UPDATE: Two of the suspects, Casen Carver and Everett Lee, have been released on bond. Read the latest here.

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BATON ROUGE – Multiple people have been arrested on rape charges by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office amid an investigation into the death of 19-year-old LSU student Madi Brooks, the WBRZ Investigative Unit learned Monday.

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Sources said a 17-year-old was first booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish juvenile detention center Sunday on a count of third-degree rape. 

An 18-year-old man, identified as Kaivon Washington, was booked on Monday, along with Casen Carver, also 18. Washington faces charges of third-degree rape; Carver was booked as a principal to third-degree rape.

A fourth suspect, 28-year-old Everett Lee, is identified as the uncle of Washington and is also booked as a principal to third-degree rape. 

According to state law, third-degree rape in Louisiana occurs “when the victim is incapable of resisting or of understanding the nature of the act by reason of a stupor or abnormal condition of mind produced by an intoxicating agent or any cause and the offender knew or should have known of the victim's incapacity.”

Brooks' blood-alcohol level was .319 percent at the time, according to arrest documents. That's nearly four times the legal driving limit for an adult.

In a conversation shortly before his surrender, Washington told WBRZ’s Chris Nakamoto that he had sex with Brooks before she died. Washington said it was consensual.

Washington said he, the other suspects and Brooks left Reggie’s — a bar in Tigerland — early Sunday, Jan. 15, after a night of heavy drinking. He said he and another teen had sex with Brooks in the backseat of a vehicle.

Carver and Lee were in the front seat, according to arrest records. 

Washington said Brooks later asked to go home. They brought her back to where she told them she wanted to be dropped off, near the Pelican Lakes subdivision off of Burbank Drive.

Washington said Brooks gave them multiple different addresses before she got out of the car. She was killed a short time later after she wandered into the middle of Burbank. The driver who hit her was not arrested and is not suspected of being impaired.

The NAACP is working with prominent Baton Rouge attorneys representing two of the suspects, saying there is video evidence refuting allegations that Brooks was raped. 

Sources said detectives with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office showed up at the suspects’ homes this weekend.

On Tuesday, a judge assigned bonds to all three adult suspects under the stipulation that they remain under house arrest and wear ankle monitors. Carver is being held on a $50,000 bond. Lee is held on a $75,000 bond, and Washington is held on a $150,000 bond.

Sources told WBRZ on Tuesday that the 17-year-old's court hearing was pushed back to next month, meaning he'll sit in juvenile jail for weeks. 

LSU University President William Tate released the following statement Monday.

Dear LSU Community,

This afternoon, police arrested four individuals following an investigation into the events preceding the death of LSU student Madison Brooks, who was struck by a vehicle on Burbank Drive last week. 

 Madison was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a classmate, and a friend to many of you. By all accounts, she was an amazing young woman with limitless potential. She should not have been taken from us in this way. What happened to her was evil, and our legal system will parcel out justice.

 Our collective grief and outrage cannot be put into mere words. So what can we do? It is time for action. One place to target our attention is the very place where this encounter began.

 All but one of the suspects involved in this horrific scenario were underage yet were able to consume alcohol at a local bar. As such, our action plan starts with a deep and relentless focus on any establishment that profits off our students by providing alcohol to underage individuals. In the coming days, we will call a meeting with these business owners to discuss how their responsibilities directly impact the safety of our students.  We will work openly against any business that doesn’t join us in efforts toward creating a safer environment for our students. Enough is enough.

Real and long-lasting solutions require multiple strategies, so we will not stop there. That is why I am asking our entire Baton Rouge community, from business leaders to citizens, to work together and join us in this effort. We will share additional action items in the coming days, but for now please join me in keeping Madison’s family in our thoughts and prayers.

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Techniguecious Moore said it was a foggy morning last month when children were waiting with their parents a safe distance away from the road. She said when the bus pulled up, the driver became irate that the kids were not at the stop. She went to speak to him, and that's when things took a dramatic turn.

"He slammed the door catching my arm in the door and pulled off with me," Moore said.

Moore said she thought was going to die and started punching the window of the door to get the driver to stop.

Both parties called 911 and the St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office cited the driver of the bus, Frank Robinson, with aggravated battery. He was booked into jail and has since bonded out. The mother, Techniguecious Moore, was cited for criminal damage to property.

"It's ridiculous to me that he's even still driving a bus," Moore said. "That's a danger to the children, to be honest."

Moore said she began trying to have a meeting with the school system without any luck. To add insult to injury, she said when she began asking questions about this, her daughter was kicked off the bus.

"At the end of the day, the kids' safety was the main thing," Moore said. "All I wanted was a meeting to discuss this, to discuss this matter at hand. It's hard to discuss anything when no one wants to see you."

The St. Helena Parish School Superintendent Kelli Joseph issued the following statement.

"The issues raised by the parent involves property damage caused by the parent on a school bus. The actions were in response to health and protocol measures required by a bus driver. Because this matter involves potential litigation, the school district will have no further comment."

As WBRZ was asking questions, Frank Robinson reached out painting a different picture of what happened.

He said Moore approached his bus in a confrontational manner, and he closed the door because other children were on the bus. He denied shutting the school bus door on Moore.

UNION PARISH - A state trooper charged with negligent homicide in the death of Ronald Greene, an unarmed Black man who died in police custody in 2019, will plead not guilty when he appears in court next month, according to his attorney. 

A lawyer representing Trooper Kory York says the officer will appear in court Feb. 22 in Union Parish. Attorney J. Michael Small said in a statement that York will plead not guilty to each count against him: one charge for negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance. 

"My intention is for my client to plead not guilty to all charges, and I'm very confident he will be found not guilty on all charges before we get this before a jury in Union Parish," Small said.

Four other law enforcement officers are facing charges in Greene's death, a grand jury decided last month. York is the only one facing negligent homicide.

The indictments against those officers came last month, after what appeared to be years of attempts at Louisiana State Police to cover up what happened the night of Greene's death. A grand jury convened in November — more than three years after Greene's death — after years of relentless reporting from the WBRZ Investigative Unit.

"We were disappointed, but will be prepared to meet it head on when the case goes before a jury in north Louisiana," Small said.

Amid WBRZ's stories and after the leak of police video showing Greene being beaten and tased at the hands of state troopers, an investigative committee made up of lawmakers spent months last year questioning current and past members of LSP about Greene's death and the cover-up. 

BATON ROUGE - A Louisiana state trooper who garnered fame on Facebook and TikTok under the name "Stalekracker" has lost his job amid an investigation into accusations that he fled the scene of a boating crash while off duty.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit learned Thursday that Justin Chiasson is terminated from Louisiana State Police effective Jan. 6.  The agency told Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto that Chiasson was fired for violating LSP's code of conduct, including conduct unbecoming of an officer and making false statements. 

Chiasson has 30 days to appeal the decision made by State Police. Although their reasons were listed, the findings of that investigation will not be released until Chiasson decides whether he will appeal or not.

WBRZ has covered Chiasson's situation extensively. The crash happened in July 2022 while Chiasson was a passenger in a boat operated by Bryan Nolan. Investigators said their boat hit another boat, and the two fled the scene. Neither of them called for help or reported the wreck after it happened.

Nolan was later arrested and charged with DWI and hit and run. Ten days later, he was arrested again and charged with negligent injuring, and two counts of careless operation of a watercraft.

Chiasson had been on leave since October prior to his firing this week. 

Chiasson was hired in September 2004 and was earning $84,182.80, according to public records.