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The jury has been selected for the joint trial of Crystal Rogers investigation suspects Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson.
15 jurors were selected from an initial pool of 132 at the Warren County Justice Center Tuesday for the trial. Those 15 jurors will be presented with the witness testimony and evidence presented at the trial, after which 12 jurors will deliberate.
Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III began the day by reviewing some of the background information on the case, including the indictments against Houck and Lawson. The potential jurors were then given a questionnaire that separated them into four groups: those who had never heard of the case, those who had heard of the case but didn’t know specifics, those who knew about the case and some specifics but didn’t have an opinion, and those who knew of the case and specifics and had formed an opinion. Jurors in the middle two groups were then questioned by the judge, prosecution, and defense on their knowledge of the case, with several jurors who either had knowledge of the trial of Steven Lawson or had seen coverage of the investigation including podcasts and documentaries excused. After the pool was narrowed down to 39 jurors, additional jurors were removed following questions from the prosecution and defense, and the 15 jurors for the trial were randomly selected from the remaining pool.
Simms said in his initial introduction to the jury that the trial was expected to last 10 days, which would take it to July 8. More than 50 potential witnesses who may be called were named by the prosecution and defense.
Houck is charged with Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Lawson is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence. The trial will begin with opening statements Wednesday morning.
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