Three men and a teenager are in custody in connection with the death of an LSU student from Covington, with two of them facing rape charges for events that deputies say happened shortly before the student's death.
Madison Brooks died last week after she was struck by a car on Burbank Drive in Baton Rouge. East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies say she was with four men prior to that crash, two of who, investigators say, raped her before throwing her out of a car.
According to an arrest affidavit for one of the suspects, Kaivon Washington, Brooks and the suspects were all drinking at the same Baton Rouge bar. The affidavit says Brooks walked out of the bar with the suspects when they were leaving for the night. A co-defendant, Cason Carter, allegedly told investigators that Brooks “was not able to keep her balance” and that she “was unable to speak clearly without slurring her words.” Carter also allegedly told investigators that Brooks asked them for a ride home because she was drunk and didn’t know where her friends were. Carter said he agreed because he didn’t want to leave Brooks alone at the bar.
The affidavit says Brooks sat in the back seat of the car with Washington’s 17-year-old friend. According to the affidavit, Carter said he overheard the teen ask Brooks if she wanted to have sex with him. Carter allegedly told investigators that Brooks agreed. The affidavit also says Carter told investigators that Washington also had sex with Brooks in the back of the car.
According to the document, Washington’s uncle, Everette Lee, was in the car the entire time.
The four suspects later dropped off Brooks in a subdivision after trying to figure out where she lived. Shortly afterward, Brooks was struck by a car and later died at a hospital form her injuries.
Washington and the 17-year-old juvenile suspect are facing third-degree rape charges. Carver and Lee are charged with principal to rape.
LSU President William F. Tate, IV, responded to the news in a forceful fashion.
“What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice,” Tate wrote. “Our collective grief and outrage cannot be put into mere words. So what can we do? It is time for action. One place to target our attention is the very place where this encounter began.
“All but one of the suspects involved in this horrific scenario were underage yet were able to consume alcohol at a local bar,” Tate continued. “As such, our action plan starts with a deep and relentless focus on any establishment that profits off our students by providing alcohol to underage individuals. In the coming days, we will call a meeting with these business owners to discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students. We will work openly against any business that doesn’t join us in efforts toward creating a safer environment for our students. Enough is enough.”
Tate says he will ask everyone in the Baton Rouge community, from business leaders to private citizens, for their help in developing a plan to prevent something like this from happening again.
