Steven Lawson found guilty in Crystal Rogers case. 3 highlights from final day of trial

Yahoo

25-06-2025

(This story has been updated with new information.)
A jury in Bowling Green found Steven Lawson guilty May 30 on both counts he faced at the first trial connected to the Crystal Rogers investigation.
Lawson was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the disappearance of Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five from Bardstown who went missing in 2015. The jury recommended a sentence of 17 years for the conspiracy to commit murder charge and five years for the tampering with physical evidence charge to run concurrently.
Judge Charles Simms III will issue the final sentence Aug. 6.
The verdict came on the fourth day of trial in the high-profile case that included testimony from family members, investigators and expert witnesses.
Brooks Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in the case. Lawson's son, Joseph Lawson, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. They are scheduled to stand trial starting June 24.
Here are three highlights from the final day of the trial.
Lawson's attorneys conceded multiple times during the proceedings that he is guilty of tampering with physical evidence — an admission that laid the foundation for their argument that Lawson was not privy to any plan to murder Rogers.
While on the stand May 30, Lawson said he transported Joseph Lawson to Rogers' car after he told him he planned on moving it July 3, 2015 — the night she was last seen. He insisted he was unaware of why his son wanted to move the car.
Sometime prior to the disappearance, Lawson testified, Houck told him that he wanted Rogers "gone," which he interpreted to mean "deceased." Lawson said Houck only brought that up once, and he was unsure whether he was serious.
Later on the night of the disappearance, Joseph Lawson called his father to tell him Rogers' car "broke down" and that he needed to be picked up. Lawson drove to that location and his son told him, 'We got to get out of here,' he testified.
Before driving away, Lawson said he moved the driver's seat forward and retrieved his son's miniature Louisville Slugger bat that he carried with him everywhere. He moved the seat forward because he wanted it to appear as though Rogers was the last person to drive it because he was under the impression it was stolen at that point, he testified.
'Did I pick him up from that car?' Lawson testified. 'Yes, sir, I did.'
Lawson also testified about a phone call he had with Houck shortly after midnight July 4. The purpose of that phone call has been a focal point for much of the investigation.
Lawson's story for what they discussed during that call has changed multiple times over the course of the investigation. He initially told investigators he was calling Houck about a rental property for his stepdaughter. He testified at trial that he made the phone call at his son's request and informed Houck that the job of moving the car was done.
He initially lied to investigators about the purpose of the call because he did not want to "man up and admit' his involvement in moving the car, he testified.
Prosecutors argued Lawson was not ignorant of a murder plot and that moving the car was part of a pre-mediated plan for Houck to kill Rogers. During closing arguments, prosecutor Jim Lesousky said Lawson told a grand jury in September 2023 that Houck agreed to tap on him for his real estate business's future drywall jobs if he helped move the car.
"He saw at the end of this dark tunnel the opportunity to make a lot of money,' Lesousky said.
During closing arguments, attorney Darren Wolff, counsel for Lawson, described the case against his client as rushed and an attempt at bringing closure to Rogers' family.
Wolff argued the commonwealth should have dug deeper into possible leads, like DNA testing two hairs recovered from Rogers' car, which could have pointed to additional suspects. Karl Reich, an expert in forensic DNA who testified for the defense May 29, said he was unable to say whether the hairs could bear relevance to the case.
"You don't know until you test it," he added.
Wolff argued that the ongoing investigation should have been completed before bringing forth charges. Special prosecutor Shane Young called two of Brooks Houck's family members — his mother and brother — 'co-conspirators' during the trial. Neither of them have been charged in the case.
Prosecutors have maintained that regardless of any additional suspects that emerge, Lawson's role in the crime remains.
'He was an essential partner in Brooks Houck's plans to kill this young lady,' Lesousky said during closing arguments.
Wolff asked the jury not to let sympathy for Rogers' family influence the verdict, accusing the prosecution of attempting to deliver long-awaited answers without a full picture of the events.
'What closure are we going to give the family when we don't know what happened?' he asked the jury.
Prior to the jury's recommendation of a 17-year sentence, one of Rogers' children, Tori Rogers, 21, took the stand.
Just 11 years old when her mother went missing, her testimony pointed to the looming questions afflicting the family.
"I still think we'll find her, but maybe not the way we want to,' she said. "It's harder every day."
Lawson's mother, Barbara Colter, testified for a lighter sentence and asked the jury to "have mercy." Still, she noted her son will have to deal with the consequences.
"I know with whatever Steve has done in this case, he's going to have to face the consequences,' Colter said. "Somewhere he did go wrong, but he is a good man.'
Wolff made a brief mention of the appeals process before Simms III intervened and continued discussing sentencing. It is unclear if or when an appeal could be filed in the case.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at [e-mail] or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers case: Steven Lawson found guilty on all charges