A high school wrestler has been charged with killing a father of three outside of a bar where he had been drinking underage with his parents, according to a lawsuit — but was still allowed to compete for a New Jersey state title as he awaits trial.
Luke Humphrey, 18, punched Oron Beebe in the head in March 2024 in a parking lot in Mount Ephraim in Camden County, where the 46-year-old dad was found with fatal head injuries, according to authorities.
The wrestler was just 16 when he was arrested and charged as an adult with second-degree manslaughter — but has since switched schools and competed in a sectional wrestling championship match last week while awaiting trial, NJ.com reported.
His wrestling coach, Kurt DeWoody, said the teen is being allowed to compete because “he works hard” and “he’s earned the right to be here just like every other kid,” according to NJ.com.
Beebe’s wife, Jennifer Beebe, filed a wrongful death lawsuit late last month against Humphrey and the bar, Bobby Ray’s Black Horse Tavern, claiming staff served the teenager and other minors before the deadly confrontation. The bar and the boy’s parents deny he had been served alcohol.
The widow claimed she and her husband had “sought to leave the bar due to conduct” by the teen wrestler and his parents, and were ultimately “forced” to leave for safety, according to the lawsuit.
At some point outside, Oron Beebe approached the teen’s vehicle — just for Humphrey to “suddenly and without justification physically” attack the dad, according to the complaint obtained by Law & Crime.
The young wrestler “struck and punched [Oron Beebe] in the head, causing [Beebe] to fall to the ground and strike his head, and sustain catastrophic head trauma,” the complaint alleges.
Those injuries “ultimately led to his death,” with the struck dad dying in a hospital just over a week later.
The Gloucester-Camden-Salem Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide by blunt force trauma.
However, Humphrey’s parents claimed their son acted in self-defense and only punched Oron Beebe after he threatened to “bury” the teen, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NJ.com.
One witness reported hearing Humphrey “shouting that he knocked out the victim because the victim had threatened him,” the complaint said.
Humphrey was charged in October 2024 with recklessly causing the death of Oron Beebe and indicted by a jury in April 2025, according to online court records.
Humphrey’s attorney in the civil suit, Robert Agre, “strongly denied” to NJ.com that the teen had been drinking that night, too.
Black Horse Tavern owner Bobby Ray Harris also denied the allegations in Jennifer Beebe’s lawsuit, claiming her version of events “absolutely did not happen.”
“None of these kids were drinking,” Harris said. “We made sure as soon as they came in, I met with the staff and said, ‘Listen, be very careful. I don’t even want any of their parents’ drinks on their table at all.’”
Humphrey, who previously attended Camden Catholic High School, joined Delsea Regional High School and wrestled for their team in the sectional championships on Feb. 18, where he lost.
His wrestling coach, Kurt DeWoody, said the teen is being allowed to wrestle because “he works hard” and “he’s earned the right to be here just like every other kid,” according to NJ.com.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association told the outlet that there are no rules barring students from competing due to pending criminal charges.
Jury selection for Humphrey’s trial is scheduled to begin on March 4.