A chilling video has emerged that captures the final moments of Louisiana State University student Madison Brooks as she leaves the bar where she worked and goes with the young men accused of raping her before being dumped on the road where she was struck and killed by a car. Brooks died in the early hours of January 15 after being brutally raped.
Surveillance footage, seemingly taken from across the road, showed Brooks, 19, leaving the bar at 1.50 am. This comes as three of the four charged in Books' rape were released from jail. The 17-year-old remains in custody and his bond has been postponed to February, according to reports.
Her Final Hours
The surveillance video shows Brooks leaving the bar where she worked as a waitress and then going with the young men who allegedly raped her. Brooks had started drinking at 10 pm at Reggie's bar in Baton Rouge's Tigerland area, which got its name from the area's strong student population and the school's tiger mascot.
At 1.50 am, Brooks was seen exiting the bar on surveillance footage that seemingly was obtained from across the street.
She appears to hug one of the four males as she crosses the parking lot in. The five then proceed to walk away from the cameras.
Brooks was introduced to the four men at the bar before getting into their vehicle, where she is said to have been raped by two of the guys, Kaivon Washington, 18, and an unnamed 17-year-old, in the backseat.
After the alleged assault, the men dumped Brooks along Burbank Drive at a nearby subdivision, where she was hit and killed around 3 am by a rideshare driver. According to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office, her cause of death was "multiple traumatic injuries 2nd motor vehicle versus pedestrian collision."
The rideshare driver remained on the scene and is not facing charges.
The bar where the 19-year-old was drinking has a history of violence and underage drinking. On Tuesday, its liquor license was suspended. They said Brooks entered the bar on Thursday with a fake ID and insisted they hadn't served her any drink in the last hour.
"Even though she entered the bar with false identification, she wasn't served nor did she consume any drinks at least during the last hour she was at Reggie's," said Kris Perrett, an attorney for the bar owner Darin Adams.
"Reggie's has voluntarily turned over all video surveillance footage to EBRSO [East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office] and has fully cooperated with EBRSO investigators since they were first contacted and requested to assist on Sunday, January 15.
"Also, Reggie's has reached out directly to LSU President Tate in response to his call for action and look forward to meeting with him and his team soon to work together to address the issues raised in his recent press release."
Suspects Walk Free
The exact circumstances under which Brooks died and the story behind her rape still remains unclear. Although the bar denied serving her alcohol in the last hour, Brooks' blood alcohol level was 0.319%, or almost four times the legal limit, according to the investigators.
A 17-year-old boy who has not been named has been charged with third-degree rape, along with Kaivon Washington, 18. Besides, Everett Lee, Washington's uncle, was arrested along with his friend Casen Carver, 18, and they were both charged with accomplices to third-degree rape.
The 17-year-old is still being held in custody, and his bond has been delayed until February. However, the other three adults are now out of jail. Washington's bond was set at $150,000 in court the day before, and he was eventually freed that evening.
He is accused of third-degree rape, which is a common accusation in Louisiana when the victim is too drunk to say no. On Tuesday, Lee and Carver were released after posting bail of $75,000 and $50,000, respectively.
Prosecutor Stuart Theirort announced at a hearing on Tuesday that the state will be requesting upgraded charges of first-degree rape and that a grand jury would be called to hear the case.
Louisiana's first-degree rape charge carries an obligatory life sentence without parole. The three adult suspects were all ordered to remain under house arrest and wear ankle monitors after appearing in court via video connection.
