Madison Brooks case: defense of rape accused calls for ban on pink clothes in trial

A man in Louisiana, United States, accused of participating in the gang rape of student Madison Brooks, who later died after being run over, asked the court that the victim’s supporters be banned from wearing pink clothes during the trial. The defense argues that the outfit, which was Brooks’ favorite color, was intended to intimidate the jury.

Desmond Carter, 21, is one of the defendants accused of sexually assaulting Brooks, 19, inside a car in Baton Rouge in 2023, shortly before his death. According to the accused, the constant presence of Madison’s friends and family wearing pink in the courtroom was an attempt to influence the jurors’ decision in favor of a guilty verdict.

The maneuver, as alleged by Carter’s lawyers in a motion filed in June, would compromise the defendant’s right to a fair trial. They argue that the situation creates a “carnival atmosphere”, citing previous Supreme Court decisions that seek to ensure the impartiality of the process and avoid external influences on the jury panel. Carter’s trial is scheduled to begin on August 17.

Carter’s legal representatives pointed to several posts on social media, where relatives and friends of the victim ask people to attend court sessions wearing the color pink, with the aim of pushing for the defendant to receive the maximum sentence.

Prosecutor Sonya Cardia-Porter, who asked for the motion to be dismissed, called the allegations an “absurd exaggeration” and “unconvincing.” She described Brooks’ supporters as “silent, passive spectators wearing a specific color.”

Cardia-Porter asked the judge to instruct the jury to “disregard any attire or demonstration by spectators.”

A court decision on the request to ban the use of the color pink is awaited.

Carter currently faces first- and third-degree rape charges.

Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old college student, was allegedly raped in the backseat of a car by Carter, who was 17 at the time but is being tried as an adult, as well as Kaivon Washington, 21, and Casen Carver, 22. The incident occurred after the group left Reggie’s bar in East Baton Rouge, where Brooks worked and they had all consumed a large amount of alcohol in January 2023.

The defendants claimed the sexual encounter was consensual before they left Madison on the side of the road.

Footage from the car showed Brooks arguing with his alleged attackers before staggering out of the vehicle.

Investigators said Brooks had a blood alcohol content of 0.319% nearly four times the legal limit when she lost her balance and fell onto the busy highway.

The driver of the app car was detained, but was not formally charged, as he was not under the influence of alcohol and immediately called the police.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office concluded that Brooks died from “traumatic injuries” sustained after the rape.