![\"\"](\"https:\/\/en33.usnews.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a13ada87d68ef24720ab053a6667b904.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In a new lawsuit, Noah Presgrove\u2019s family is claiming he was beaten to death by friends shortly before his naked body was found by the highway
\nNoah sustained fatal blunt force injuries, though it\u2019s still not clear how; he was also drunk
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone expects their 19-year-old to ever go to a party and die,\u201d the family\u2019s attorney says
\nIn an explosive new lawsuit filed two years after his death, Noah Presgrove\u2019s family is claiming that he was beaten to death by some of his friends during a party weekend shortly before the 19-year-old\u2019s naked body was found on the side of the highway in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
The allegation, made in a wrongful death suit filed on Monday, June 23, goes far beyond any determination by law enforcement \u2014 state police have said they don\u2019t believe Noah was murdered, but haven\u2019t commented on what led to his death on Sept. 4, 2023 \u2014 and is the most direct claim yet about who could be responsible.<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
The suit seeks at least $75,000 in damages; it does not provide evidence to support its accusations. The attorney representing Noah\u2019s family insists they have more information than they can share at this stage, though.<\/p>\n
Oklahoma state police say they continue to investigate but declined to provide an update in light of the new suit.<\/p>\n
No one has been arrested or charged in the case, which has stoked widespread discussion on social media, and those named in the complaint deny wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
The teen\u2019s body was found on the side of the road hours after he disappeared from a multi-day party with friends for Labor Day, PEOPLE previously reported.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/en33.usnews.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/862acab00e5548c093482383672867d0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
Noah had sustained fatal blunt force injuries \u2014 on his skull, on his spine \u2014 though it\u2019s still not clear how. He was also drunk, according to his autopsy.<\/p>\n
His undamaged clothes were found not far from his body.<\/p>\n
The new suit accuses seven defendants as well as numerous other unnamed individuals and a convenience store that, the suit claims, provided alcohol for the party, some of whom were underage.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Noah]\u2019s death was not caused by being hit by a motor vehicle. \u2026 [He] was beat to death by one or more of the Defendants,\u201d the suit alleges, going on to claim that \u201ctwo or more Defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy to beat [Noah].\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
\u201cEither intentionally or accidentally, the Defendants killed Decedent,\u201d the suit argues.<\/p>\n
The defendants include Avery Jo Howard, Carter Combs, Jack Newton, Caleb Newton, Johnnie Trout Wilcoxson Jr., Stevie Howard and Logan Jernigan, as well as Val Petrol, the convenience store operator.<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
Avery, Carter and Logan threw the party Noah attended on Johnnie\u2019s property, in a home owned by Stevie, according to the suit.<\/p>\n
Jack Newton, Noah\u2019s best friend, was also at the party, he has told PEOPLE. The suit alleges he bought alcohol for Noah while underage.<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
Caleb, Jack\u2019s father, is also accused of providing an all-terrain vehicle that Noah rode on \u2014 and wrecked \u2014 during the party, which Caleb denies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been able to find one thing in the lawsuit that has any truth to it,\u201d he tells PEOPLE. \u201cI don\u2019t know where this information is coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody \u2026 is all saying, \u2018Finally progress. Finally progress,\u2019 \u201c says Caleb, 41, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s a huge waste of everybody\u2019s time and emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb also disputed the allegation that Jack provided alcohol for Noah at the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no doubt that he [Jack] got his hands on his beer. I mean, I asked him, I said, \u2018Son, who bought the alcohol for this party?\u2019 And he said, \u2018It\u2019s just like every other time that I got together with any of my friends: Everybody brought what they wanted to drink, brought their own stuff,\u2019 \u201c Caleb says. \u201cNobody supplied for the whole deal or anything goofy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack did not respond to a request for comment through his father.<\/p>\n
The accusation of widespread drinking is central to the suit\u2019s claims of a \u201cconspiracy\u201d to get Noah and other underage attendees drunk even though they \u201cowed a specific duty of care \u2026 and failed to prevent harm\u201d to him, including by allowing dangerous, illegal conduct on the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adults there and the kids shouldn\u2019t have allowed it to get to any position where Noah was ever going to be at risk of dying,\u201d says attorney Austin Vance, who filed the suit on behalf of Noah\u2019s family and estate. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone expects their 19-year-old to ever go to a party and die.\u201d
\nVance, executive director at the law firm All Rise!, says \u201cit seems clear to me that somebody laid hands on Noah and that caused his death.\u201d<\/p>\n
Efforts to reach the other defendants in the suit for comment were not successful, but attorney Andrew Benedict, representing the extended Wilcoxson family, including Avery Jo Howard, told PEOPLE in a statement last year that they were mourning \u201cthe tragic death of Noah Presgrove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Wilcoxson family has coordinated and cooperated with the investigating law enforcement agencies completely and intends to continue such cooperation until the investigation is concluded,\u201d Benedict said then.<\/p>\n
He did not comment to PEOPLE this week on the new suit.<\/p>\n
Representatives for the convenience store that is also named as a defendant did not respond to a request for comment. Court records show none of the defendants have filed responses to the complaint.<\/p>\n
Dailen Presgrove, Noah\u2019s big brother, tells PEOPLE the family\u2019s suit is not about money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe defendants, it\u2019s their opportunity to defend themselves and prove their innocence,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way I\u2019ve looked at it is that this is kind of the final point,\u201d he continues. \u201cWe\u2019ve exhausted every avenue, we\u2019ve done everything that we can, and so this is really the last big Hail Mary to seek that retribution, seek that truth so that we can put everything to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dailen, 25, also notes that, as a new father himself, he soon intends to withdraw from the legal proceedings \u2014 \u201cit was just a lot of stress and a lot of attention that we just didn\u2019t want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb Newton is taking another view. He describes himself as \u201cdisappointed\u201d at the complaint.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all just sitting on our hands hoping for the next piece of information or for anything to happen. And a civil lawsuit \u2026 is the opposite of progression,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a new lawsuit, Noah Presgrove\u2019s family is claiming he was beaten to death by friends shortly before his naked body was found by the highway Noah… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33341,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33340","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n