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Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Missing mom's convicted killer claims boyfriend tainted his trial
One of the three men convicted in the mysterious death of a Kentucky mother of five is asking a judge for a new trial. Joseph Lawson was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the death of 35-year-old Crystal Rogers in Bardstown, according to Fox 56. Lawson was tried alongside Rogers' boyfriend, Brooks Houck. Lawson's lawyers argued in a new motion made public Wednesday that their client should not have been tried alongside Houck, citing recorded statements made by Houck to investigators that were presented during the trial, WDRB reported. "The overwhelming amount of evidence presented at trial was not otherwise admissible in [Lawson's] trial and clearly had a spillover effect," the appeal reportedly said, adding that Lawson was denied "his right to have a fair determination of his culpability free from the taint of having been tried jointly with Brooks Houck." The attorneys reportedly claimed that, given the fact Houck did not testify during the trial, Lawson had no way to defend himself against the statements presented to the jury. Earlier this month, a jury found the two men guilty of murdering Rogers, who was last seen during Fourth of July weekend in 2015 with Houck. Police later found Rogers' maroon Chevy Impala abandoned with a flat tire along Bluegrass Parkway, with her purse, wallet and keys inside. Her body was never found. The jury in Houck and Lawson's trial recommended maximum sentences for both men, consisting of life in prison plus five years for Houck and 25 years for Lawson, WDRB reported. The two men would reportedly be required to serve 85% of their sentences before being eligible for parole. Steve Lawson, Joseph Lawson's father, was tried separately and convicted of the same charges as his son, according to the outlet. He was reportedly sentenced to life in prison and is currently appealing his conviction. A final sentencing hearing for Lawson and Houck is set for Aug. 21. Attorneys for Lawson and did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Crystal Rogers trial: 3 highlights from closing arguments as jury prepares to deliberate
The fate of two defendants charged in connection to the disappearance of Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers is now in the hands of a jury after closing arguments concluded July 7. The jury is tasked with determining whether 43-year-old Brooks Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, is guilty of murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to the jury instructions. The jury will also determine whether Joseph Lawson, 34, is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. Judge Charles Simms III previously estimated proceedings would conclude July 8. Lawson's father, Steven Lawson, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in May 2025 in connection to the disappearance. Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, went missing around July 3, 2015, from Bardstown. Her car was found a few days later abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside. Rogers' body has never been found, but she is presumed dead by investigators. Here are three highlights from closing arguments: In closing arguments for Lawson, defense attorney Bobby Boyd repeatedly returned to cell phone data prosecutors have used to back their theory that he drove Rogers' car to the location where police found it stranded with a flat tire two days later. Attorneys for Lawson and Houck have offered an alternate story. Instead, Boyd said, Lawson and his father were retrieving a car that had been taken from them earlier the night of the disappearance and hidden at a residence on Boston Road, which is north of Bluegrass Parkway. Data from Steven's phone shows it pinged several north-facing sectors on cell phone towers located near the thoroughfares. Tim O'Daniel, a Louisville Metro Police detective who prepared reports on Steven and Houck's device locations, testified June 27 it would be "somewhat possible' for Steven's device to utilize the north-facing sectors while located on Bluegrass Parkway. Boyd said it is 'completely possible' the location evidence supports the defense's alternate story. He urged the jurors to use the location evidence as their 'North Star.' 'Go back and cross-check anything you've got with that cell phone data,' he said. 'It's your most reliable witness.' Attorney Brian Butler spent several hours making his final defense for Houck, casting skepticism on many of the prosecution's key witnesses and calling the case against his client 'garbage.' Despite several law enforcement searches at various properties related to the case, no crime scene was identified and no physical evidence linked Houck or the Lawsons to a crime, Butler said. He said significant pressure to land a conviction in the decade-old case led them to contrive a story through 'coercive' investigation tactics, with Houck being the target. 'They're just making stuff up because the case has hole after hole,' Butler told the jury. What prosecutors lack in physical evidence, they have compensated for with incriminating testimony from several witnesses, whom Butler has attempted to discredit. Butler called a September 2023 interview Steven's ex-girlfriend Heather Snellen gave to Kentucky State Police detectives 'outrageous' and 'coercive.' During the interview, which lasted more than four hours, Snellen said she overheard the Lawsons talking in 2017 about moving a body on the Houck family farm — Rogers' last known location. She later wrote to KSP to inform them she felt pressured into talking about it and 'did not know anything,' though she reaffirmed that she heard the conversation in testimony June 27. While prosecutor Shane Young agreed the interview with Snellen was tense, he argued the investigators were professionals who knew they were on to something. During closing arguments for the prosecution, Young revealed what he believes led Steven to call Houck for roughly 13 seconds shortly after midnight July 4, 2015. 'That car getting a flat tire was a problem,' he said. 'That precipitated the phone call.' Attorneys for Houck said Steven was asking about rental properties, but Young noted Rogers — who was running the rental arm of Houck's real estate enterprise at the time — was in the car with him at the time, according to Houck's testimony. Young questioned why Houck did not hand the phone to her if she was with him. Attorneys for Houck and Lawson have referred to the location and phone call evidence as the 'lynchpin' of the prosecution's case. Young countered that notion during closings, saying Houck's own written account of his whereabouts given during a July 8 interview is the case's true 'lynchpin.' Houck told investigators Rogers returned home with him from the family farm sometime after midnight with their son and proceeded to play games on her phone. But phone data indicates her device was inactive starting around 9:23 p.m. that night, Young said. 'If Rogers did not come home, [Houck] is guilty of murder,' Young said. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers murder trial: Jury to start deliberating
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson face charges in Crystal Rogers murder trial. What to know
Brooks Houck, the man accused of killing Crystal Rogers will stand trial alongside an alleged co-conspirator starting June 24, roughly a decade after the mother suddenly disappeared from a small town in rural Kentucky. Houck, 43, is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in the case. Joseph Lawson, 34, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence — the same charges his father, Steven Lawson, was convicted for in late May 2025. Here is what to know about the high-profile case and upcoming trial: Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, went missing around July 3, 2015, from Bardstown. Her car was found a few days later abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside. Rogers was not known to go anywhere without her children, according to the FBI. Rogers' body has never been found, but she is presumed dead by investigators. Houck was Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and is the father of her youngest child. He was named a suspect early in the investigation, but he was not arrested until September 2023. Houck is charged with murder "by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers," according to court records. He has told investigators that he last saw Rogers alive when they visited his family's farm the night before she disappeared. He has denied involvement in the disappearance and has pleaded not guilty. Houck is connected to his co-defendants through his work as a prominent real estate businessman in Nelson County. He is a current officer for Houck Rentals in Bardstown, according to Kentucky Secretary of State records. Both Lawsons have worked for him in the past. Joseph Lawson, Steven Lawson's son, was arrested in September 2023. He was the first person arrested in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to his charges. Houck and Lawson will stand trial in Bowling Green, the county seat of Warren County. Steven Lawson's trial was also held in Warren County. Judge Charles Simms III ordered both trials take place there following motions by all three defendants to move court proceedings outside of Nelson County. The co-defendants argued that keeping the trial in Nelson County would impede their rights to a fair and impartial trial because the publicity and news coverage the case has received could lead to a prejudiced jury pool. Selecting a fair jury is among the biggest challenges in a high-profile case such as this, University of Louisville law professor Russell L. Weaver told The Courier Journal. "You really just need people who agree that they will listen to the evidence and decide the case based on the evidence, and not based upon what they heard in the media," he said. A jury found Steven Lawson guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence May 30 in connection with Rogers' disappearance and recommended a 17-year sentence. His sentencing is set for Aug. 6 in Nelson County. Steven Lawson admitted his guilt to the tampering with physical evidence charge during trial, claiming he helped his son move Rogers' car by picking him up from the side of Bluegrass Parkway when the car "broke down." He testified that he was unaware of why his son was moving the car or of any conspiracy to murder Rogers, however. Prosecutors, meanwhile, called him an "essential partner" in the alleged murder. No other individuals have been charged in the case, though special prosecutor Shane Young hinted at the possibility of future developments during the first trial. Young name dropped Brooks Houck's brother and mother — Nick and Rosemary Houck — as alleged co-conspirators. Nick Houck was employed by the Bardstown Police Department at the time of Rogers' disappearance and was fired for allegedly interfering in the investigation, according to court records. At Houck's arraignment in October 2023, Young said investigators had recovered a gun sold by Nick Houck under an assumed name that could be a match for the murder weapon in the killing of Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard. Ballard was killed 16 months after Rogers' disappearance while getting ready for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson on family property next to Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. Ballard was shot once in the chest, instantly killing him, according to a report from the FBI. No one has been charged in his death, and Kentucky State Police officials have said they do not believe his grandson to be a suspect. During that arraignment, Young also said Houck had family members record secret grand jury proceedings in 2015, The Courier Journal reported. It is unclear where investigations into Nick and Rosemary Houck currently stand. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers case: Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson trial starts in June
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Steven Lawson found guilty in Crystal Rogers case. 3 highlights from final day of trial
(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 kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers case: Steven Lawson found guilty on all charges
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Openings in Crystal Rogers murder trial give glimpse into evidence to come
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — During opening arguments in the Crystal Rogers murder trial on June 25, prosecutors pointed to a conversation that they said marked the beginning of a plan to kill the Bardstown mother of five, who disappeared in July 2015 and has yet to be found. The conversation did not include Brooks Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of the disappearance, who is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in the trial. It was his mother, Rosemary Houck, who approached Danny Singleton, a man worked for Houck, about killing Rogers, prosecutor Jim Lesousky said. In his response to the proposition, Singleton said something to the effect of, 'If you got enough money, you can get anything done,' Lesousky said. "That was the beginning of the conspiracy to kill Crystal," Lesousky said. Steve Schroering, a defense attorney for Houck, told a different story. During opening arguments for his client, Schroering foreshadowed possible testimony from Singleton himself, noting he had pending felony charges that were amended to misdemeanors after he alleged the conversation occurred. Schroering said that's just one example of how prosecutors have built a case on 'assumptions, theories and guesses' aided by 'coercion, manipulation and bullying' amid mounting pressure for investigators to find answers to the decade-old case. Attorneys for Joseph Lawson, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the trial, reserved their openings, meaning they will likely come after the prosecution rests its case. Lawson's father, Steven Lawson, was convicted for his role in the alleged murder in late May. Following a full day of jury selection June 24, the second day of the high-profile trial kicked off with openings from the prosecution. During his statements, Lesousky noted a lack of physical evidence in the case, something Houck's defense attempted to exploit in their openings. Rogers went missing the night of July 3, 2015, but her body has never been found. Her car was found a few days later abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside. Investigators presume she is dead. Because of the lack of physical evidence, Lesousky asked jurors to instead use their 'God-given common sense' to understand the accusations. On the afternoon of July 3, Houck told Rogers they would enjoy a 'kids-free, romantic evening,' Lesousky said. The couple, who shared one child, was enduring a rough patch at the time, so Rogers was looking forward to the outing. But the couple ended up going to the Houck-family farm accompanied by their son, arriving around 7:30 p.m. and leaving around midnight. Houck later told investigators that it was Rogers' idea to spend the evening on the farm, which is where she was last seen. Around 12:07 p.m. July 4, Steven Lawson called Houck for about 13 seconds. Steven Lawson's explanation for why he called Houck has evolved over the course of the investigation, though he testified at his trial that the call was to inform Houck that the job of moving Rogers' car was done. Houck, who owns several rental properties in Nelson County, has claimed that Steven asked about properties during the brief phone call. Houck told investigators that Rogers was using her phone on the couch when the couple returned home from the farm around 12:30 a.m. that night, Lesousky said. But data that will be presented as evidence will show Rogers' phone was not used after 9:27 p.m. the previous day, he said. Schroering countered during his opening arguments that interview recordings will reveal Houck said that's what Rogers would normally do at that hour, not necessarily what she did that very night. While Joseph Lawson's attorneys declined to give opening arguments for now, Schroering declared both men innocent. His remarks focused heavily on dispelling 'suspicions' that the prosecution raised. For example, Lesousky said Houck installed dark tints on his truck windows days before Rogers disappeared, likely to block people from seeing what occurred inside the truck. Schroering said the tint job was simply to accommodate his young son's medical condition that made his eyes sensitive to sunlight. 'If you look at it through a sinister view, then you come to a sinister conclusion,' Schroering said. Schroering went on to purport flaws in the prosecution's evidence that Steven Lawson drove to pick up his son, Joseph, from where Rogers' car broke down on Bluegrass Parkway. Data from Steven's phone, which is slated to be shown as evidence, will show the likelihood that he was actually on Boston Road, a corridor north of the parkway that runs parallel to it, Schroering said. In 2014, Schroering said, Steven jointly financed a car through Capital One with an ex-girlfriend, whom he dated while on a break with his wife at the time, Tammy Lawson. The couple broke up, and Steven got back with his wife. The two disputed over who would own the car after the breakup, and both maintained keys to the car. The night Rogers disappeared, Steven's ex-girlfriend was picked up from work early because she felt sick. While driving past a bar in Bardstown, she noticed the car she shared with Steven parked in the lot and asked to be dropped off. She drove the car back to a residence on Boston Road to hide it, Schroering said. The car was 'stolen back' within 24 hours, Schroering said. Steven's phone data from that night shows he called Capital One and visited its website, and he texted his wife in the early morning hours of July 4 about the car. Despite thousands of hours of investigating, dozens of searches around Nelson County and countless tips, the 'scientific evidence' in the case remains the most certain, Schroering said. 'Where the case stands today is that there is no sign of Crystal Rogers' body,' he said. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@ or @bkillian72 on X. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers trial openings done for Brooks Houck
