New details emerge in Crystal Rogers murder case as sealed documents released; Joseph Lawson seeks new trial

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — A major development in the high-profile Crystal Rogers murder case: sealed court documents from the trials of Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson, and Steven Lawson are now public, offering the first detailed look at the Commonwealth’s case.

Prosecutors allege Brooks Houck orchestrated Crystal Rogers’ 2015 disappearance to avoid child support and custody of their son, Eli. The documents claim Houck also lied under oath about being faithful to Rogers. They further accuse his family of being involved: his mother, Rosemary Houck, allegedly used a second phone around the time Rogers went missing and made disturbing comments about her disappearance, and his brother, former Bardstown police officer Nick Houck, is also implicated in the alleged plot.

Separately, ABC affiliate WHAS11 reports that Joseph Lawson, one of the men already convicted in the case, is now asking a judge to either throw out his guilty verdict or grant him a new trial. Lawson was found guilty earlier this year of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, and the jury recommended the maximum sentence of 25 years.

The case remains one of Kentucky’s most closely watched criminal investigations, nearly a decade after Rogers vanished.