Pink on Trial: Accused Rapists Fight to Ban Madison Brooks’ Family From Wearing Her Favorite Color

In the latest development in the Madison Brooks case, attorneys for one of the defendants have asked a Baton Rouge judge to ban the victim’s family and supporters from wearing pink in the courtroom. Pink was Madison Brooks’ favorite color and has become the signature color of the Madison Brooks Foundation founded by her mother. Defense lawyers argue that coordinated pink attire could prejudice the jury and create an intimidating atmosphere. The family and prosecutors call it a peaceful act of remembrance. A ruling on the motion was pending in early August 2026, just days before the first trial was set to begin.

Madison Brooks: From Cheerleader and Adventurer to the Center of a Contentious Baton Rouge Rape Case

Madison Kennedy Brooks grew up in Covington, Louisiana, as a bright, energetic young woman whose life revolved around family, school, sports, and adventure. She graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy in 2021 as an honor-roll student, cheerleader, and member of Doves for Life, the Spirit Club, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Friends and family described her as bubbly, loving, selfless, and full of infectious laughter—a “girly girl with a firecracker flare” who treated friends like siblings.

She loved skiing in the Rocky Mountains with her mother, skydiving over the Grand Canyon with her father, travel, beach days, shopping, Friday-night football, and simply being with her younger brothers. Christmas was a favorite holiday because it meant family time and making others smile. Brooks enrolled at Louisiana State University, joined Alpha Phi sorority, worked occasionally at campus-area bars including Reggie’s, completed a heavy course load, and was accepted into the Manship School of Mass Communication. She dreamed of law school or anchoring a primetime news show. No public records detail a boyfriend at the time of the events. In her final act, she became an organ donor; her heart and kidneys saved others.

On the night of January 14–15, 2023, that trajectory ended on a rainy stretch of Burbank Drive (Louisiana Highway 42) in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Timeline of Events

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Around 10:06–10:18 p.m., surveillance showed Brooks arriving at Reggie’s Bar in the Tigerland area near LSU. Four males—Casen Carver (then 18), Kaivon Deondre Washington (then 18), Everett Lee (then 28, Washington’s uncle), and Desmond Carter (then 17)—arrived shortly afterward. Brooks, underage, was served alcohol. Video and later statements indicate she became heavily intoxicated, falling and needing help to stand. At 11:38 p.m. she texted her mother, Ashley Baustert: “I love you!!!” with a photo of herself and a family friend inside the bar. Her mother replied that she would see her the next day to help move belongings for the spring semester.

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Around 1:49 a.m., footage captured Brooks leaving Reggie’s with the four men and heading toward a parking lot. By approximately 1:54 a.m. the group entered a vehicle driven by Carver. According to arrest affidavits and statements later given to East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office investigators, the group drove to a residential area (reports reference a driveway in the 900 block of Jennifer Jean Drive or near Pelican Lakes). Carver told investigators that Carter and Washington had sex with Brooks in the back seat while he and Lee remained in the front. Carver stated Brooks had been “very unstable on her feet… unable to speak clearly without slurring her words,” that Carter had asked her multiple times about sex and claimed she gave “verbal consent,” and, when asked if she was too impaired to consent, replied “I guess.” He said he felt uncomfortable.

Videos later referenced in court proceedings allegedly show activity in the back seat, with audio in which Brooks is heard saying “Get off” amid music and cheering; one clip purportedly captures Carver saying “They finna rape her.” Defense attorneys have disputed the characterization, asserting the encounter was consensual and that Brooks was coherent enough to consent and later exit the vehicle on her own.

The men then drove to the area of Burbank Drive near Pelican Lakes Parkway / subdivision. Brooks was left on or near the roadway. At approximately 2:50 a.m., a rideshare (Lyft) driver struck her. The driver stopped immediately, was not impaired, and called 911. Two LSU students—Beau Adams and Kathryn Devillier—who were passing by after work stopped, realized it was a person rather than a deer, and administered CPR in the rain until emergency responders arrived. Brooks was taken to a hospital.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries secondary to a motor-vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision. Toxicology showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.319% (nearly four times the legal driving limit) and the presence of THC. Injuries consistent with sexual assault were also noted in medical reports referenced in affidavits. Family members, including her mother and biological father John Brooks, reached the hospital in time to say goodbye while she was still breathing.

January 21–23, 2023

Investigators contacted the four men. They turned themselves in. Initial charges: Washington and Carter with third-degree rape; Carver and Lee with being principals to third-degree rape.

Charges were later upgraded via grand jury for some defendants. As of 2026 reporting, Carter, Washington, and Carver face first-degree and/or third-degree rape charges (and related counts such as video voyeurism in some accounts). Lee’s status has varied in reporting, with earlier principal charges and limited subsequent indictment details. All have denied the rape allegations, maintaining the sexual activity was consensual. Defense counsel has released or referenced vehicle videos purporting to support consent and voluntary exit from the car. Prosecutors have presented medical, toxicology, video, and statement evidence to the contrary. Trials remain pending: Carter’s jury trial was scheduled for mid-August 2026; Carver’s bench trial has been reset toward November 2026. Pretrial litigation has included challenges to the first-degree statute’s wording, double-jeopardy arguments, and other motions.

Witness and Statement Evidence in the Public Record

Key material comes from police affidavits summarizing Carver’s interview, bar and street surveillance, phone data, toxicology/medical findings, and videos taken inside the vehicle that have been referenced or partially shown in court hearings. The two good Samaritans (Adams and Devillier) provided accounts of discovering Brooks and performing CPR; they have been publicly praised by the family as “guardian angels” and later received matching angel-wing tattoos in her honor. No full trial testimony has yet occurred. Defense attorneys have argued the videos demonstrate consent and that Brooks was not blackout-incapacitated; prosecutors emphasize her BAC, observed impairment at the bar, statements of incapacity, and audio/video content they say shows non-consent.

Alleged Laws Broken and Potential Sentences (Louisiana)

The case centers on Louisiana’s rape statutes (La. R.S. 14:41 et seq.):

• Third-degree rape (La. R.S. 14:43): Sexual intercourse without lawful consent when the victim is incapable of resisting or understanding the nature of the act due to a stupor or abnormal condition of mind produced by an intoxicating agent (and the offender knew or should have known of the incapacity), or when the offender acts without consent. Penalty: imprisonment at hard labor for not more than 25 years, without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Lifetime sex-offender registration applies.

• First-degree rape (La. R.S. 14:42): Includes circumstances such as when two or more offenders participate in the act. Penalty: life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Principals (those who aid, abet, or are present and assist) can be charged equivalently under Louisiana law. The driver who struck Brooks faced no charges. Separate civil lawsuits filed by family members have named various parties, including the bar, suspects, and the rideshare company/driver.

A Lasting Symbol in Pink

Pink was Madison Brooks’ favorite color. Mourners wore it at her funeral. Her mother, Ashley Baustert, founded the Madison Brooks Foundation to advocate for young-adult safety, organ donation awareness, and related causes; pink is its signature color. Family and supporters have worn pink clothing and “Madi” stickers at court hearings, public events, and foundation activities consistently since early 2023—spanning more than three years of proceedings. Baustert has described it as a peaceful act of remembrance and honor for her daughter, not a protest or attempt to influence jurors. In mid-2026, defense counsel for Desmond Carter filed a motion seeking to prohibit pink attire or Brooks-related displays in the courtroom, arguing it could create a prejudicial or intimidating atmosphere. Prosecutors and the family countered that it is silent, passive support and advocacy. A ruling on the motion was pending around the time of recent hearings.

The investigation into what happened in the early hours of January 15, 2023, continues through the court system. Madison Brooks is remembered by those who knew her as a young woman of energy, kindness, and ambition whose life was cut short far too soon.

What public reporting describes about the key clips

According to contemporaneous accounts from court proceedings (reported by outlets including The Advocate, Fox News Digital, Crime Online, and the New York Post, drawing on statements from prosecutors, a detective, and the family’s attorney Kerry Miller):

• One short selfie-style clip recorded by Carver (from the front seat) shows him looking into his phone camera and saying words to the effect of “These guys are crazy. They finna rape her” (or “They finna rape her”). Reporting describes him laughing or narrating while the camera partially captures activity in the back seat.

• Other recordings allegedly depict sexual activity in the back seat. A detective testified in court that one showed Desmond Carter and Madison Brooks, with additional clips providing clearer views. Descriptions from the family’s attorney include Washington appearing to push or hold Brooks down, Carter with pants down, and Brooks’ legs visible. Loud music is audible; amid it, Brooks is reported to be heard yelling “Get off,” with some of the men cheering.

• Separate shorter clips (released earlier by defense attorneys to local media such as WBRZ) show a later argument after the alleged incident. In one ~29-second video, Brooks (slurring) says things like “I’m sorry that I offended you that bad,” “Get out, get out. I will Uber on my own,” and calls the driver “gay” as she exits the vehicle. Defense attorneys have pointed to these as evidence that she left voluntarily and that the encounter was consensual. Prosecutors and the family dispute that interpretation, emphasizing her extreme intoxication (BAC 0.319%) and the context of the other videos.

There are reports of roughly two dozen or more cellphone videos/photos seized from the phones (some shared to Snapchat). A judge later ordered prosecutors to provide many of them to defense counsel (with potential redactions of material deemed obscene/contraband), but this was for the attorneys, not public release.