The Cases of Madison Brooks & Valentina Trespalacios

Trigger warning for this episode – sexual assault.

Madison Brooks (19) loved spending time with her family and friends. Her family have said she loved adventures and travel.

In the early hours of January 15, 2023 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Madison accepted a ride home from a bar with four males. She seemed to be intoxicated according to CCTV and witness reports. The story that these ‘men’ gave was that Madison consented to sex with two of them in the vehicle. After they were done with her, they dropped her off on the side of the road. Madison was killed shortly after this – she was struck by a vehicle.

Investigation showed that Madison’s BAC was .319%. According to University of Notre Dame research, a BAC of between .250 and .399 indicates alcohol poisoning and loss of consciousness. This indicates that there is NO WAY Madison could have consented in that state. Two of the males have now been charged with third-degree rape, and the additional two have been charged with a failure to intervene.

In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss the death of Madison Brooks, as well as the murder of Valentina Trespalacios.

Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios (23) met American John Poulos on a dating app in 2022. John abandoned his three children in America to move to Colombia. The couple were seen on January 22, 2023 on CCTV, leaving a nightclub where Valentina had just finished a set at. John was seen soon after putting a suitcase into his rental vehicle.


Hours later, a man came across the suitcase in a dumpster. Valentina’s lifeless body had been shoved in the case, and her head was sticking out. John was arrested soon after, while trying to flee the country. His story was that the cartel were involved in Valentina’s death. He has been charged with aggravated femicide, concealment, alteration and destruction of evidence. John has told the court that he doesn’t feel safe in the Bogota jail and he has demanded additional security.

If you’d like to skip straight to the crime content, please goto (8:07)


Read our blogs for these cases - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2023/02/01/valentina-trespalacios-was-murdered-and-her-body-dumped-in-a-suitcase/

https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2023/01/27/madison-brooks-assaulted-and-left-to-die/

This episode is sponsored by:
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