Steven Lawson trial to start soon. What to know ahead of first trial in Crystal Rogers case
After nearly a decade, the first trial connected with the disappearance and presumed death of Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers is set to begin May 27.
Steven Lawson, 54, of Bardstown, will stand trial for charges including conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. While the alleged crime occurred in Nelson County, the trial will take place in Warren County because of the national attention the case has received.
Two other men, Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson — Steven Lawson's son — will stand trial for charges related to the case starting June 24.
Here's what to know about the case and the upcoming trial.
Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, went missing around July 3, 2015, from Bardstown. Her car was found abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside.
Rogers was not known to go anywhere without her kids, according to the FBI. Rogers' body has never been found, but she is presumed dead by investigators.
Steven Lawson — the third and latest person charged in the case — was arrested in December 2023.
The 54-year-old man faces charges of tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Joseph Lawson, Steven Lawson's 34-year-old son, was arrested in September 2023. He was the first person arrested in the case.
Joseph Lawson, like his father, faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty.
Houck, 43, was arrested in September 2023, just weeks after Joseph Lawson was taken into custody. The FBI announced Houck was arrested "without incident" at a job site.
Houck is charged with murder "by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers," according to court records. He is also charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and the father of her youngest child, told investigators he last saw Rogers alive when they visited his family's farm the night before she disappeared.
He has denied involvement in the disappearance and has pleaded not guilty.
In March 2024, attorneys for Lawson filed a motion to dismiss his charges or have his statements to the Kentucky State Police and his grand jury testimony suppressed.
According to the motion, Lawson was promised immunity by state investigators in exchange for his cooperation and gave multiple interviews with investigators based on that offer.
Judge Charles Simms denied the requests to dismiss the charges against Steven Lawson and suppress his testimony but allowed statements he gave during interviews with KSP to be excluded, according to court records.
Lawson fired his defense attorney during a pretrial hearing Aug. 8, 2024.
At the beginning of the hearing, Lawson asked for permission from the court to remove attorney Theodore Lavit as his defense. He was sitting by Lavit when he informed the court of his intention.
The removal of Lavit came as prosecutors alleged improper collusion between the lawyer and another defense team in the case.
Prosecutors filed a motion in March 2024 to consolidate the three defendants into a joint trial, citing the grounds that each indictment is centered around Rogers' murder. All three men pushed back against that attempt.
In November 2024, Simms issued an order for Steven Lawson to be tried separately from Joseph Lawson and Houck, according to court records.
In his order, Simms pointed to prosecutors' intent to use Steven Lawson's "ever-evolving" grand jury testimony at a joint trial.
Attorneys for Joseph Lawson and Houck have said they want to use interviews between Steven Lawson and investigators — which cannot be used against Steven Lawson because of a prior immunity agreement — to explain why his grand jury testimony changed over time.
Joseph Lawson and Houck, Simms said, would suffer prejudice if the jury heard Steven Lawson's grand jury testimony but not his interviews.
Houck is a prominent businessman in Nelson County involved in real estate. He is a current officer for Houck Rentals in Bardstown, according to Kentucky Secretary of State records.
Court records show the Lawsons performed work for Houck.
Both trials related to Rogers' disappearance will take place in Warren County.
Simms ordered to move the trials there following motions by all three defendants to move court proceedings outside of Nelson County, where the alleged crimes occurred.
The chosen venue is roughly 100 miles south of Bardstown. The co-defendants argued that keeping the trial in Nelson County would impede their rights to a fair and impartial trial because the publicity and news coverage the case has received could lead to a prejudiced jury pool.
Steven Lawson was originally set to stand trial in February 2025, but it was delayed to May after his defense filed a motion Jan. 3 asking for the trial to be postponed to allow time for them to review prosecutorial evidence.
The motion came after he had fired his former defense attorney, Theodore Lavit, in August 2024. His new defense attorneys, Darren Wolff and Zach Buckler, said they needed more time to review an "anomalously high' amount of evidence to ensure a full defense and fair trial, according to court records.
Steven Lawson filed another motion to delay his trial in April, but it was denied.
Former Courier Journal reporter Rachel Smith contributed. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Crystal Rogers murder case: Steven Lawson trial, timeline, venue
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