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The first of three defendants to face trial in connection with the 2015 disappearance and presumed murder of Crystal Rogers has been convicted.
On Friday, May 30, 2025, a jury in a Bowling Green, Kentucky courtroom found Steven Lawson, 54, guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to Louisvilleās The Courier-Journal. Lawson was the first of three to stand trial since the 35-year-old mother of five disappeared over the Fourth of July weekend from Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville.
Steven Lawsonās son, Joseph Lawson, faces the same charges, while Rogersā live-in boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, Brooks Houck, pleaded not guilty to the more serious charge of murder, among others. Their trials are slated to begin June 24, 2025.
Crystal Rogers is still missing
The three men are being charged in a no-body case in that Crystal Rogersā whereabouts remain unknown.
Still, loved ones remain hopeful, including a daughter who was only 11 when her mother disappeared, according to the Courier.
āI still think weāll find her, but maybe not the way we want to,ā Tori Rogers told the court. āItās harder every day.ā
Rogers disappeared on July 3, 2015, though her red Chevrolet Impala was found abandoned and still running along Bluegrass Parkway days later, as widely reported by Oxygen. Her personal effects, including Rogersā purse, phone, and keys, were still inside.
Brooks Houck reported being the last one to see her alive at their Bardstown residence, which the couple shared with their youngest child and Rogersā four other children.
The womanās disappearance was the subject of the Oxygen original series, The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers, available to watch now on Peacock.
What was Steven Lawson accused of?
Steven Lawson confessed to driving to Rogersā disabled vehicle on the night of her disappearance to pick up his son, Joseph Lawson, but only after the son allegedly called to say he ābroke down,ā according to The Louisville Courier. He believed his son had stolen the car and agreed to pull the driverās seat up to make it appear as though Rogers was driving, thus protecting his son.
The older Lawson maintained that he was unaware of a plot to make Rogers disappear, despite having heard Houck say in the past that he wanted Rogers āgone.ā
During the four-day trial, prosecutors pointed to a phone call made shortly after midnight on July 4, 2015, between Steven Lawson and Houck, as reported by the Courier. The subject of the conversation had changed several times with Lawsonās retellings, ranging from inquiries about rental properties to confirming that he had helped his son move the vehicle.
Steven Lawson initially told authorities he was at home at the time of Rogersā disappearance, though cell phone data ā a focal point in the trial ā had been traced back to Bluegrass Parkway, according to ABC Louisville affiliate WHAS-TV.
Experts took the stand and testified to several deleted calls from the defendantās phone on the night in question.
The phone pinged over several hours between July 3 and July 4 around a rural Thompson Hill Road property, according to WHAS-TV. However, despite painstaking searches, Crystal Rogers has never been found.
The defense questions if Crystal Rogers was murdered
Defense attorney Darren Wolff challenged the prosecution by noting, āWe donāt even know if there was a murder. Take mercy and pity on him,ā according to Louisvilleās Fox affiliateĀ WDRB.
Special prosecutor Shane Young, who sought a maximum 25-year sentence, advised the jury otherwise.
āHe stuck a knife in them [the family of Crystal Rogers] and twisted it over and over,ā Young told the court, per WDRB. āDonāt have pity on him. Donāt take mercy on him. Give him every freaking thing he deserves. He took those kidsā mother from them.ā
During closing arguments on Friday, prosecutor Jim Lesousky said Steven Lawson āput himself in the middle of ā¦ an evil conspiracy,āĀ WDRBĀ reported.
āI was just moving a vehicle,ā Steven Lawson said in his own defense. āThatās what I was told.ā
The jury recommended a 17-year prison sentence, though a judge will formally hand down a sentence on August 6, 2025.
AboutĀ The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers
The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers delved into the details surrounding the case, which only further complicated the mystery. One year after Rogers vanished, her father, Tommy Ballard, died of a gunshot wound to the chest while hunting on his Bardstown property.
Sherry Ballard, Tommy Ballardās wife and Crystal Rogersā mother, told WHAS-TV she believed someone killed him for getting too close to the truth amid his ongoing search for their daughter.
Although no one has been charged in Tommy Ballardās death, prosecutor Young stated the murder weapon was purchased by Houckās brother, former Bardstown police officer Nicholas Houck, and sold under an alias.
The brother was let go from the department in 2015 after accusations that he interfered with the investigation and a failed polygraph test.
Former Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin said āfiring his assā was āone of the bestā decisions heād made during his 35-year career, according to the ABC affiliate.
Learn more by watching The Disappearance of Crystal RogersĀ on Oxygen and Peacock.
