EBRSO: LSU Student Raped Before She Was Struck By Car and Killed, 4 Arrested
Authorities arrested four individuals Monday (Jan. 23) in the rape of LSU student Madison Brooks who was later hit and killed by a vehicle after being left in a neighborhood nearby.
According to WBRZ, Kaivon Washington, 18 (below), and an unnamed 17-year-old (not pictured) have both been arrested and booked on one count of third-degree rape each. The 17-year-old is not being identified because he is a juvenile.
Two other individuals—Casen Carver, 18 (below left), and Everette Lee, 28 (below right), were arrested and face charges of principal to third-degree rape as they were present during the rapes but did not partake in the alleged criminal acts.
Investigators say 19-year-old Madison Brooks, a sophomore at LSU, was drinking at Reggie's in Tigerland on Saturday, January 14 before meeting the unnamed 17-year-old, eventually leaving the bar with him and the three other suspects according to police documents.
Authorities were able to confirm that Brooks was intoxicated when she left the bar in the early morning hours of January 16 through surveillance and interviews with the suspects.
In addition to details on what transpired between Brooks and the suspects throughout the night at Reggie's, arrest documents reveal that the suspects eventually pulled over after leaving the bar. While Brooks allegedly asked for a ride home because she was too drunk to find her friends, she was also too intoxicated to remember her address.
While the vehicle was parked, Brooks was raped by Washington and the 17-year-old in the back seat of the vehicle. Arrest documents state that Carver and Lee sat in the front seat of the car while the rapes happened.
According to an interview with Carver, he "hated" the fact that the two suspects were having sex with Brooks in his back seats and told officers that the acts made him feel uncomfortable.
The 17-year-old reportedly had sex with Brooks first while Washington exited the vehicle. When the 17-year-old finished the sex act with Brooks, Washington re-entered the vehicle and the 17-year-old exited the car. At that point, Washington began to have sex with Brooks.
While Washington was having sex with the intoxicated victim, Carver reportedly stated "we got to stop this, let's go." At that point, Washington and Brooks stopped having sex and put their clothes on.
When investigators asked Carver if Brooks was too impaired to consent to sex, Carver responded "I guess."
At that point, Brooks was still too intoxicated to tell the suspects where she lived so the suspects dropped her off in a nearby subdivision. Later, Brooks was killed just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 15 after being struck by a vehicle while reportedly standing in the middle of Burbank Drive.
According to deputies, Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319. Not only is that level four times the legal limit to drive but data shows that it is enough to give an individual alcohol poisoning and render them unconscious.
A urine sample from Brooks collected by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office also tested positive for THC.
Louisiana state law says that a third-degree rape charge "involves cases where the victim is incapable of resisting or of understanding the nature of the act because of intoxication."
As far as any other charges related to Brooks' death, an EBRSO spokesperson says there are no plans for investigators to arrest the suspects "with any further counts" at this time. As far as any updates on Reggie's being culpable in relation to the incident, authorities say that would be left up to the Baton Rouge Alcoholic Beverage Control office.
LSU President William Tate IV released a statement in the wake of the disturbing details that were revealed in connection with Brooks' already-tragic passing saying that "what happened to her was evil" and that she "should not have been taken from us in this way."
The LSU President also said this tragedy should "lead to action" when it comes to underage drinking by the university and the local business community in Baton Rouge.
He pointed out that all of the underage suspects along with Brooks were underage but still able to drink in Reggie's and plans on meeting with other local bars and businesses to "discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students.”
Dear LSU Community,
This afternoon, police arrested four individuals following an investigation into the events preceding the death of LSU student Madison Brooks, who was struck by a vehicle on Burbank Drive last week.
Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you. By all accounts, she was an amazing young woman with limitless potential. She should not have been taken from us in this way. What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice.
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. 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.
Real and long-lasting solutions require multiple strategies, so we will not stop there. That is why I am asking our entire Baton Rouge community, from business leaders to citizens, to work together and join us in this effort. We will share additional action items in the coming days, but for now please join me in keeping Madison’s family in our thoughts and prayers.
While Tate IV says that the legal system will "parcel out justice" for Brooks, her Alpha Phi sorority is remembering Brooks as a hero who donated her heart and kidneys to save others and says their sister has "made a lasting impact on all of us."
We send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.
See Washington's full arrest document here and the latest update to this story via WBRZ.