Legal teams representing the three men accused of raping and abandoning LSU cheerleader Madison Brooks are employing various strategies in an attempt to evade conviction ahead of their upcoming trials. Casen Carver, 22, Desmond Carter, 21, and Kaivon Washington, also 21, face multiple rape charges stemming from an incident in January 2023, which resulted in the 19-year-old Brooks being left on the side of a highway in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Carter's trial is scheduled to begin imminently, with Carver's trial set for November 30. Brooks was subsequently struck and killed by a vehicle while lying on the road in the dark.
One of the defense's recent maneuvers involved Carter's legal team attempting to prohibit Brooks's family from wearing pink, her favorite color, during the trial. The defense argued that the family's attire could prejudice the jury and infringe upon Carter's right to a fair trial. Prosecutor Sonya Cardia-Porter dismissed the motion as an "absurd exaggeration," noting that the family members were "silent, passive spectators." Judge Gail Ray ruled last week that the family could wear pink but banned photographs of Brooks on T-shirts during the proceedings.
Other legal tactics have been employed by the defense. Carter's team has filed a motion to dismiss the first-degree rape charge, arguing that it is identical to a third-degree rape charge and would therefore constitute double jeopardy. Meanwhile, Carver's trial was previously postponed to November after prosecution attempts to remove Judge Ray from the case. These attempts followed revelations that Carver had exchanged texts with his father suggesting the judge could be influenced, a sentiment underscored by the fact that Ray's son, Nelson Taylor, was convicted of rape and burglary in 1997.
Carver and Washington's uncle, Everett Lee, 32, who was present in the vehicle but had rape charges against him dismissed, also initiated a defamation lawsuit against Brooks's mother, Ashley Baustert. The lawsuit, later dismissed by a New Orleans judge, alleged that Baustert defamed them in a 2024 interview with Nancy Grace, implying they were rapists. Baustert had stated in the interview that she expected victim-blaming and claims of consensual activity from the defense.
Brooks's mother, Ashley Baustert, has expressed her intention to attend the trials of Carter, Carver, and Washington. She stated her belief that it is her "duty" to be present for the proceedings, despite the emotional difficulty it will present while caring for her other children.
Madison Brooks died after meeting the four men at Reggie's Bar, a student establishment that has since closed. Surveillance footage showed Brooks, who appeared visibly intoxicated, leaving the bar with the group, who had offered her a ride home after she lost her phone and friends. Prosecutors presented video footage from Carver that included him laughing and stating, "These guys are crazy! They finna [fixing to] rape her." The prosecution alleges that Brooks's muffled voice could be heard saying, "Get off!" before she was left on Burbank Drive, where she was fatally struck by a vehicle.