BRUSLY - LSU student and Addis native John Foster secured a spot in the Top 14 of American Idol on Monday night after a weekend performance of his original song written about his friend Maggie Dunn, one of two Brusly cheerleaders killed in a deadly crash.

Dunn's mother Erin Martin says the two became friends in middle school, and she taught Foster at Brusly High. The two always supported each other. Maggie attended John's first gig. He wore a cream-colored cowboy hat that day. Martin says it's the same hat that he wore when singing his song for Maggie on the American Idol stage.

Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16, were killed on New Year's Eve 2022 when an Addis Police officer ran a red light during while chasing a suspect and slamming into Dunn's vehicle. The crash happened on La. 1 in Brusly near the police station. Maggie Dunn's brother, Liam, was also in the the car but survived. The officer, 42-year-old David Cauthron, later pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of negligent injuring and was sentenced to 32 years in prison, with 22 years suspended. WBRZ reported he was driving 86 miles per hour and never hit the brakes before the crash.

Foster wasn't in Brusly when the pair died, but within days of finding out, he wrote a new song for his best friend.

"He sent me a video of himself in his room, singing the first verse," Martin said.

Three years later, John Foster sang the same song, "Tell That Angel I Love Her," during American Idol. The performance pushed him through the Top 20 phase of the competition.

Martin was in the crowd, but seeing the performance again on the television broadcast changed everything.

"There were parts we didn't hear because of the noise and the clapping," Martin said. At the end of the performance, Foster whispered into the microphone, "I love you, Maggie."

"My heart just melted," Martin said.

Saying Maggie's name and keeping her memory alive is the best thing for her as a grieving parent to hear.

"For John Foster to make the song at all and then to perform it, it's an example, a tangible example of the light and love that Maggie left behind," Martin said.

Now, millions of people have watched John Foster sing the very personal ballad and have heard Maggie's name.

"For a minute, those millions of people were thinking about my child," Martin said. "My hope is that those people will see that and they'll read more about her story. Maybe one of those people is someone who has the power to effect change when it comes to police pursuit policy."

In 2023, State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, authored a bill that passed through the legislature to create a task force to study police chases and when they might not be necessary.

John Foster performs live in the Top 14 on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on WBRZ.