Madison Brooks’ mom slams attempt to ban pink at trial for slain LSU student: ‘We wear it to honor her’

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Cite

Cairns, K. (2026, August 6). Madison Brooks’ mom slams attempt to ban pink at trial for slain LSU student: ‘We wear it to honor her’. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/madison-brooks-mom-slams-attempt-ban-pink-trial-slain-lsu-student-we-wear-it-honor-her

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-08-06 · by Kelsie Cairns

Quick Summary

Ashley Baustert, the mother of slain LSU student Madison Brooks, spoke out against an attempt by one of Brooks' alleged attackers to ban spectators from wearing pink in court, saying it's meant to honor her daughter's favorite color and not disrupt the trial. The defense claims that wearing pink could bias or intimidate the jury, but Baustert disagrees, calling the request "selfish." Madison Brooks was a 19-year-old LSU student who was allegedly gang-raped before being hit by a car and killed in 2023. A judge is set to make a decision on Thursday regarding the ban.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-21, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Madison Brooks' mother, Ashley Baustert, is speaking out against an attempt to ban her daughter's friends from wearing pink at a trial related to Madison's death. Madison was a 19-year-old student at Louisiana State University who was allegedly gang-raped and then hit by a car after a night out in 2023. The driver of the vehicle that hit her stayed on scene and was cleared of charges. Baustert is fighting for justice for her daughter, saying "it's not about anyone except for Madison" and that she wants to hold those responsible accountable. Despite facing challenges, Baustert remains positive, praying for justice to prevail in the end.

Written for “LSU Student Murder Trial” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 LSU Student Murder Trial
Crime & Law · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Centre
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
67/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 4341 article(s) · 9 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 9 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Kelsie Cairns
20 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The extended vacation raised questions about how the working-class couple could afford to foot the bill, as Chaz worked for a cabinetry company in Sayre and Metallica worked in an undisclosed healthcare position, Thetga said.
🔮 Earlier this month, the Lansing Police Department announced it is investigating the unnerving possibility that five recent deaths may be connected to an attacker allegedly lurking along the Lansing River Trail.
🔮 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement in part, "My administration remains committed to doing everything in our power to ensure safety on the CTA for its commuters and its committed employees who make public transit possible."
🔮 A potential "serial killer" may be stalking a popular river trail near Michigan State University, where five deaths have fueled growing safety concerns.
🔮 Authorities in Michigan are investigating a string of five killings that may be connected, police said.
🔮 All were taken to the hospital and are expected to recover.
🔮 However, his conviction was overturned in May 2026 after the South Carolina Supreme Court found that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca "Becky" Hill improperly influenced jurors.
🔮 The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service continues to actively investigate the case; the agency seized "Soulmate" in May.
🔮 Authorities are ramping up their search of Horsch's home on Chew Avenue in Olney – an effort they said will shut down roads and involve more digging at the property, according to the outlet.
🔮 Fox News Digital first reported Amer Alowdi, 40, was indicted in 2022 and fled the country before he could face formal prosecution documents allege.
Also by Kelsie Cairns
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 20 articles by Kelsie Cairns →

Topics

East Baton Rouge Parish Fox News Digital LSU Louisiana Louisiana State University

Subjects

Baustert PERSON · 7× Brooks PERSON · 4× LSU ORG · 3× Madison GPE · 3× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× Maddie PERSON · 2× Madison Brooks PERSON · 2× Ashley Baustert PERSON · 1× Louisiana GPE · 1× Louisiana State University ORG · 1×

Narrative

The driver of the vehicle that hit her stayed on scene and was cleared of charges. "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 Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-06
🔮 "I have to just keep the course and stay positive and pray that justice will in the end prevail."

Claims (22 extracted, 3 hedged)

"It's not about anyone except for Madison," says Ashley Baustert. asserted
Baustert → say → Madison
She is the mother to the Louisiana State University student Madison Brooks, who was allegedly gang-raped before she was hit by a car and killed after a night out in 2023. uncertain
she → rap → 2023
She wants to ensure her daughter's accused attackers are held accountable. asserted
attackers → want → ?
Brooks, 19, was a student at LSU when she was hit by a car and killed after a group of men allegedly raped her, then dumped her out of a vehicle on a Baton Rouge, Louisiana highway in 2023, and drove off. uncertain
group → hit → 2023
The driver of the vehicle that hit her stayed on scene and was cleared of charges. "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 Fox News Digital on Wednesday. asserted
Baustert → hit → Wednesday
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. asserted
attackers → lose → fight
"It's very challenging," Baustert said. asserted
Baustert → say → ?
"I have to just keep the course and stay positive and pray that justice will in the end prevail." asserted
justice → have → end
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. asserted
Carter → accuse → court
His defense claims the color—which supporters wear to honor Brooks—could bias or intimidate the jury. uncertain
supporters → claim → jury
Baustert is strongly pushing back against the motion. asserted
Baustert → push → motion
"We are not disruptive, we are very peaceful, and it's really just about Maddie's favorite color," Baustert said. asserted
Baustert → say → ?
"We wear it to honor her. asserted
We → wear → her
A judge will make a decision on Thursday, Louisiana First News reported. asserted
News → make → Thursday
"I hope that she disagrees with the defendant's attorney and allows us to peacefully wear pink. asserted
us → hope → pink
I feel that if she agrees with them, I think it's going to cause more of an outrage," Baustert said. asserted
Baustert → feel → outrage
Nancy Grace previews exclusive new Fox Nation special, 'Left for Dead' asserted
Grace → preview → Dead
Brooks was a sophomore at LSU and was pursuing a communications degree when she was killed. asserted
she → pursue → degree
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. asserted
Foundation → graduate → Athletes
Baustert said, "Nothing will bring Madison back, but we remain committed to honoring her life and ensuring that her voice is never forgotten." asserted
voice → say → life
Fox News Digital has reached out to Carter's attorney. asserted
Digital → reach → attorney
He is scheduled to appear before a judge on Aug. 17. asserted
He → schedule → Aug.
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