‘We wear it to honor her’: Madison Brooks’ mom slams defense push to ban pink in court
Madison Brooks was an LSU student when authorities say she was sexually assaulted and later killed in Louisiana. Now, her mother is pushing back against a controversial defense request to prohibit courtroom spectators from wearing pink during the trial of Desmond Carter, one of the men accused in the case. A Baton Rouge judge must determine whether pink clothing worn by Brooks’ supporters could improperly influence jurors.
The attorney representing Carter was held in contempt Monday after asking a Louisiana judge to restrict pink attire inside the courtroom during the Madison Brooks rape case.
Caitlin Fowlkes, Carter’s lawyer, identified Brooks by her full name in a court document attached to a July motion seeking the ban. Louisiana law requires alleged sex-crime victims to be identified by their initials in court filings, and attorneys must remove identifying information when necessary.
Brooks was 19 and attending Louisiana State University when, according to authorities, she was allegedly raped by multiple men following a night out in 2023. She was later struck and killed by a vehicle.
A photo of LSU student Madison Brooks, who was fatally hit by a car after an alleged rape in 2023. (The Brooks family)
Judge Gail Horne Ray ruled in August that Brooks’ supporters could wear pink in court. On Monday, however, Ray found Fowlkes in contempt for failing to redact Brooks’ full name from the filing. The attorney was not given a separate punishment.
Although Brooks’ identity has been widely reported and even discussed by Louisiana’s governor, Ray said the statute remains unambiguous. The judge cited the law’s provision that an attorney who fails to follow its requirements “shall be punishable as contempt of court.”
Madison Brooks, left, was sexually assaulted and killed in 2023, according to authorities. Desmond Carter is charged in connection with the case. (Ashley Baustert, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office)
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A coroner’s report stated that Brooks had a blood-alcohol level of .319 when she died and suffered injuries consistent with sexual assault.
Carter was 17 when he was taken into custody in connection with the incident. Investigators said Brooks left Reggie’s Bar in Baton Rouge’s Tigerland area with four men: Carter, Casen Carver, Kaivon Washington and Everett Lee. Officials allege that Carver drove them to a parking area, where Carter and Washington raped Brooks.
Madison Brooks is seen leaving Tigerland Bar, Reggie’s, with four men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Jan. 15, 2023. The security footage is the last sighting of Brooks, before she was fatally struck by a car. (WFAB)
The men told police that Brooks wanted to be taken home after the alleged assault. They said she gave several incorrect addresses before asking to be dropped near a subdivision, where they claimed she entered the roadway and was hit by a car.
The driver who struck Brooks stayed at the scene and was eventually cleared of criminal charges.
“Maddie felt safe that night; she thought these were her friends,” Brooks’ mother, Ashley Baustert, previously told News Media. “I think a lot of selfish choices were made that night, and ultimately it led in a horrific ending.”
News Media contacted Fowlkes for comment.