Houck requests new judge after bias claim in Crystal Rogers case

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WTVQ) — Attorneys for Brooks Houck, who’s accused in the murder of Crystal Rogers, have requested the judge be disqualified and replaced from the case after a claim of bias on Houck’s behalf.

In documents filed in court Tuesday, Houck’s attorneys say Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms’ “impartiality might reasonably be questioned from the perspective of a reasonable observer who is informed of all the surrounding facts and circumstances.”

The attorney included multiple exhibits — what he suggests show bias toward Houck.

The attorneys allege the bias extends beyond this case, to a previous custody that Houck was not a party to. It was a case between his significant other Crystal Maupin and her ex-husband. The judge wrote, “The court is simply astonished that Crystal would want a relationship with this man [Brooks Houck] who is the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of his previous girlfriend.”

Houck was named the main suspect in Rogers’ disappearance in 2015 when then-Sheriff Ed Mattingly said he had eight pages of circumstances that led him to believe Houck was responsible for her disappearance. He was not arrested until September of 2023 when he was indicted and charged with her murder and tampering with physical evidence.

See More