BATON ROUGE, La. — A Denham Springs teenager was indicted by an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury Wednesday for his alleged role in an assault that resulted in the death of LSU student Madison Brooks in January.
According to our partners at WBRZ.com, 18-year-old Casen Carver drove Brooks and three men away from an LSU-area bar in January. Two people who were riding in the car with Carver were accused of sexually assaulting Brooks. After Brooks was dropped off, she was struck by a vehicle while wandering along Burbank Drive and later died in a hospital.
Carver was not believed to have had sex with Brooks and was initially accused of third-degree rape. However, grand jurors cited Louisiana law that said Carver's action facilitated the crime, and he was charged with both first-degree rape and third-degree rape.
Louisiana law says that first-degree rape occurs when two or more offenders take part. The law defines participation as taking part in the rape or physically assisting in the "commission" of the act.
Third-degree rape also includes assaults where the victim is intoxicated and the perpetrators "should have known" they were in that state. Brooks' blood alcohol content was .319 percent which is almost four times the level a driver is considered drunk.
Joe Long, Carver's lawyer, said the charges were unwarranted.
"We expected this indictment based on what happened to Mr. Carter despite the fact that my client didn't have sex with Madison Brooks. He declined sex when offered and was called gay when he wouldn't have sex with her. The DA has seen it fit to pursue charges that could put him in prison for the rest of his life. Facts don't matter when the mob wants their pound of flesh," Long said.
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