GUILTY KY - Crystal Rogers, 35, Bluegrass Parkway, 3 July 2015 #5 *arrest in 2023* Brooks Houck on Trial

[Born2BWild]

3:10 p.m. - Casey Ballard, Crystal's brother, speaks, and recounts a time he asked Brooks how the police did searching the family farm.
“They can roll you to the dumpster because that’s about all you’re worth," he said to Joseph Lawson.

3:13 p.m. - Aunt of Crystal Rogers talks. She, like the others, brings up other Houck family members and says they are all responsible for Crystal's father's death, too (Tommy Ballard).

"There's nothing but evil in your heart... you thought you could beat the system," she said to Brooks.

Brooks Houck gets life in prison for murder of Crystal Rogers

The Bardstown mother's former boyfriend, Brooks Houck, and one of the convicted accomplices will learn their sentences soon.

www.wlky.com

And sadly, yesterday Brooks’ sister Rhonda was granted permanent custody of Eli. Link to that article is included on the website above.

 

[Megnut]

3:23 p.m. - Ashley Miller, Crystal's eldest daughter, starts with tears. Of her mother, she said, “She wasn’t an ordinary person, she was remarkable.”

3:30 p.m. - Both are given the maximum sentence. Brooks gets life in prison, Joseph gets 25 years. Note: Judge said life without parole is not an option in KY.

Brooks Houck gets life in prison for murder of Crystal Rogers

The Bardstown mother's former boyfriend, Brooks Houck, and one of the convicted accomplices will learn their sentences soon.

www.wlky.com

 

[Megnut]

Recapping:

Brooks Hauk: life sentence

Joseph Hauk: 25 years

 

[girlhasnoname]

This has been too long in coming, but Justice came today for Crystal. Finally the scum that planned and executed her death were held responsible. I believe there were others involved and I hope one day to see them arrested as well.

May Sherry find some relief after losing her daughter and then husband. Those convicted sauntered around town like they were all above the law, untouchable. Well, they weren't and now they can sit their sorry behinds in jail and think about for a long time.

I am thankful for the Justice Crystal and her family and loved ones received today and hope it allows them a chance to truly begin to heal.

MOO

 

[Elisaa444]

Hearing the family speak of Crystal broke my heart today. May this family ...every single one of them.... find some kind of peace from these convictions.
these crimes really broke my heart, so I cannot imagine what her family has been through.
moo

 

[karenky]

This is the full sentencing and victim impact statements.

 

[Niner]

Houck's next hearing is on 10//8/25 re his properties.

 

[arielilane]

As @girlhasnoname said, "I believe there were others involved and I hope one day to see them arrested as well."

Me too! I hope LE go after the others and do not let it go. There were other people that were involved.

Unsealed documents reveal new details about Crystal Rogers' disappearance

Court documents unsealed on Tuesday detail why the mother of five may have been killed.

www.wlky.com

Jul 16

 

[arielilane]

Tommy is still missing. What happened to Crystal's father, Tommy Ballard?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A week after a jury found Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson guilty in the Crystal Rogers murder case, there are still no arrests in the murder of her father.

The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest of Tommy Ballard's murderer.

Ballard -- the father of Crystal Rogers -- was shot and killed on Nov. 19, 2016. His death remains a mystery to this day.

Focus shifts to Tommy Ballard murder after verdict in Crystal Rogers case

Tommy Ballard was the father of Crystal Rogers and became heavily invested in searching for her after she disappeared.

www.wdrb.com

Jul 15

 

[Niner]

Anyone seen this? I could not access the article - just got a bit of the first line...

On Monday, Judge Charles Simms denied Brooks Houck & Joseph Lawson's motions for new trial.

I am "assuming" Monday is 9/22.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Anyone seen this? I could not access the article - just got a bit of the first line...

On Monday, Judge Charles Simms denied Brooks Houck & Joseph Lawson's motions for new trial.

I am "assuming" Monday is 9/22.

I thought it was just Joseph Lawson's hearing on a motion for a new trial that was rejected. IDK, I'm not 100%, anyone else?

 

[arielilane]

Updated: 6:37 PM EDT September 22, 2025

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nelson County Judge Charles Simms denied requests for new trials by Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson on Monday.

The two men made their requests after they were convicted in the death of Crystal Rogers.

Simms' ruling doesn't mean the case is over, because all three men convicted in Rogers' death have the right to appeal their verdict.

'Uphill battle': Appeals underway for 2 men convicted in Crystal Rogers' murder as new trials denied

On Monday, Judge Charles Simms denied Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson's motions for new trial in the Bardstown mom's murder.

www.whas11.com

"Because they got 25 [years] or more, theirs automatically goes to the Supreme Court of Kentucky," Troutman said.
Troutman said the odds a lower court ruling will be upheld by a higher court is 80 percent, calling it an "uphill battle" for defendants.

“There’s a lot of smoke here. The question is: is there fire?" Troutman said. "The individual's attorneys are going to argue there's no fire. There's a lot of smoke and a lot of circumstantial proof.”

Troutman warned it could be years before the higher courts finalize a decision.

 

[arielilane]

JUST IN: Brooks Houck was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Crystal Rogers and complicity to tampering with physical evidence. Joseph Lawson was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the crime.

https://lex18.com/news/trial-day-8-crystal-rogers-murder-trial-begins-10-years-after-her-disappearance-ky

Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson sentenced in 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers

A detective testified in court today that a hair found in a car owned by Brooks Houck's grandmother matched Crystal Rogers' profile, marking a significant development in the case.

www.lex18.com