BOWLING GREEN (07/08/25) — The Warren Circuit Court Jury that convicted Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson in connection to the 2015 murder of Crystal Rogers took just five minutes to return with a life sentence recommendation on the murder charge for Houck and five years on tampering to be served consecutively. Joseph Lawson was recommended to receive 20 years on conspiracy and five years on tampering consecutively.
Final sentencing has been scheduled for August 21st.
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(UPDATE, 1pm,) — A jury in Bowling Green has found Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson guilty in connection to the 2015 murder of Crystal Rogers.
The jury of six men and six women found Houck guilty of murder (principal or accomplice to the crime) and complicity tampering with physical evidence. His co-defendant, Joseph Lawson, who was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, was found guilty on both charges as well.
Houck nor Lawson showed no emotion when the verdicts were read.
It took about four hours of deliberation after the six man, six woman jury got the case on Tuesday morning.
Rogers, the ex-girlfriend of Houck, was reported missing 10 years ago after her vehicle was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway near Bardstown.
Lawson’s son, Steven, was convicted on charges connected to the case back in May.
The sentencing phase was scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon.
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Original Story…
BOWLING GREEN (07/08/25) — Deliberations in the trial of the two men charged in the suspected death of Crystal Rogers are scheduled to begin this morning in Bowling Green after closing arguments Monday. Prosecutors argued that Rogers left with ex-boyfriend Brooks Houck back in July, 2015 and never came back. Houck is charged with murder and evidence tampering; Joseph Lawson is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. Attorneys for the two men called the Commonwealth’s case ‘garbage’ and a ‘witch hunt’.
