Judge to decide fate of driver in Madison Brooks case after jury trial waived

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Casen Carver, one of four men accused in the Madison Brooks rape case, has waived his right to a jury trial.

According to court records, the judge granted the defense’s request for a bench trial, meaning a judge, not a jury, will decide the case. The previously scheduled trial date of Dec. 1 will remain in place.

Carver, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree rape, third-degree rape, and video voyeurism.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said that Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU student, was standing in the middle of Burbank Drive when a car hit and killed her on Jan. 15, 2023. Investigators found that Brooks had a blood alcohol level of .319%. She was raped and left to wander a neighborhood shortly before her death.

Officials said Brooks left a Tigerland bar with Carver, Everett Lee, 27, Kaivon Washington, 18, and a juvenile male at the time. The men were reportedly going to take her home, but stopped in a neighborhood where the assaults had happened.

Carver was identified as the driver of the vehicle. He told deputies that Brooks fell and did not answer when asked where she lived. He admitted stopping the car near the bar, where the alleged assaults took place.

All four were arrested.

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