Madison Brooks latest news: LSU student’s family slams ‘shameful smear campaign’ by suspects’ attorneys

By Lynn Sommers Last updated Jan 30, 2023

New surveillance footage shows Madison Brooks leaving bar before her death

Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning

Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin

The grieving family of Madison Brooks has slammed her accused attackers for launching what they have described as an “absolutely shameful” “smear campaign” against the late Louisiana State University (LSU) student.

Kerry Miller, an attorney representing Brooks’ family, spoke out after attorneys for Casen Carver, 18, Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, Everett Lee, 28, and the unnamed fourth suspect, 17, held a press conference on Friday denying Brooks’ blood alcohol levels and claiming footage – that they are not releasing – casts doubt on her inability to consent to sex.

“To come out to mention evidence that they have and don’t show it, to contradict a gold standard blood alcohol test and not say on what basis they are doing it, it is a made up, smear campaign, absolutely shameful,” Mr Miller told WAFB.

Brooks met the four men at Reggie’s Bar in Baton Rouge on the night of January 15. Investigators say the suspects raped her in a car and then dropped her off on a dark road where she was struck and killed by a car.

The four suspects are now charged with her rape.

Key points

Show latest update
1675095306

Family remembers Madison as ‘pure joy and light’

In the wake of her sudden and tragic death, tributes have poured in from loved ones of Brooks.

LSU’s Alpha Phi chapter paid tribute to its sorority sister in a post on the group’s Facebook page.

“Madison was a sophomore and made a lasting impact on all of us,” the statement read.

“She was also a hero and was able to donate her heart and kidneys to save others. We send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. And we respectfully ask for time and space so we may support each other in our healing process. AOE”

In the wake of her sudden and tragic death, Brooks has been remembered as a bright and joyful young woman

Brooks’ grandfather Kert LeBlanc also issued a heartfelt statement on his Facebook profile.

“She was pure joy and light. She made us so very proud. We will miss her terribly. Please keep our family in your prayers as we navigate through this difficult time,” Mr LeBlanc wrote.

Tiffani Carlini Roberston, the mother of a female student at LSU, wrote in a touching post that Brooks’ memory “is in the heart of every woman attending LSU as well as their mothers.” Ms Roberston said Brooks’s story had resonated with many in the local community and made them realize that there is a bigger conversation to be had.

“We may never rid the world of sexual assault, but Madi’s beautiful life is bringing awareness of sexual assault to a generation that till now has kept their pain to themselves,” she told The Independent. “Our hearts are breaking for this family we’ve never known.”

Andrea Blanco30 January 2023 16:15

1675092606

Madison Brooks’ family slams ‘shameful smear campaign’ by suspects’ attorneys

“What the next week and several days are about is letting Madi’s family grieve.”

Andrea Blanco30 January 2023 15:30

1675089032

Madison Brooks was killed by a car. Now, four men who left her on the road are charged with rape

When Madison Brooks was struck and killed by a car on January 15, very few details were revealed about the circumstances surrounding her death.

The 19-year-old Louisiana State University student was remembered by her friends and family as a bright and joyful young woman who had a lasting effect on everyone she met. Her sorority sisters at Alpha Phi said that Madi — as she was known to those who loved her — had made the ultimate gesture that conveyed her generous personality by donating her heart and kidneys to save others.

But as her loved ones reeled from the sudden loss, the case took an unimaginable turn on 23 January when the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office announced the tragedy was not arbitrary, as initially thought. The department accused four men of directly participating in or witnessing an alleged sexual assault of a very impaired and unable-to-consent Brooks before dropping her off on a dark side of the roadway where she would later be fatally injured.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco is the following the case:

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 14:30

1675087232

LSU students slam university’s response to Madison Brooks’ case

Lousiana State University students have slammed the university’s president saying his statement about the Madison Brooks case “falls short of” addressing the issue of sexual assault and consent.

In a statement published last week, LSU’s Feminists in Action decried President William F Tate’s response to the alleged sexual assault that 19-year-old Brooks suffered before being dropped off by the suspects along a roadway and fatally hit by a car on January 15.

The group demanded that Mr Tate use his “energy to fix the sexual violence our community faces instead of using alcohol as a scapegoat.” Mr Tate had previously said that the university plans to investigate why the establishment where 19-year-old Brooks met the men accused of raping her was serving alcohol to minors.

“While students are grieving the loss of our peer and fearing for our safety and well-being, your administration directs its attention to the underage consumption of alcohol. This response is inexcusable,” the group said.

The statement added: “These four individuals were arrested for ‘third-degree rape’ and ‘principle to rape’; not underage drinking nor driving under the influence.”

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 14:00

1675085432

Madison Brooks rape suspects’ lawyers are denying police claims that she was drunk

Laywers representing Madison Brooks’ alleged rapists have denied that the LSU student was in a drunken stupor when two of the accused had sex with her.

In a press conference on Friday, attorneys Joe Long and Ron Haley questioned the accuracy of body alcohol level (BAC) results showing that 19-year-old Brooks was nearly four times over the legal limit at the time of her death, ABC affiliate WBRZ reports.

Mr Long represents 18-year-old Casen Carver, who is facing principal to rape charges. Mr Haley is the attorney for Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, charged with third-degree rape and principal to rape, respectively.

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 13:30

1675083600

Attorneys for the defense clarify that video taken by suspect shows them ‘having a conversation with Madison Brooks’

In a press conference on Friday, attorneys Joe Long and Ron Haley clarified that the video taken inside the car showed the defendants engaging in a conversation with Brooks, but did not depict them having sex, as was previously reported.

The video will not be released at this time, the legal team said.

The attorneys had hoped that the video would exonerate the men, but Judge Brad Myers said it only showed the suspects “callously” laughing at Brooks as she slurred her words, reported local outlet WAFB.

They also said on Friday that another video of Brooks leaving the vehicle “unharmed” will also be released at a later date. It is unclear whether that footage was obtained from surveillance cameras or recorded by the suspects.

Andrea Blanco30 January 2023 13:00

1675081832

Will the 17-year-old suspect be tried as an adult?

The 17-year-old suspect is yet to be identified due to his age.

However, questions are mounting as to whether he will be tried as an adult in the case.

At a bond hearing on February 24, prosecutors vowed to upgrade the charges against the four men accused of raping the LSU student.

District Attorney Hillar Moore’s Office has said that charges could be upgraded to first degree rape and are planning to call a grand jury in the case.

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 12:30

1675080032

Madison Brooks timeline: From Baton Rouge bar to alleged rape and death, what happened to the LSU student?

Police investigating the tragic death of Louisiana State University (LSU) student Madison Brooks have arrested and charged four suspects with rape.

Brooks, 19, was allegedly sexually assaulted in a car on 15 January after a night of drinking in a Baton Rouge bar before being left on a dark road in the early hours of the morning, at which point she appears to have been struck by accident by a passing car, dying later in the hospital of her injuries.

On January 23, Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, and a 17-year-old male who has not been named because of his age were charged with third-degree rape.

Mr Washington’s uncle, Everette Lee, 28, and Casen Carver, 18, were also charged with principal to rape.

Here’s a timeline of the case:

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 12:00

1675078232

Madison Brooks’ mother calls for this ‘never to happen again’

Madison Brooks’ devastated mother is calling for this to “never happen again” as she prepares to lay her daughter to rest this week.

Attorney Kerry Miller, who is representing the family of Brooks, told WAFB that the family doesn’t want any other family to go through what they are.

“Really the goal of Madi’s mom is to never have this happen again, to never have any family feel the kind of pain she is feeling right now,” he said.

He added: “People around her should not have taken advantage of her. They should have protected her.

“Got her home safely. Which is the opposite of what these individuals did.”

Rachel Sharp30 January 2023 11:30

1675076400

Madison Brooks’ alleged rapist ordered not to comment on the case on social media after being released on bond

Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18; a 17-year-old male who has not been named due to his age; Everette Lee, 28; and Casen Carver, 18, were charged on Monday with the sexual assault of 19-year-old Brooks.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said that a severely intoxicated Brooks was callously dropped off along a road in a neighborhood near Pelican Lakes Parkway after two of the suspects allegedly raped her in the early morning hours of January 15.

Brooks was hit by a vehicle and died hours later in the hospital.

On Wednesday, Mr Lee and Mr Carter, who are facing charges of principal to rape, were released after posting bonds of $75,000 and $50,000, respectively, local news station WBRZ reported.

Mr Washington also posted bail on Wednesday.

Under the bond terms, the released suspects were ordered not to make social media posts about the case or make contact with Brooks’ family, to submit for random drug testing and be placed on house arrest and to wear an ankle monitor. The 17-year-old’s bond hearing has been postponed to February.

Andrea Blanco30 January 2023 11:00