Madison Brooks news: LSU student’s family is ‘blown away’ by victim blaming as they say ‘rape is rape’

The grieving family members of Madison Brooks have said they were “blown away” by the suspects’ attempts to victim blame as they said “rape is rape”.

On Friday, attorneys for Casen Carver, 18, Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, Everett Lee, 28, and the unnamed fourth suspect, 17, held a press conference saying Brooks “wouldn’t have complained” about the alleged rape “if she was alive”.

Kerry Miller, an attorney representing Brooks’ family, slammed the comment telling Fox News Digital: “I was blown away by that comment. I mean their clients gave sworn statements that they raped a young girl who was intoxicated.

“What does he mean by that? That had she not been run over by a car seconds after being dropped off in the middle of the road that they wouldn’t have come forward and admitted their guilt? … Clearly a crime was committed. And I think that will be proven in court.”

He said he was speaking out to “set the record straight” so that the Louisiana State University (LSU) student “is not blamed as a victim” for her alleged rape and death.

“She was raped. Rape is rape,” he said.

“It’s just a horrific, terrible situation. And to the extent that those involved with the alleged rapist want to blame the victim and show up at press conferences and say things … we’re standing up for Maddie. That’s not right.”

In a press conference on Friday, attorneys Joe Long and Ron Haley clarified that the video taken inside the car showed the defendants engaging in a conversation with Brooks, but did not depict them having sex, as was previously reported.

Mr Long represents 18-year-old Casen Carver, who is facing principal to rape charges. Mr Haley is the attorney for Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, charged with third-degree rape and principal to rape, respectively.

The video will not be released at this time, the legal team said.

The attorneys had hoped that the video would exonerate the men, but Judge Brad Myers said it only showed the suspects “callously” laughing at Brooks as she slurred her words, reported local outlet WAFB.

They also said on Friday that another video of Brooks leaving the vehicle “unharmed” will also be released at a later date. It is unclear whether that footage was obtained from surveillance cameras or recorded by the suspects.

In the wake of her sudden and tragic death, tributes have poured in from loved ones of Brooks.

LSU’s Alpha Phi chapter paid tribute to its sorority sister in a post on the group’s Facebook page.

“Madison was a sophomore and made a lasting impact on all of us,” the statement read.

“She was also a hero and was able to donate her heart and kidneys to save others. We send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. And we respectfully ask for time and space so we may support each other in our healing process. AOE”

In the wake of her sudden and tragic death, Brooks has been remembered as a bright and joyful young woman

Brooks’ grandfather Kert LeBlanc also issued a heartfelt statement on his Facebook profile.

“She was pure joy and light. She made us so very proud. We will miss her terribly. Please keep our family in your prayers as we navigate through this difficult time,” Mr LeBlanc wrote.

Tiffani Carlini Roberston, the mother of a female student at LSU, wrote in a touching post that Brooks’ memory “is in the heart of every woman attending LSU as well as their mothers.” Ms Roberston said Brooks’s story had resonated with many in the local community and made them realise that there is a bigger conversation to be had.

“We may never rid the world of sexual assault, but Madi’s beautiful life is bringing awareness of sexual assault to a generation that till now has kept their pain to themselves,” she told The Independent. “Our hearts are breaking for this family we’ve never known.”

Surveillance footage showed Louisiana State University student Madison Brooks leaving a bar allegedly with the four men accused of raping her on the night she was also fatally hit by a vehicle.

Funeral arrangements have now been set for Madison Brooks.

The LSU student, 19, will be laid to rest in her hometown of Covington, Louisiana, on 3 February.

Her visitation will be held at St Peter Catholic Church in Covington from 11am on Friday followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 1pm.

She will then be buried at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Covington.

The grieving family of Madison Brooks has slammed her accused attackers for launching what they have described as an “absolutely shameful” “smear campaign” against the late Louisiana State University (LSU) student.

Kerry Miller, an attorney representing Brooks’ family, spoke out after attorneys for Casen Carver, 18, Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, Everett Lee, 28, and the unnamed fourth suspect, 17, held a press conference on Friday denying Brooks’ blood alcohol levels and claiming footage – that they are not releasing – casts doubt on her inability to consent to sex.

“To come out to mention evidence that they have and don’t show it, to contradict a gold standard blood alcohol test and not say on what basis they are doing it, it is a made up, smear campaign, absolutely shameful,” Mr Miller told WAFB.

“What the next week and several days are about is letting Madi’s family grieve.”

Laywers representing Madison Brooks’ alleged rapists have denied that the LSU student was in a drunken stupor when two of the accused had sex with her.

In a press conference on Friday, attorneys Joe Long and Ron Haley questioned the accuracy of body alcohol level (BAC) results showing that 19-year-old Brooks was nearly four times over the legal limit at the time of her death, ABC affiliate WBRZ reports.

Mr Long represents 18-year-old Casen Carver, who is facing principal to rape charges. Mr Haley is the attorney for Kaivon Deondre Washington, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, charged with third-degree rape and principal to rape, respectively.

A 17-year-old, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, is also accused of raping Brooks. The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office said that the men dropped Brooks off along a roadway where she was later fatally hit by a car.

“If you have a .391 [body alcohol level], your motor skills shut your body down. You can’t walk, you can’t talk, you’re lapsing in and out of a blackout,” Mr Long said. “The evidence we’ve seen so far of Ms Brooks running across the street from Reggie’s undermines the police’s version of events, and until our experts can look at what happened, we believe that the BAC is inaccurate.”

Joe Long, one of the defence lawyers, said during the press conference on Friday: “The evidence we’ve seen so far in the video of Ms Brooks running across the streets from Reggie’s undermines the police version of events. Until our experts can look at what happened, we believe that the BAC they are saying is inaccurate.”

Mr Miller, the Brooks family lawyer, criticized the defence while speaking to WVUE.

“To come out to mention evidence that they have and don’t show it, to contradict a gold standard blood alcohol test and not say on what basis they are doing it, it is a made-up smear campaign, absolutely shameful,” he said. “What the next week and several days are about is letting Madi’s family grieve.”

The office of the district attorney has said that the charges could be upgraded to first-degree rape if supported by the evidence and that a grand jury may be convened. Wether the 17-year-old will be tried as an adult remains unsettled.

One of four suspects charged in the rape of LSU student Madison Brooks — who was fatally hit by a car after the alleged assault — has been arrested in connection with a second rape dating back to 2020.

Kaivon Washington, 18, was charged this week with third-degree rape in the 15 January incident involving Ms Brooks, then posted bond on Thursday and was released in Baton Rouge.

On Friday, he turned himself in to authorities in Livingston Parish, about a half hour away, where he was booked on a count of first-degree rape stemming from an incident three years ago, according to The Advocate.

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn has the full story:

LSU College Democrats accused the president’s email of “victim-blaming” and demanded that the university renewed a “contract with sexual trauma awareness and response and release an accessible list of confidential registered trauma responders and organizations made by LSU.”

The group said that working with students to establish a concrete plan was pivotal to eradicating “rape culture” at the university.