nex's death. Additionally, notes written by Nex are mentioned as being related to suicide but do not make any reference to the earlier fight or difficulties at school.
The Tulsa County District Attorney will not file charges in connection with Nex Benedict's death.
The fight that led to Nex's death was not one-sided and there is not enough evidence to press charges against those involved.
Attorneys for Nex's family have said injuries sustained during the fight were significant even if their death was ruled a suicide.
Accuracy
Nex Benedict died by suicide last month. AP
<b>Contradiction 1:</b> The article states that the fight between Benedict and three girls was an instance of mutual combat, but other sources state that it was a one-sided fight.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that Nex Benedict's death was ruled a suicide but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. The medical examiner's report has not been publicly released and the notes found by Owasso police do not mention the fight or difficulties at school which could have contributed to their death. Secondly, it states that bullying someone to attempt or complete suicide is a felony in Oklahoma but does not provide any evidence of this crime being committed against Nex Benedict. The article also quotes Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler stating that the fight was not one-sided and there is not enough evidence to press charges, which contradicts the statement made earlier about bullying someone to attempt or complete suicide being a felony in Oklahoma. Lastly, it states that Nex Benedict's case has sparked demonstrations by LGBTQ advocates and calls for bullying law reforms but does not provide any evidence of these events happening.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler stated that the fight was not one-sided and there is not enough evidence to press charges, which contradicts the statement made earlier about bullying someone to attempt or complete suicide being a felony in Oklahoma.
The article claims that Nex Benedict's death was ruled a suicide but no evidence is provided to support this claim.
The article states that bullying someone to attempt or complete suicide is a felony in Oklahoma but no evidence of this crime being committed against Nex Benedict is provided.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that the Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is not pursuing charges in the death of Nex Benedict. The author does not provide any personal opinions or biases about this decision. However, there are some examples of language used by Kunzweiler and others that could be seen as potentially biased.
Kunzweiler says the fight was not one-sided
The medical examiner's office found that they had died after taking a lethal mix of prescription and over-the-counter medication.
No charges will be filed in connection with a fight that Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict was involved in a day before they died.
Benedict got into a physical fight with several other students in the bathroom at Owasso High School on Feb. 7, according to witnesses and video footage released by the police department.
Accuracy
The fight between Benedict and three girls was an instance of mutual combat.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest in this article. The author is ABC News which has a financial stake in the company that owns Owasso High School and Tulsa County district attorney Steve Kunzweiler who is also mentioned in the article.
ABC News, which owns Owasso Public Schools, reported on a school fight involving Nex Benedict.
Tulsa County district attorney Steve Kunzweiler was mentioned in the article.
, the nonbinary student in an Oklahoma high school bathroom was “mutual combat.” The death has been ruled a suicide. The fight, which took place in a girls’ bathroom, gained national attention after Nex’s death drew outrage from gay and transgender rights groups.
Accuracy
The fight between Benedict and three girls was an instance of mutual combat.
Nex Benedict died by suicide the following day after getting into a physical fight with several other students in the bathroom at Owasso High School on Feb. 7.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses a loaded term 'mutual combat' to describe the fight which implies that both parties were equally responsible for it. However, this contradicts evidence presented later in the article where Nex Benedict was found dead from an antihistamine and fluoxetine overdose after being bullied at school. Secondly, the author uses quotes from a medical examiner to suggest that there was no internal injury from the fight which is not supported by other sources mentioned in the article such as family members who claimed Nex had been physically assaulted during the altercation.
The district attorney used loaded term 'mutual combat' to describe a fight involving nonbinary student
Author uses quotes from medical examiner to suggest no internal injury despite other sources mentioning physical assault
