First Trial Begins in Crystal Rogers Case as Steven Lawson Faces Jury

WARREN COUNTY, Ky. — Nearly nine years after the disappearance of Crystal Rogers shocked the community of Bardstown, the first trial connected to her case is set to begin Tuesday in Warren County, where it was relocated due to extensive media coverage.

Steven Lawson, one of the three men charged in connection with Rogers' 2015 disappearance and death, will be the first to stand trial. Rogers, a mother of five, was last seen on July 3, 2015, during Fourth of July weekend. Her then-boyfriend, Brooks Houck, was the last known person to see her alive and has been the central suspect in the case since she was reported missing.

In 2023, Houck was arrested and charged with complicity to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. That same year, Lawson and his son, Joseph Lawson, both business associates of Houck, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering. All three have pleaded not guilty.

While Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson are scheduled to face trial together in late June, Steven Lawson’s case was separated due to his extensive interviews with investigators and testimony before a grand jury. Prosecutors argued that Lawson’s statements, made while seeking immunity, could unfairly prejudice a joint trial, as federal law bars using a non-testifying co-defendant’s confession to implicate others.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young pointed to inconsistencies in Lawson’s accounts, particularly involving a call made to Houck the night Rogers was last seen.

“He testified to the grand jury that the phone call was to let Brooks Houck know the job had been done,” Young said during a June 2024 hearing. “This game of charades going on with Houck and Lawson and what they’re trying to pull is no different than what they’ve been doing the last eight years.”

The court later ruled that immunity agreements had been voided due to Lawson’s contradictory statements. Some of Lawson’s interview remarks have been excluded from trial, but his grand jury testimony will remain admissible.

Since then, Steven Lawson has replaced his previous attorney, Ted Lavit, with public defenders Darren Wolff and Zach Buckler. The defense had sought a delay past the scheduled trial date, but Judge Charles Simms III denied the motion. Jury selection will begin Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Judge Simms has also issued a strict media order, banning cameras and electronic devices inside the courtroom to prevent what he described as a “circuslike atmosphere.” The decision follows earlier incidents where unauthorized recording occurred despite media restrictions. Several outlets, including WAVE, have filed an emergency motion requesting a single pool camera be allowed to record proceedings. A ruling on that motion is still pending.

The trials of Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson are expected to follow later this summer, as the legal process begins to unfold in one of Kentucky’s most high-profile unsolved cases.