“This isn’t about anyone else. It’s about Madison,” Ashley Baustert says.
Baustert is the mother of Madison Brooks, the Louisiana State University student who authorities say was allegedly gang-raped after a night out in 2023 before she was struck by a car and killed.
Now, she is focused on one thing: seeing that the men accused in her daughter’s case are held responsible.
Madison Brooks, 19, was an LSU sophomore when she was allegedly raped in January 2023 before she was fatally hit by a car. (Ashley Baustert)
Brooks, 19, was attending LSU when prosecutors say a group of men allegedly raped her, left her along a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, highway after pushing her out of a vehicle, and drove away. She was then struck by a car and died.
Madison Brooks was a 19-year-old LSU student when she was killed. (Ashley Baustert)
The driver who hit Brooks remained at the scene and was later cleared of any charges.
Security footage shows Madison Brooks leaving Reggie’s, a Tigerland bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with four men on Jan. 15, 2023. It was the last known sighting of Brooks before she was fatally struck by a car.
“Maddie felt safe that night, she thought these were her friends and I think a lot of selfish choices were made that night and ultimately it led in a horrific ending,” Baustert told News Outlet on Wednesday.
Madison Brooks died after she was allegedly raped following a night out at Reggie’s bar. (KR/Mega for News Outlet | Ashley Baustert_)
On top of the unimaginable grief of losing her child, Baustert has been dragged through an ongoing legal marathon in her fight to hold her daughter’s alleged attackers accountable.
Ashley Baustert, mother of Madison Brooks, stands in front of a billboard for the Madison Brooks Foundation in Times Square on Monday, May 8, 2023. (Julia Bonavita/News Outlet)
“It’s very challenging,” Baustert said. “I have to just keep the course and stay positive and pray that justice will in the end prevail.”
Desmond Carter, 21, one of the men accused of raping Brooks, is asking an East Baton Rouge Parish judge to ban spectators from wearing pink in court. His defense claims the color—which supporters wear to honor Brooks—could bias or intimidate the jury.
Desmond Carter, Kaivon Washington, and Casen Carver are all facing rape charges. (Getty Images:John Korduner/Icon Sportswire, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office)
Baustert is strongly pushing back against the motion.
“We are not disruptive, we are very peaceful, and it’s really just about Maddie’s favorite color,” Baustert said. “We wear it to honor her. It’s not about anyone except for Madison.”
Ashley Baustert, Madison Brooks’ mom, is with her best friend, Jenny Reimold, after they decorated the family “Angel Tree” with pink ribbons, angels and pictures of Madi. (Ashley Baustert/Jenny Reimold)
A judge will make a decision on Thursday, Louisiana First News reported.
“I hope that she disagrees with the defendant’s attorney and allows us to peacefully wear pink. I feel that if she agrees with them, I think it’s going to cause more of an outrage,” Baustert said.
Brooks was a sophomore at LSU and was pursuing a communications degree when she was killed.
Prior to her enrollment at LSU, she “graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy in 2021, where she was an honor roll student, cheerleader, member of Doves for Life, Spirit Club, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” the LSU Foundation says.
Baustert said, “Nothing will bring Madison back, but we remain committed to honoring her life and ensuring that her voice is never forgotten.”
A billboard for the Madison Brooks Foundation is seen on display in Times Square on Monday, May 8, 2023. Brooks was fatally struck by a car after an alleged rape earlier that year. (Julia Bonavita/News Outlet)
News Outlet has reached out to Carter’s attorney.
He is scheduled to appear before a judge on Aug. 17.
