The trial of Desmond Carter, one of three men accused of raping a Louisiana State University student who later died, is scheduled to begin on August 17.
Madison Brooks, 19, a cheerleader at LSU, died in 2023 after she was allegedly assaulted in a car and then fatally struck by a truck on a highway. Carter, 21, faces charges of rape alongside Kaivon Washington and Casen Carver.
Alleged assault and death
Prosecutors say the men assaulted Brooks in a vehicle after a night of drinking at a bar. The three deny the allegations, claiming the encounter was consensual. Brooks was allegedly left on the roadside, where she stumbled into moving traffic and was hit by a truck.
Authorities reported Brooks' blood-alcohol level at .319%, nearly four times the legal driving limit. She walked onto a four-lane road and was struck.
Defense motions and legal disputes
In previous court filings, attorneys for Carter and Carver argued that injuries found on Brooks' body were not caused by them, suggesting she had consensual sex with another student the night before. The motion, which they claimed would "gut the State's theory of the case," was condemned by prosecutors, including District Attorney Hillar Moore, who called it "totally inappropriate." A judge later rejected the motion as "irrelevant."
Carter's legal team has also filed a motion to bar Brooks' supporters from wearing pink in the courtroom, saying it could intimidate the jury. The family and supporters have worn pink to honor Brooks at public events and hearings. The defense cited cases where a "carnival atmosphere" affected fair trial rights, a characterization prosecutors called a "gross mischaracterization of the facts."
