According to court records, Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, were also detained and accused of being the perpetrators of third-degree rape.
According to the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court, Carver, Lee, and Washington were detained on Monday and appeared in court for a bond hearing on Tuesday morning. Their bail was set at $50,000, $75,000, and $150,000, respectively. The sheriff’s office has not released his name since the 17-year-old was placed in juvenile detention and is a child.
According to the arrest warrant affidavits, the four accused met the victim at Reggie’s bar and were taking her home when two of them reportedly sexually assaulted her.
The affidavits claimed that during a Jan. 16 interview with detectives, Carver claimed that Brooks “was very unstable on her feet, was not able to hold her balance, and was unable to talk coherently without slurring her words” while she was making her way to his car from the pub.
According to the affidavits, Carver allegedly told officers that she had requested a ride home and that he had consented to provide it because he did not want to leave her while intoxicated, and the bar was closing. According to the affidavits, Carver claimed he asked Brooks for her address but that “she slumped over and could not answer him.”
The 17-year-old allegedly begged her to have sex “five times” until she agreed, according to the papers. He reportedly told detectives he soon parked at a nearby street.
Then, according to the documents, Carver allegedly told officers he overheard Washington “asking the victim multiple times if she wanted to have intercourse, and she consented.”
The testimonies claim that Carver and Lee, identified as Washington’s uncle, spent the entire time in the front seats of the automobile. The affidavits claim that Carver said, “We had to stop this; let’s go.” According to the papers, he began driving and ultimately left her in a community.
About 50 minutes after leaving the pub, just before 3 a.m., Brooks was struck by a car while standing in the center of a road close to the subdivision, according to the authorities. The affidavits claim that her blood alcohol level was.319 when she was admitted to the hospital. The legal limit for driving in the state is.08.
According to the papers, Carver allegedly said, “I assume,” when asked if Brooks was too drunk to agree. According to the affidavits, Lee reportedly told detectives that he was in the passenger seat that night while the 17-year-old suspect and his mother declined to give a statement.
The papers claim that Washington agreed to a state on Jan. 21 and waived his right to counsel, during which he allegedly denied having sex with the victim. The documents state that when asked to perform an oral DNA swap, he “wanted an attorney.”
Before turning himself in, Washington gave a phone interview to ABC affiliate WBRZ in Baton Rouge, where he denied raping Brooks and claimed the sex was consensual.
His lawyer, Ron Haley, also refuted the rape claims and informed WBRZ that they have video evidence to support their position. There was no instant access to Carver and Lee’s legal counsel.
In a statement to the school community following news of the arrests, LSU President William Tate called this a “horrific scenario.”
“Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you,” he said. “By all accounts, she was an incredible 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.” Tate also condemned that Brooks and the three suspects were underage yet “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,” he said.
“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 creating a safer environment for our students. Enough is enough.”
