Charges against alleged rapist of Madison Brooks upgraded as new video shows her in car with suspects

A grand jury has upgraded charges against a teenage suspect accused over the alleged rape of Louisiana State University student Madison Brooks, who was hit and killed by a vehicle after getting out of a car in which she had allegedly been attacked.

Desmond Carter, 17, was indicted by a grand jury in the state on first-degree rape, which carries a sentence of life in prison without parole, and third-degree rape, according to WBRZ.

Kaivon Washington, 18, was also charged with third-degree rape, which according to state law is sexual intercourse that “is deemed to be without the lawful consent of a victim”.

Two other suspects, Casen Carver, 18, and Everett Lee, 28, were allegedly in the front seats of the car when the alleged rape took place and have been charged with principal to third-degree rape.

Prosecutors say that Brooks, 19, was raped in the car following a night of drinking at Reggie’s bar in the Tigerland area of Baton Rouge.

The LSU student was then fatally struck by another vehicle after being let out of the car near her home in the early hours of 15 January.

According to Fox News, court documents show that Mr Washington was arrested for alleged rape in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, in 2020, and in the same area of Baton Rouge in October 2022.

In 2020 Mr Washington was 16 and his alleged victim was 12, according to court documents.

The victim in the 2022 case reported the alleged sexual assault to police on 25 January, the day after he and the other three men were arrested in the Brooks case.

Meanwhile, a defence lawyer in the case, Ron Haley, released a cellphone video of Brooks inside the car with the four men after it is alleged she was raped.

In the video, she asks Desmond Carter to “get out of the car” so that she can take an Uber on her own.

She then can be heard telling the driver of the car, “I’m sorry if I offended you that bad.”

Mr Haley has previously claimed that the sex was consensual, while prosecutors say that Brooks was too drunk to be able to give her consent.

Toxicology reports showed that Brooks had a blood alcohol level of .319, nearly four times the legal drink driving limit.