On Monday, October 6, 2025, The Advocate reported that a new judge may be assigned to the case of Casey John Carver, one of the three men charged in the Madison Brooks rape case. Carver is scheduled to be the first of the three defendants to stand trial later this year.

The possibility of a new judge stems from a motion filed by state prosecutors to recuse District Judge Gail Horne Ray from the case. Judge Ray has been presiding over Carver’s case since his indictment in May 2023 on charges of first- and third-degree rape. She has also made several important pre-trial decisions over the past two years. The reasoning behind the prosecution’s motion for recusal is currently unavailable to the public, as the motion was filed under seal.

Another judge from the 19th Judicial District Court, Judge Brad Myers, has been assigned to hear the arguments for Judge Ray’s removal. Judge Ray signed an order on Friday, reallocating the matter to Judge Myers.

This decision is crucial for Carver, a 21-year-old resident of Denham Springs, who faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of aggravated rape. He was indicted along with Desmond Carter, 20, and Kaivon Deondre Washington, 21, on multiple charges of sexual assault. All three men will be tried separately. Judge Ray is presiding over the cases of both Carver and Carter, while Chief Judge Donald Johnson is handling Washington’s case. According to court records, prosecutors have not sought the recusal of either Judge Johnson in Washington’s case or Judge Ray in Carter’s case.

Carver’s trial is scheduled to begin on December 1. Last month, Judge Ray granted a motion from Carver’s attorney for a bench trial. This means that instead of a jury, the judge will determine Carver’s guilt or innocence based on the evidence and testimony presented.

According to Joe Long, Carver’s attorney, the decision to request a bench trial was motivated by concerns about the extensive publicity and misinformation surrounding the case. In a filing dated September 16, Long argued that a fair jury trial was impossible due to “widespread publicity and misinformation,” as well as “racial animosity and hatred towards all accused.” He stated that Carver was waiving his right to a jury trial to ensure an impartial hearing free from passion or prejudice. Judge Ray granted this motion during a hearing on September 25, which is also when prosecutors announced their intention to seek her recusal.

Madison Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU sophomore, died early on the morning of January 15, 2023, following a night of drinking in the Tigerland area. Authorities reported that Brooks left Reggie’s bar with Carter, Carver, Washington, and another man who was not indicted. She entered a car with the four men, and sheriff’s deputies stated that Carver drove the vehicle to a residential driveway on the 900 block of Jennifer Jean Drive, where it remained parked for approximately 20 minutes.

Prosecutors allege that Carter and Washington sexually assaulted Brooks in the back seat of the car while Carver encouraged them and recorded parts of the encounter on his cellphone. Afterward, the men dropped Brooks off in the Pelican Lakes development. Shortly after exiting the vehicle, she was struck and killed by a passing Lyft driver on Burbank Drive.

Attorneys for the indicted men have claimed that the sexual encounter was consensual, while prosecutors argue that Brooks was too intoxicated to consent. Her blood alcohol content was measured at 0.282, which is more than three times the legal driving limit, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her parents.

Judge Ray has previously made key rulings regarding evidence disclosures and issued a gag order two years ago, restricting attorneys from publicly releasing certain documents related to the case. Last year, she sided with Carver’s attorney in a dispute over Brooks’ past sexual history, ruling that an LSU student could testify about an alleged sexual encounter with Brooks the day before her death.

Long argued that this testimony could challenge the prosecution’s claims that Washington and Carter caused the sex-related injuries found in Brooks’ autopsy report. However, the First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Judge Ray’s decision in March, excluding evidence of Brooks’ past sexual history from the trial.

 

 

Source: The Advocate