Teen dies after being 'raped by three men in car before stumbling into traffic'

Teen dies after being 'raped by three men in car before stumbling into traffic' Madison Brooks was a student at Louisiana State University when she was allegedly attacked - now one of the men alleged to have assaulted her is due to stand trial A 19-year-old Louisiana State University cheerleader died after she was allegedly gang raped by three men in the backseat of a car. Madison Brooks was allegedly dumped out of the vehicle before stumbling across a highway where she was fatally struck by a truck in 2023. Now the trial of Desmond Carter, 21, one of the men who allegedly assaulted Brooks, is set to begin with the hearing scheduled for August 17. Carter has been charged with rape alongside Kaivon Washington and Casen Carver. Prosecutors allege that the men assaulted Brooks in a car after they drank together at a bar. The men deny raping Brooks, saying they had consensual sex with her. Footage showed Brooks stumbling into moving traffic. Authorities say the teen's blood-alcohol level was .319%, almost four times the legal driving limit. She walked into the four-lane road where she was hit by the truck, the Mirror US reports. In court filings last year, attorneys for Carver and Carter claimed that the injuries consistent with sexual assault allegedly found on Brooks' body were not their doing. They claimed that Brooks had consensual sex with another LSU student the night before, which caused her injuries. A motion claimed the evidence "will gut the State's theory of the case" and prove their innocence. The filing was condemned by the prosecution, including District Attorney Hillar Moore, who called it "totally inappropriate and not in accordance with the applicable rules of law." The motion was later rejected by a judge, who deemed it "irrelevant." Carter's attorneys have filed a motion to prohibit Brooks' supporters from wearing the teen's favourite colour in the courtroom, arguing that it could intimidate the jury. The Brooks family and their supporters have been wearing pink to commemorate the late student at public events and court hearings. The defence referenced multiple cases that determined a "carnival atmosphere" in courtrooms has infringed upon a defendant's right to a fair trial. This argument has been characterized as a "gross mischaracterization of the facts at hand" by prosecutors, according to WBRZ.