A Louisiana man accused of gang raping an LSU cheerleader before she was fatally struck by a car has demanded her loved ones be banned from wearing pink at his trial.
Desmond Carter, 21, is one of three men who allegedly sexually assaulted Madison Brooks, 19, in a car in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 15, 2023.
Brooks was allegedly ‘dumped’ out of the car by the men after the attack, and when she stumbled across a highway she was fatally struck by a moving car.
With Carter set to go on trial on rape charges on August 17, his attorneys filed a motion to prohibit Brooks’ supporters from wearing Brooks’ favorite color in the courtroom, arguing it could prejudice or intimidate the jury.
The Brooks family and their supporters have taken to wearing pink to commemorate the late student at public events and court hearings.
A judge is set to decide on the motion on Tuesday, which prosecutors with the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office have urged the court to deny.
The defense cited several cases that found a ‘carnival atmosphere’ in courtrooms violated a defendant’s right to a fair trial, an argument that was characterized as a ‘gross mischaracterization of the facts at hand’ by prosecutors, per WBRZ.
But prosecutors said Brooks’ family and friends have routinely worn pink at multiple prior legal proceedings related to her death.
Prosecutors wrote in their argument to allow pink in the courtroom that Brooks’ supporters would be ‘silent, passive spectators’ to the facts, and described Carter’s demand as ‘absurd.’
Madison Brooks, 19, was fatally hit by a car in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on January 15, 2023, after she was allegedly left on the side of the road by her accused rapists
Casen Carver, 18, (left) Kaivon Washington, 18, (center) and Desmond Carter, 17, (right) are charged with first-degree rape
Carter is facing rape charges alongside Kaivon Washington and Casen Carver, as prosecutors claim they assaulted Brooks in a car after they drank together at a bar.
The defendants deny raping Brooks, and say only consensual sex happened in the back of the car.
Footage then showed Brooks stumbling across a road after she was allegedly dumped by the sidewalk by the men, moments before a moving car struck her.
Authorities have said her blood-alcohol level was .319 percent, almost four times the legal driving limit, and she stumbled into the four-lane road where she was hit by a truck.
In legal filings last year, attorneys for Carver and Carter claimed that injuries consistent with sexual assault allegedly found on Brooks’ body were not their doing.
They claimed that Brooks had consensual rough sex with another Louisiana State University student the night before, and say it was that encounter which caused her injuries.
A motion claimed the evidence ‘will gut the State’s theory of the case’ and prove their innocence.
The filing was condemned by prosecutors, with District Attorney Hillar Moore said the filing was ‘totally inappropriate and not in accordance with the applicable rules of law’.
The motion was ultimately rejected by a judge, as it was branded ‘irrelevant.’
In a rejected legal filing ahead of his trial, Carter demanded that Brooks’ loved ones be banned from wearing pink in the courtroom
Brooks was allegedly raped by Carter and Washington in the back of their car while the other two suspects watched after a night of drinking at a bar in Tigerland
Footage released by authorities shows the student crossing the road before she was struck by a moving car, and she later died from her injuries
Brooks died after being hit by a ride-share car at 3am on January 15, when she was dropped off by the men. The driver of the vehicle was arrested, but he was not charged as he was not impaired and contacted emergency services immediately.
Two Good Samaritans reportedly stopped to perform CPR on the sophomore LSU student after the collision.
East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office says they were guided by first responders on the phone in the pouring rain after Madi was hit by the ride-share car.
They confirmed that Madi Brooks died from ‘multiple traumatic injuries’ when she was hit by a car after allegedly being raped.
Following the arrest of Brooks’ alleged attackers, Washington was also accused of raping another young woman who claims he attacked her in October 2023 after targeting her at Reggie’s, the same bar the group met Brooks.
The victim in that case said she was too drunk to go home so asked if she could stay at one of Washington’s friend’s apartments.
Her sorority Alpha Phi confirmed that she donated her kidneys and heart
Madison Brooks had been drinking at a bar before she was allegedly raped and fatally struck by a car on January 14, 2023
According to his arrest affidavit, they all went back to the home together, where she and the friend started having sex in front of Washington. The friend allegedly became more ‘aggressive’, pinning her down and ignoring her as she pleaded with him to ‘stop’.
The alleged incident is the third accusation of rape to have been made against Washington.
In addition to Brooks, he is accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2020 after following her home from a pool party when he was 15.
The Walker High School Varsity Football player has been charged with first-degree rape in that case.
