LSU student was raped before being fatally struck by a car, police say; 4 people arrested
Four people have been charged in the alleged rape of a Louisiana State University student who authorities say was assaulted, then left in an Baton Rouge subdivision near where she was then struck and killed by a motor vehicle. The school's president identified the victim as sophomore Madison Brooks.
Kaivon Washington, 18, and a 17-year-old whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, were charged with third-degree rape, according to court documents. Under Louisiana law, the charge generally involves a victim who 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 or any cause and the offender knew or should have known of the victim's incapacity."
Everett Lee, 28, and Casen Carver, 18, were both charged with principal to third-degree rape, meaning they were present but did not take part in the alleged crime.
All four of the accused turned themselves in in recent days, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said. It was unclear if any of them had attorneys as of Tuesday.
In a statement posted to social media, the Alpha Phi chapter at LSU said Brooks was a sorority sister and that her organs were donated after the fatal crash.
"We are grieving the sudden and tragic loss of our sister, Madison Brooks, following the accident that took her life," the sorority wrote on Facebook. "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."
We are grieving the sudden and tragic loss of our sister, Madison Brooks, following the accident that took her life....
Posted by LSU Alpha Phi on Tuesday, January 17, 2023
According to the arrest warrant, Brooks was at a bar in the Tigerland entertainment district on Jan. 15 when she met the 17-year-old now accused of sexually assaulting her. Police say the woman left with him and the three men.
Brooks — who Carver said in an affidavit was unstable on her feet, unable to keep her balance and slurring her words — asked for a ride home. Deputies allege that Washington and the 17-year-old raped the victim while Carver and Lee sat in the front of the car. When asked by police if the woman was too impaired to consent to sex, Carver responded, "I guess."
The victim had a blood-alcohol level that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says can result in loss of consciousness.
Around 3 a.m., about 50 minutes after Carver said they dropped the victim off in a subdivision, she was standing on the street when she was struck by a ride-share vehicle. She died at a hospital.
"Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you," LSU President William Tate IV said in a written statement Monday. "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."
University officials planned to meet with business owners near campus to "discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students," Tate said.
The driver - who police say was not impaired, contacted emergency personnel and remained at the crash scene - was not charged.