Prosecutors unexpectedly close in Crystal Rogers murder trial. What now?

Prosecutors unexpectedly closed their case Tuesday afternoon against two men charged in the 2015 disappearance and presumed death of Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers.

In all, 38 witnesses took the stand for prosecutors over 4 1/2 days of testimony in the joint trial of Brooks Houck, 43, and Joseph Lawson, 34.

Houck is charged with complicity to commit murder and evidence tampering. Lawson is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering.

Houck was Rogers’ boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and was the last person to see her alive July 3, 2015. Joseph Lawson and his father, Steven Lawson, convicted last month of conspiracy to commit murder at a separate trial, both worked for Houck’s construction company.

Prosecutors admitted early in Houck and Joseph Lawson’s trial that much of their evidence was circumstantial, and testimony affirmed that. Rogers’ body has never been found, and prosecutors have scant physical evidence linking Houck and Joseph Lawson to Rogers’ death.

But several witnesses outlined inconsistencies and contradictions in Houck’s account of the day Rogers went missing, and others told similar stories of Joseph Lawson talking about killing Rogers and moving a body.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young rested his case around 1:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Judge denies Houck’s request for directed verdict

Brooks Houck’s lawyer, Brian Butler, asked Judge Charles Simms III to make a directed verdict — a ruling of not guilty without jury input — because prosecutors had no evidence of a body, confession or crime scene.

The request led to a fiery scene in the courtroom Tuesday afternoon.

“You have to have at least one of three things: a body, a crime scene, or a confession,” Butler said. “None of those are present. To allow this case to go to a jury would be contrary to 80 years of Kentucky law.”

Young, the prosecutor, fired back, pointing his finger at Houck and saying he was the witness to his own crime.

“If you have enough time to prepare to kill someone, you have enough time to make sure there is no crime scene,” Young said. “And he did that, with his brother, Nick Houck.”

Simms ultimately sided with prosecutors and rejected the request for a directed verdict.

He also said the trial had presented a “whole lot of facts that were problematic for Houck.”

The first “huge issue,” Simms said, was Houck’s whereabouts July 3.

Testimony revealed Houck told police he was running errands throughout the day, but several witnesses from businesses Houck said he visited told jurors they did not see Houck that day. Some even said their offices were closed for the July 4 holiday.

Cellphone records Houck was at his family’s farm on Paschal Ballard Lane from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. that day, but Houck never told police he was there.

Another problem for Simms: When Kentucky State Police asked Houck, “What is the worst thing that ever happened to you?” he didn’t have an answer.

“I certainly believe that could have been a softball answer: ‘The mother of my young child is missing,’” Simms said.

“When you add up all of that — it is reasonable for a jury to find that Crystal Rogers is deceased,” Simms said.

Joseph Houck’s defense team will begin their opening statements Wednesday morning. Houck’s defense team will present their evidence afterward.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 3:21 PM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.