Friend of LSU student pays tribute after she was allegedly raped, hit by car: 'She was a light'
Madi Brooks' high school friend Ashley Odak joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss what Brooks was like and how she wants the world to remember her friend.
Warning: The following contains graphic details.
BATON ROUGE, La. – Days since Madison Brooks was allegedly sexually assaulted shortly before she was fatally struck by a car, the men accused of crimes against the LSU sophomore have been released from jail after posting a combined $275,000 in bond.
Brooks, 19, died after she was struck by a car in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, in the early morning hours of Jan. 15.
On Monday, investigators announced they had arrested the four males after two of them allegedly raped an intoxicated Brooks – while the other two were present – inside a vehicle before dropping her off shortly before she was struck.
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Visitation and funeral services for Brooks will be held in Covington, Louisiana, on Friday, Feb. 3.
Prosecutors have reportedly indicated they will be seeking upgraded charges against the suspects, whose attorneys have argued Brooks consented to the sex and the suspects have not committed any crimes.
Kris Perret, an attorney who represents Reggie’s Bar, where the victim and all four suspects allegedly were that night, said the business owner "has fully cooperated with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and the East Baton Rouge ABC office since their first requests for assistance in their ongoing investigations and will continue to do so."
Undated photo shows Madison Brooks, posing for a photo. (Instagram/@madibrookss)
"We look forward to meeting with State ATC and East Baton Rouge ABC officials as soon as possible to address their concerns and to ensure they have all of the complete and accurate facts and all information they require to complete their investigation."
The following information is based on a combination of public records, officials, law enforcement documents and at times, local reports.
JANUARY 14, 2023
General view of Reggie’s bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. The bar is reportedly one of the last places where LSU student Madison Brooks was seen before her death on Jan. 15. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
10:06 p.m.
Video footage obtained by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s (EBRSO) office shows Brooks arrive at Reggie’s Bar in Tigerland, located on Bob Pettit Boulevard.
10:18 p.m.
Casen Carver and Kaivon Washington, both 18; Everett Lee, Washington’s 28-year-old uncle; and an unidentified 17-year-old are seen arriving at Reggie’s.
"Inside the bar, the victim and Mr. Carsen’s (sic) 17-year-old juvenile friend were seen hugging and dancing," states a EBRSO affidavit.
JANUARY 15, 2023
General view of Tigerland in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Reggie's Bar, located in Tigerland, is reportedly one of the last places where LSU student Madison Brooks was seen before her death on Jan. 15. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
1 a.m.
According to the affidavit, Brooks is seen sitting on a stool at Reggie's before she stands up to readjust her pants and "stumble[s] backwards."
"The victim got back on her feet with the help of three individuals," the document states.
Undated photo shows Madison Brooks posing for a photo. (Instagram/@madibrookss)
1:34 a.m.
Brooks falls while standing up from a bench near the entrance of Reggie’s bar, the affidavit states.
The 17-year-old suspect is then allegedly seen approaching Brooks. He "removed her baseball cap," and Brooks is seen "grabbing" the teen’s hand "while getting back on her feet," the document alleges.
From left to right: Kaivon Deondre Washington, Casen Carver and Everett Deonte Lee. The fourth suspect, a minor, has not been identified. (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office)
1:49 a.m.
Brooks and the four men leave Reggie’s Bar.
1:51 a.m.
Brooks and the quartet are seen "walking towards the location of their parked vehicle."
1:54 a.m.
The group then boards the vehicle.
2:50 a.m.
The EBRSO Traffic Division receives a call about a fatal crash on Burbank Drive, where Brooks is struck by a car. Brooks is rushed to an area hospital, but cannot be saved.
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Brooks' sorority, Alpha Phi, confirms that she posthumously donated her kidneys and heart.
SLAIN LSU STUDENT MADISON BROOKS DIED 'A HERO,' DONATED KIDNEYS, HEART, SORORITY SAYS
The person who struck Brooks "was not impaired and contacted emergency personnel immediately," an EBRSO spokesperson says. The driver does not face criminal charges.
JANUARY 16, 2023
Casen Carver booking photo (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office)
Carver tells police he and the three others – Washington, Lee and the minor – went to the bar on Bob Pettit Boulevard, called Reggie’s, where they consumed alcohol, according to the affidavit.
He denies ever seeing Brooks prior to that night.
Carver allegedly tells police "the victim walked with them" as they were leaving the bar. He says Brooks "was very unstable on her feet, was not able to keep her balance, and was unable to speak clearly without slurring her words."
General view of Reggie’s bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. The bar is reportedly one of the last places where LSU student Madison Brooks was seen before her death on Jan. 15. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
Carver tells police Brooks "asked for a ride home." "[H]e admitted that he agreed to give her the ride because he did not want to leave her while very intoxicated and the bar was closing."
He says he asked the woman about her friends, "but she was ‘drunk’ and did not know where her friends were," the affidavit states.
Carver drove the vehicle, while Lee sat in the front passenger seat, Carver tells police. Washington and the minor suspect sat in the back seat with Brooks, according to the police documents.
Everett Lee, 28, booking photo (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office)
He says he "asked the victim for her address, but she fell over and could not answer him."
The group then drove "a short distance to a nearby street" where they parked, the affidavit states.
Carver tells police he "overheard his 17-year-old juvenile friend as he asked the victim five times, if she wanted to have sex with him," the affidavit states. He allegedly says the victim "gave verbal consent."
Kaivon Washington, 18, booking photo. (East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office)
According to Carver, the 17-year-old suspect and Washington then took turns having sex with Brooks. He tells police she consented to Washington and the 17-year-old but added that "he thought the victim was ‘drunker’ and her speech was slurred," according to the affidavit.
Carver allegedly tells police that he and Lee were still in the vehicle at the time of the sex acts, the affidavit states, but that "he felt uncomfortable and he ‘hated it,’" the document adds.
LSU sorority student Madison Brooks was hit and killed by a car. (@madibrookss/Instagram)
"During the interview, the co-defendant (Carver) was asked if the victim was too impaired to consent to the sexual intercourse and he replied, ‘I guess,’" the document continues.
JANUARY 18, 2023
LSU sorority student Madison Brooks, 19, was fatally hit by a car on Jan. 15, shortly after she was allegedly raped. (@madibrookss/Instagram)
A post-mortem examination conducted at the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office shows the victim "had injuries consistent with previous sexual assault." A urine sample tests positive for THC.
Shane Evans, the chief of investigations for the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office, later tells Fox News Digital Brooks died from "multiple traumatic injuries 2nd motor vehicle collision vs. pedestrian."
JANUARY 19, 2023
LSU sorority student Madison Brooks, 19, was fatally hit by a car on Jan. 15, shortly after she was allegedly raped. (@madibrookss/Instagram)
Medical records show the victim’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of her death was 0.319%.
LSU STUDENT MADISON BROOKS DIED FROM ‘TRAUMATIC INJURIES’ AFTER GOOD SAMARITANS TRIED TO SAVE HER
JANUARY 23, 2023
Carver, Washington and Lee are booked into East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office jail. Carver and Lee are charged with principles to third-degree rape.
Washington is charged with third-degree rape.
In Louisiana, third-degree rape involves sexual intercourse that "is deemed to be without the lawful consent of a victim," according to state law.
Attorneys for the suspects argue that video showed the victim was not drunk to the point where she was unable to consent to sex. Attorney Ronald Haley, who is representing two of the suspects, says video showed Brooks "willfully got into the car," according to FOX 8.
A memorial on the 8800 block on Burbank Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2023. The memorial is in honor of Madison Brooks, who was fatally struck in this approximate location on Jan. 15, 2023. (KG/Mega for Fox News Digital)
"Absolutely not a rape," Haley says. "Listen, this is a tragedy, definitely not a crime."
He acknowledges that Brooks appeared intoxicated, according to FOX 8.
"To the point under the law that you say you’re in a drunken stupor, to the point that you cannot lawfully give consent or answer questions? Absolutely that was not the case," he says.
General views of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Madison Brooks attended LSU when she was hit and killed by a car on Jan. 15, 2023. (Kat Ramirez for Fox New Digital)
LSU President William F. Tate IV releases a statement in which he says Brooks "should not have been taken from us in this way."
"What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice. Our collective grief and outrage cannot be put into mere words."
He adds: "So what can we do? It is time for action. One place to target our attention is the very place where this encounter began."
JANUARY 24, 2023
LSU sorority student Madison Brooks was hit and killed by a car. (@madibrookss/Instagram)
All three adult suspects appear in court for bond hearings. Judge Brad Myers, from the 19th Judicial District, says he personally had viewed footage related to the case, according to local news station WAFB-TV.
Myers says he watched a video of Brooks and the suspects from inside the vehicle, according to the report. Myers said footage, which was allegedly taken by one of the four suspects, depicted the others "callously" laughing at Brooks, who appeared to slur as she spoke, according to the report. The video reportedly did not include the alleged rape.
Myers also says he saw footage that showed Brooks inside Reggie’s earlier in the night as she struggled to stand up and could be seen falling, WAFB reported. The judge reportedly says he believes based on the footage and other evidence that a crime occurred.
General view of the 8800 block on Burbank Drive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Madison Brooks was fatally struck in this approximate location on Jan. 15, 2023. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutors announce they will be seeking to charge the suspects with first-degree rape, though it was not clear if they planned to take the action against all or only some of the males, the outlet reported. Prosecutors are also expected to empanel a grand jury.
Myers orders Washington be held on $150,000 bond in connection with the third-degree rape charge. Carver and Lee, charged as principles, are ordered held on $50,000 and $75,000, respectively.
Carver and Lee post bond and are released that same day.
Investigators are seen outside of Reggie’s bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. The bar is reportedly one of the last places where LSU student Madison Brooks was seen before her death on Jan. 15. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
Ernest Legier Jr., commissioner of Louisiana Alcohol and Tobacco Control, tells Fox News Digital that state authorities issued an emergency suspension, an action that "immediately suspends the service or sale of alcoholic beverages."
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"The Louisiana ATC is working with Baton Rouge ABC and local law enforcement to investigate and share evidence regarding recent incidents at this establishment," Legier Jr. says. "Due to the seriousness of the allegations and the potential threat to public safety, an emergency suspension will be issued today."
JANUARY 26, 2023
Washington posts $150,000 bond and is released from jail.
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