The first trial of a suspect in the Crystal Rogers investigation began Tuesday at the Warren County Justice Center, with Steven Lawson going before a jury on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
After Judge Charles Simms III denied a final pretrial motion to continue from the defense as well as a motion from Louisville-area media outlets for a pool camera to be permitted in the courtroom, juror selection began with a pool of 37 potential jurors. A 15-person jury, which includes three alternates that will not be part of deliberations, was seated by about 12:30 p.m. Opening statements began about an hour later.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young recapped the days around Rogers’s disappearance, including the last time she was seen by one of her children on July 3, 2015, her mother Sherry Ballard reporting her missing two days later, and the discovery of her car on the Bluegrass Parkway later that day. Young said testimony and evidence will show the role Lawson played in assisting Brooks Houck in moving Rogers’s car and covering up her death.
Defense attorney Darren Wolff said the evidence in the case will show that Steven Lawson is guilty of Tampering with Physical Evidence, specifically citing Lawson adjusting the seat in Rogers’s car when he went to pick up his son Joseph Lawson, who was driving the car on the Bluegrass Parkway when it got a flat tire. Wolff said the evidence on Conspiracy to Commit Murder is nowhere near beyond a reasonable doubt, and said the commonwealth has worked to create a narrative to answer the question of what happened to Rogers in order to close what he said has been called one of the biggest mysteries in Kentucky legal history.
Young’s first witness was Sherry Ballard, who recounted the deterioration of Rogers’s relationship with Houck ahead of her disappearance. Ballard said after not hearing from Rogers she was on her way to file a missing persons report when she spotted Houck near a Bardstown gas station. Ballard said Houck “looked at me like I was talking about a person on the street” and did not go with her to file the report, and she said she knew something was wrong when she saw Houck and Rogers’s young son Eli in the backseat.
Also testifying Tuesday was Detective Jon Snow, who at the time of the disappearance was a detective with the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office and was the lead investigator at the beginning of the case. Snow discussed the early steps of the investigation, including the discovery of Rogers’s car.
The defense did not cross-examine Ballard, and Snow was still on the stand when court was adjourned for the day. The trial will resume Wednesday morning.
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