Madison Brooks Case: Charges, Trial Fights, and Civil Lawsuit

The Madison Brooks case centers on the death of a 19-year-old Louisiana State University sophomore who was struck by a car in Baton Rouge on January 15, 2023, shortly after an alleged sexual assault in the back of a vehicle she had left a bar in. Three men still face criminal charges. A trial date has been set for August 3, 2026, after a lengthy dispute over which judge would preside.

What Happened the Night of January 15, 2023

Brooks arrived at Reggie’s, a bar in the Tigerland district near LSU’s campus, around 10 p.m. Surveillance footage inside the bar showed her dancing and socializing for several hours. By roughly 1 a.m., the same footage showed her stumbling and needing help to stay upright.¹ Investigators later described her as “very unstable on her feet” and “not able to keep her balance.”²

Around 2 a.m., Brooks left the bar in a vehicle with four men: Kaivon Deondre Washington (18), Desmond Carter (17), Casen Carver (18), and Everett Lee (28). According to arrest warrant affidavits, the group had agreed to give her a ride home. Instead, Carver, who was driving, parked on a nearby street. Carter and Washington allegedly had sex with Brooks in the backseat while Carver and Lee stayed in the front. Carver later told detectives he “guessed” Brooks was too impaired to consent.¹

Afterward, Carver drove to a subdivision and dropped Brooks off. Roughly 50 minutes after leaving the bar, shortly before 3 a.m., she was struck by a car while standing in a dark stretch of Burbank Drive near Pelican Lakes Parkway. She was taken to a hospital and died. The driver, operating a ride-share vehicle, stayed at the scene, called for help, and showed no signs of impairment. A grand jury returned a “no true bill” on a negligent homicide charge, clearing the driver.³

The Consent Question

The central legal issue is whether Brooks was too intoxicated to consent. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office initially reported her blood alcohol content at .319, roughly four times the legal driving limit. The coroner’s office later put the final toxicology figure at .282.⁴ Either figure falls within what the National Institutes of Health classifies as severe impairment.

Because Brooks cannot testify, the prosecution plans to rely on the BAC reading, surveillance footage, videos recorded in the vehicle, and autopsy results to prove she was incapable of consenting.⁵ Defense attorneys have contested the BAC as inconsistent with her observed behavior, pointing to footage of her walking to the vehicle unaided. Defense attorney Joe Long said the encounter was consensual: “We believe that if Ms. Brooks was alive, this wouldn’t be a crime.” A judge who reviewed in-car footage described the defendants “callously” laughing at Brooks while she slurred her words.⁶

Under Louisiana law, third-degree rape occurs when a victim is “incapable of resisting or of understanding the nature of the act by reason of a stupor or abnormal condition of mind produced by an intoxicating agent” and the offender knew or should have known of the incapacity. The offense carries up to 25 years in prison at hard labor without parole.⁷

The Men Charged

All four men were arrested in late January 2023. Charges shifted after grand jury proceedings, and one man is no longer facing formal charges.

Kaivon Deondre Washington

Washington, 18 at the time of arrest, was originally charged with third-degree rape.⁸ In May 2023, an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury indicted him on first-degree rape and video voyeurism in the Brooks case.⁹ The same grand jury indicted him on a separate count of first-degree rape and sexual battery stemming from an August 2022 incident, and a Livingston Parish grand jury indicted him on first-degree rape of a victim under 13 in connection with a 2020 case in Walker, Louisiana.¹⁰

Desmond Carter

Carter, 17 at the time of the incident, was the only juvenile among the four. He was indicted on February 22, 2023, on first-degree rape and third-degree rape, and ordered to stand trial as an adult.¹¹ As of January 2026, he was out on bond. At a motions hearing that month, his defense filed a motion to quash the indictment on double jeopardy grounds and a motion challenging one of the underlying statutes as unconstitutional.¹²

Casen Carver

Carver, 18 at the time of arrest, was initially charged as a principal to third-degree rape for being in the vehicle during the alleged assault.⁸ His charges were later upgraded to first-degree rape, third-degree rape, and video voyeurism, based on recordings made in the vehicle.¹³ He is not accused of assaulting Brooks himself but is alleged to have been present and to have recorded parts of the encounter.¹⁴

Everett Lee

Lee, 28 at the time of arrest, was initially charged as a principal to third-degree rape for sitting in the front seat during the alleged assault.⁸ A grand jury later pretermitted charges against him, declining to make a decision on formal charges.¹⁵

The Fight Over the Trial Judge

Carver’s case became entangled in a long dispute over whether 19th Judicial District Judge Gail Horne Ray should preside. Text messages from Carver surfaced in which he described the judge as “on our side” and claimed that because her son had been convicted of a serious crime, “she knows to help us.”¹³ District Attorney Hillar Moore III’s office moved to remove her, also citing her admission of evidence the appeals court had previously ruled inadmissible.¹⁶

Judge Brad Myers ordered her recusal, saying “public confidence in her handling necessitated her recusal.”¹⁷ In March 2026, the First Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed, finding no actual bias but ruling that recusal was necessary “in the interest of justice and to safeguard public confidence in the judiciary.” Judge Fred Crifasi was appointed to replace her.¹³

The Louisiana Supreme Court then overturned both rulings, finding that “the State has failed to carry its burden to require recusal in this case” and reinstating Judge Ray.¹⁸ Prosecutors requested a rehearing, which the Supreme Court denied in late June 2026.¹⁹ Carver had already requested a bench trial, meaning Judge Ray will serve as the sole decision-maker on guilt or innocence.

Evidence Battles Shaping the Trial

Defense attorneys argued that DNA reports showed no DNA from the accused on Brooks, aside from Washington’s DNA found on her external genitalia, and no signs of vaginal trauma, suggesting no sexual intercourse occurred.⁴ Prosecutors maintained that other evidence, including the coroner’s finding of injuries consistent with sexual assault, supported the charges.¹

The defense also sought to introduce evidence that Brooks had engaged in consensual sexual activity with another man the day before, arguing that injuries documented during the autopsy could have resulted from that encounter. In March 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the evidence inadmissible, finding it “irrelevant” or of “such little probative value that it is substantially outweighed by other legitimate considerations.”²⁰

A separate dispute involves 30 videos recorded by Carver and Washington after leaving the bar. Prosecutors argued some contain obscene material that should be treated as contraband, while the defense contended the videos show no sexual intercourse and only “some shadowy motions.” A judge ordered 19 of the 30 recordings released to the defense, with further hearings on the remaining 11.²¹

What Happened to Reggie’s Bar

The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control issued an emergency suspension of Reggie’s alcohol license on January 23, 2023, citing “the seriousness of the allegations and its potential threat to public safety.” Arrest records indicated that multiple underage individuals central to the rape investigation had been served alcohol at the bar that night.²² Brooks was 19, two years below Louisiana’s legal drinking age.

On April 27, 2023, the bar’s license was permanently revoked. Owner Darin Adams agreed to pay a $15,000 fine, permanently close the establishment, and never own or manage an alcohol business in Louisiana again.²³

The Civil Lawsuit

In September 2023, Brooks’s father, John Brooks, filed a wrongful death and survival action naming 24 defendants. The suit alleges negligence against Reggie’s and its owners, managers, and employees for serving a visibly intoxicated minor, and against a Lyft driver and Lyft for failing to exercise reasonable care. It also alleges battery against all four men charged in the criminal case. Various insurance companies are named as defendants under Louisiana’s direct action statute.²⁴

Campus Safety Reforms and Legislation

Brooks’s death prompted a wave of safety changes at LSU. The university upgraded or replaced 92 security cameras and installed 22 new ones, bringing the campus total to roughly 1,700. New lighting was added to parking lots and high-density areas, and the LSU Police Department hired a five-person team of safety officers for nightly patrols. The university also expanded late-night transit through its Tiger Trails system. Students separately organized a free, female-only rideshare service called LSU Girls Rides, coordinated through the GroupMe messaging app.²⁵

Governor John Bel Edwards requested a student safety plan from higher education leaders. Senator Beth Mizell introduced the “Madi Brooks’ CARD EM Act,” a bill that would raise the minimum age to enter a Louisiana bar to 21, closing what supporters described as a loophole allowing underage individuals inside bars even when they cannot legally drink.²⁶

Where the Case Stands Now

As of late June 2026, all three remaining defendants face pending charges. With the Supreme Court’s denial of rehearing, Judge Gail Horne Ray will preside over Casen Carver’s bench trial. A trial date of August 3, 2026 had been set before the recusal dispute, and Carver’s attorney has said he is focused on securing a swift trial date.¹⁹ Desmond Carter’s case remains in pretrial proceedings, with unresolved defense motions challenging the constitutionality of the charges.¹² Kaivon Washington faces indictments in the Brooks case and in two additional, separate rape cases in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes.¹⁰

1
ABC7 Chicago. Madison Brooks Death LSU Suspects
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ABC News. Four Arrested in Alleged Rape of LSU Student Fatally Struck
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WAFB. Grand Jury Decides Not to Indict Ride-Share Driver Accused of Hitting Madison Brooks
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WBRZ. Madison Brooks Case Flawed: WBRZ Investigative Unit Obtains and Examines DNA, Autopsy Reports
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The Advocate. Madison Brooks Rape Case Raises Unusual Legal Challenges
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The Independent. Madison Brooks LSU Suspects Attorneys
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FindLaw. Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 14, Section 43
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WBRZ. Two Suspects Arrested in Madison Brooks Rape Investigation, Bond Out of Jail
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WAFB. Kaivon Washington Indicted for Rape in Madison Brooks Case, Indicted in Another EBR Case
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The Advocate. Suspect in Madison Brooks Case Faces Three Rape Charges
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WDSU. Teen Indicted in LSU Student Madison Brooks Rape Case, Booked Into Baton Rouge Prison
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WAFB. Motions Hearing Scheduled for Man Accused in Madison Brooks Case
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WBRZ. Appeals Court Affirms Decision to Have New Judge Handle Madison Brooks Related Case
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KALB. Appeals Court Makes Ruling Tied to Madison Brooks Case
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WAFB. Driver in Madison Brooks Case Waives Jury Trial; Judge Will Decide His Fate
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WAFB. District Attorney Wants Judge Recused in Madison Brooks Case
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WAFB. Judge Reinstated in Madison Brooks Rape Case
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WBRZ. Louisiana Supreme Court Overturns Judge’s Recusal in Madison Brooks Related Case
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WAFB. Prosecutors’ Challenge to Trial Judge in Madison Brooks Rape Case Ends After Rehearing Denied
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WBRZ. Appeals Judge Decides That Madison Brooks’ Sexual History Is Not Applicable in Rape Case
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WBRZ. Defense Team Wins Access to 19 Videos From Madison Brooks’ Final Hours, Seeks More
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WAFB. Reggie’s Alcohol License Suspended Amid Investigation
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WAFB. Reggie’s Bar Alcohol License Revoked
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LSU Reveille. Understanding the Lawsuit Filed by Madison Brooks’ Father
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The Advocate. LSU Students, Faculty Implementing Campus Safety Measures
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WBRZ. Madison Brooks Foundation Event