Madison Brooks.Photo: Facebook
Four suspects are charged in connection with the Jan. 15 incident in East Baton Rouge that preceded the death of LSU student Madison Brooks, say authorities.
Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, are charged with one count each of principal to third-degree rape, the affidavits show.
Brooks had a blood-alcohol level about four times the legal limit when she left Reggie’s Bar on Bob Pettit Boulevard, near the LSU campus, in the early hours of Jan. 15, according to the affidavit.
She also tested positive for THC, it says. According to the affidavit, she and the four suspects consumed alcohol at the bar.
Kaivon Washington, Everett Lee, and Casen Carver.East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office (3)
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Carver told authorities that he didn’t know Brooks and had never seen her before, the affidavit says.
He said that when he and the others were “leaving the bar for the night, the victim walked with them,” the affidavit says.
Carver described Brooks as “very unstable on her feet,” unable “to keep her balance” and “unable to speak clearly without slurring her words,” the affidavit says.
Video footage shows Brooks falling inside the bar, according to the affidavit.
He said he saw Brooks and the 17-year-old male “hugging and walking together” and that she asked for a ride home, it says.
Carver asked where her friends were, but he told authorities “she was ‘drunk’ and did not know where her friends were,” the affidavit says.
Carver told authorities he offered Brooks a ride home and asked her where she lived, but he told authorities that “she fell over and could not answer him,” it says.
The 17-year-old and Brooks had sex in the backseat of the car, according to the affidavit.
After the 17-year-old had sex with Brooks, Carver said he heard Washington asked her “numerous times” if she wanted to have sex with him and “she consented,” the affidavit says.
Carver said he and Washington’s uncle, Lee, stayed in the front seat while “sex acts were being performed with the victim,” it says.
Carver told authorities that at a certain point, he said, “we got to stop this,” at which point, Carver said Washington and Brooks stopped having sex, the affidavit states.
Asked if Brooks was too impaired to consent to sex, Carver allegedly said, “I guess,” the affidavit says.
Unable to find out where Brooks lived, he says he dropped her off “in a subdivision,” he told authorities.
The driver was not arrested.
Carver’s attorney Joe Long toldTheAdvocatethat Brooks' death is “a tragedy, but not a crime.”
Attorney Ron Haley, who is representing Washington and Lee, toldWAFBthat this was “absolutely not a rape.”
He told the outlet, “Based on a disagreement, she got out of the vehicle. She indicated she was getting an Uber. I want the public to know, these young men or really the driver of the vehicle and the young men that were in there, did not put her off on the side of the road.”
A Louisiana native, Brooks was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority at LSU, according toKSLA.
“Madi was a bubbly, loving, and selfless friend. She left an indelible mark on our chapter, we cherish our memories together and we will never forget her. Our forever friend was also a hero, Madi donated her heart and kidneys to save others,“the sorority said on Instagramon Monday.
“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,” it added.
- NICOLE ACOSTA contributed reporting
source: people.com
