AG requests Kentucky Supreme Court uphold conviction of Brooks Houck for murder of Crystal Rogers

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Attorney General Russell Coleman requested on Wednesday that the Kentucky Supreme Court uphold the conviction of 44-year-old Brooks Houck for the 2015 murder of Crystal Rogers.

One of three men convicted in connection to the crime, Houck was found guilty of murder (by principle or accomplice) and complicity to tampering with physical evidence in September 2025. He later filed an appeal with the court in January to have that conviction overturned.

In a brief filed by Coleman, he argued that substantial proof was presented against Houck during his Warren County trial.

“A loving mother of five doesn’t just walk away and vanish,” writes the brief. “But that is what Brooks Houck would have this Court believe happened. That’s because he killed Crystal.”

According to a release, the brief lays out a timeline of Rogers’ disappearance as well as other evidence of the crime “including Houck’s “distinct indifference” to the disappearance of his girlfriend in the first 36 hours.”

“For a decade, Crystal Rogers’ loved ones waited in agony for justice,” Coleman said. “Now, the man at the center of the crime that stole a mother from her children is once again trying to escape responsibility. Along with prosecutors, our partners in law enforcement, and all those who worked so hard to secure this guilty verdict, we are fighting to finally deliver closure to the Rogers and Ballard families.”

Rogers’ remains have never been located. Joseph Lawson and his father, Steven, have also been found guilty in connection to her murder.