What we know about the suspect charged in connection to Crystal Rogers’ disappearance
The investigation into Crystal Rogers’ disappearance took a turn Thursday evening when it was revealed that a suspect had been charged in connection to the case.
Joseph Lawson, 32, has been indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB and other Louisville-based media outlets that the charges are related to Rogers’ case.
The indictment is the latest development in what has been a long investigation spanning more than eight years, involving several law enforcement agencies. Here’s what to know about the arrest of Joseph Lawson.
Is Joseph Lawson accused of killing Crystal Rogers?
Lawson has not been charged with Rogers’ murder. His indictment instead says Lawson “agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.”
This charge of criminal conspiracy to commit murder is a Class B felony in Kentucky, which is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
He’s also accused of destroying, mutilating, concealing, removing or altering physical evidence with the intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding, his indictment said. That charge of complicity to tampering with physical evidence is a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison if he’s convicted.
The indictment doesn’t mention Rogers’ name but says the crime happened on July 3 and/or July 4, 2015, in Nelson County. Rogers was reported missing by her mother on July 5, 2015, and she hadn’t been seen or heard from since July 3.
Who is Joseph Lawson?
Lawson is a 32-year-old man who has addresses listed in Bardstown and Willisburg in his court documents.
He has not previously been publicly identified as a suspect in the case. Lawson has been involved in other criminal incidents — he’d been on probation for a separate case when a motion was filed in August to revoke his probation because he’d been accused of violating conditions of his release. He’s also been convicted of fourth-degree assault, facilitation to strangulation and facilitation to unlawful imprisonment, according to court records.
He was being held at the Grayson County Detention Center Friday on a $500,000 bond for the conspiracy to murder charge and a $50,000 bond for the complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge, according to court records. He is due back in court in October.
Will more suspects be arrested?
It’s unclear if more suspects will be arrested. A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on Lawson’s indictment and didn’t elaborate on whether investigators have arrested or will arrest others.
Shane Young, the special prosecutor appointed to Lawson’s case, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Kentucky State Police also did not immediately return a request for comment.
Brooks Houck, who was Rogers’ boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, was named a suspect in the case in 2015 by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. He was believed to be the last person who saw her. But Houck has never been charged with anything in relation to Rogers’ disappearance.
What has Lawson’s lawyer said?
Coleman told the Herald-Leader Friday he had no further comment beyond what had already been reported about his client’s case. Lawson pleaded not guilty when he made his first court appearance Thursday, court records show.
Who’s investigating the case?
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation into Rogers’ disappearance once she was first reported missing. But other agencies have since stepped in.
Kentucky State Police and the FBI have both been involved in the case, with the FBI taking the lead in the investigation in 2020. Federal investigators have carried out searches at several properties in Bardstown related to Rogers’ case, officials confirmed previously. The FBI said it recovered pieces of evidence in past searches and those items were taken to a federal lab for analysis.
An FBI agent and a KSP detective have been listed as complaining witnesses in Lawson’s court files, and court records indicate those investigators were witnesses during grand jury hearings which led to Lawson’s charges.
Authorities previously searched the Houck farm before in August 2020. Local law enforcement also searched the property two months after Rogers was reported missing. The FBI searched the Woodlawn Springs subdivision in Bardstown in August 2021. “Several items of interest” were found during the search, but the FBI didn’t elaborate on what those items were.
The FBI also previously released surveillance photos of vehicles related to the investigation.
When did Rogers disappear?
Rogers, a Kentucky mother of five children, was reported missing by her mother, Sherry Ballard, on July 5, 2015, according to the FBI. She hadn’t been seen or heard from since July 3, 2015.
The day she was reported missing, her Chevrolet Malibu was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Her keys, phone and purse were inside the car, according to the FBI.
Tommy and Sherry Ballard, Rogers’ parents, led efforts to find her after her disappearance. But her remains have never been recovered. Tommy Ballard was later shot and killed by a suspect who’s still unknown. The shooting happened while he was preparing to go on a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson, the FBI says.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow criminal charges work
Suspects are charged by law enforcement based on initial allegations and evidence that have not yet been proven in court or through jury trial.
This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 11:30 AM.
