The first suspect tried in the Crystal Rogers investigation has been found guilty of both the charges he faced.
After about 2 hours and 20 minutes of deliberation Friday, a jury of nine women and three men at the Warren County Justice Center found Steven Lawson guilty of Class B Felony Conspiracy to Commit Murder, which carries a term of 10 to 20 years in prison, and Class D Felony Tampering with Physical Evidence, which carries a term of 1 to 5 years in prison.
During the sentencing hearing that followed the announcement of the verdict, defense attorney Darren Wolff asked the jury to show mercy on Lawson, stating that no evidence of murder was presented in the trial. Wolff requested a concurrent sentence of 11 years.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young said Lawson was “all in” on the conspiracy and had several opportunities to help the Ballard family find closure in the decade that followed Rogers’s disappearance. Young said: “Don’t take pity on him. Don’t take mercy on him. He took those kids’ mother away from them.” Young asked the jury to “give him everything you can because he gave diddle to them.”
After about 20 minutes of further deliberation, the jury recommended a concurrent sentence of 17 years. A sentencing hearing in Nelson Circuit Court was scheduled for August 6.
Lawson’s son Joseph, who faces the same charges as his father, and Brooks Houck, who is charged with Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence, will go to trial in Warren County on June 24.
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