I had inside edition on background yesterday and they discussed the revelations in the case - I guess Nancy grace interviewed the houck guy years ago and “knew” he was a liar but I guess now that evidence is coming together justice will be served. 10 million dollar bond and lawyer is trying to get it reduced to 5 million.
What's going on in Bardstown
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500K was 10% with an ankle bracelet as he claims to not be a flight risk.
If the judge is smart, clearly he/she is as it wasn’t granted, they won’t take the bait because if he is in jail while his brother and or family are out in the world doing who knows what to collude and try their best to work together on a story or cleaning anything else up it’s too hard to all be on the same page.
I just wonder how they kept that little meth head looking dude from talking all these years until now.
If the judge is smart, clearly he/she is as it wasn’t granted, they won’t take the bait because if he is in jail while his brother and or family are out in the world doing who knows what to collude and try their best to work together on a story or cleaning anything else up it’s too hard to all be on the same page.
I just wonder how they kept that little meth head looking dude from talking all these years until now.
They were good people, the Netherland family. Coincidently, I went to church with them in Lexington, where I grew up, and both of our families moved to Bardstown close to the same time late 90's early 2000's. It still doesn't seem real. The belief is it was someone close to the family ....
It wasn't a "Hunting Accident" it was a hit. He was going back to get something from his truck and was shot. he was in an open field.
Allegedly, the first guy they arrested is connected through his father, who has been known to work for the Houcks on various projects. The Houcks own a lot of properties in the area, rental homes, farms etc, so the theory makes sense. FWIW I'm in Bardstown and I've heard this from numerous people.
Nothing to really add here, but I still can’t believe Nancy Grace has a ******.
Probably looks like a kroger sack floating in a bucket of water.
More arrests this week, father of the meth-head. They confirmed that the meth-head was driving her car when it got a flat tire on the interstate.
I wish all of this will come to an end soon so I am alive when the book is published,
Trial date has been set for Brooks Houck and the two Lawsons for Feb 10, 2025. Unreal they are going to drag it out another year.
I'll bet you a gentlemanly dollar that the trial gets delayed.
I have forgotten all the details of this case since I'm not from that area and don't want to read 14 pages to get all the details. Maybe someone can refresh my memory, is Brooks the boyfriend and they think he also killed her dad or am I thinking of something else?
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It probably will drag out some. Was interesting that Ellis and Tommy's name were mentioned at the pre trial yesterday. Hopefully they have enough to piece these other cases together.
Worked with a dude a few years ago that said a lot of Bardstown folks are kind of fearful to talk about all those murders out in a public setting. Really strange. Bardstown right down the road from me. It's an awesome town but it's hard to believe all those cases aren't related somehow. Coincidence? Maybe.
If Brooks is convicted, other members of his family will hopefully go down as accessories after the fact.
Ellis, Crystal, and Tommy murders are all connected and Brooks brother Nick was involved as well. They are waiting for forensic evidence on the gun that killed Tommy Ballard to be complete before they arrest him as well
Don't forget the home invasion and murders of that Mother and Daughter. Happened around that time as well.
I know but it happened around the same time. It's unsolved as well.
Steve Lawson's trial started yesterday. Should be over in a week. Surprised they could not get him to flip on Brooks.
I listened to Shay's update last night. Seems they think they could have a verdict by tomorrow.
Interesting though where some of the info starts coming together. Will be very interesting in 3 weeks when Brook's trial starts.
Updates from WBKO here in Bowling Green on Steve Lawson's case : The prosecution wrapped up their case today around 10:30.
Caitlin Huff and Brennan Crain
Published: May 28, 2025 at 10:44 AM CDT|Updated: 18 hours ago
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) — Emotions ran high Tuesday inside the Warren County Justice Center as a 15-member jury continued hearing testimony in the investigation into Crystal Rogers’ disappearance during day two of Steve Lawson’s high-profile trial.
Lawson has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence in the case of Crystal Rogers. She was 35 years old when she disappeared in Bardstown, Kentucky in July of 2015.
Prosecutors called nearly a dozen witnesses, from Lawson’s personal contacts to expert law enforcement officials involved in the case.
But Snow’s confirmation that Nick Houck — brother of defendant Brooks Houck — and their mother, Rosemary Houck, remain under active investigation proved one of the day’s most significant revelations.
Brooks Houck has long been a central figure in the case, named a suspect by the former Nelson County sheriff in Rogers’ 2015 disappearance. He is charged in connection to the case and will stand trial, beginning June 24.
Though Nick and Rosemary Houck’s names have surfaced before, Tuesday marked the first time they’ve been so pointedly implicated in open court.
Steven Lawson in profile during his first day at trial.(Sydney Young)
Nick Houck, then a Bardstown police officer, failed a polygraph test during questioning, while Rosemary Houck was accused of obtaining a grand jury recording in secret to align testimony among those involved.
The focus later shifted to witnesses with direct ties to Lawson — including the mother of his grandchild, his former stepdaughter, and several who worked for or had connections to Brooks Houck.
Elizabeth Cheeser, daughter of Lawson’s most recent wife and mother of Joseph Lawson’s child, testified about a chilling moment she and her mother shared while watching a 2018 true-crime documentary produced by Oxygen.
Cheeser identified Lawson’s voice and testified that he eventually told her mother he left his ex-wife because she “knew he had committed murder.”
Defense attorneys immediately objected, prompting a brief court recess.
Afterward, Cheeser told the jury she came forward to help the Rogers family — particularly her mother — “get justice.”
When pressed by defense attorney Darren Wolff on why she hadn’t reported the alleged confession sooner, Cheeser said she eventually disclosed it to the FBI but feared for her life. Wolff called her testimony Wednesday a “bombshell dropped on the jury.”
Asked by prosecutor Shane Young if she feared anyone in the courtroom, she quietly replied she was afraid “someone is going to kill” her children.
Throughout the day, the defense frequently challenged the admission of prosecution evidence, leading to several private bench conferences.
While the details of those discussions remain confidential, the judge’s rulings often helped keep questioning focused and on track.
Cheeser also testified that Joseph Lawson had shared details about the case with her, further shaping her understanding of their involvement.
Both she and Lawson’s former stepdaughter, Lauren Hardin, were subjected to recall and could be called to testify again.
Hardin took the stand to challenge Steve Lawson’s alibi for calling Brooks Houck at 12:07 a.m. the night Rogers vanished.
Lawson claimed he was asking Houck about rental properties, but Hardin testified she was being evicted from a home owned by Houck and Rogers at the time — a call she said she never asked Lawson to make.
Defense attorneys argued that Lawson’s calls made sense given Hardin’s eviction.
Former Brooks Houck employees Charlie Girdley and Stacie Cranmer testified about overhearing conversations suggesting Steve Lawson was involved in “getting rid of a girl,” whom they later identified as Rogers.
Prosecutors spent the afternoon presenting cell phone data placing Lawson on the Bluegrass Parkway the night Rogers disappeared — a detail long known in the investigation.
Court testimony also revealed Joseph Lawson’s alleged plan to bury Rogers’ car to destroy evidence. That plan was foiled when the car got a flat tire and was abandoned roadside.
Steve Lawson admitted in grand jury testimony — played in court Wednesday — that he picked up his son that night and adjusted the car seat to make it appear Rogers had been driving and abandoned the vehicle herself.
His defense has already admitted in court that he is guilty of tampering with physical evidence. They suggested Tuesday he did not conspire to commit murder, however.
Jurors were told to return Thursday at 8:30 a.m. for the third day of the trial.
Prosecutors said they expected to rest their case by lunch Thursday.
Copyright 2025 WBKO. All rights reserved.
Caitlin Huff and Brennan Crain
Published: May 28, 2025 at 10:44 AM CDT|Updated: 18 hours ago
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) — Emotions ran high Tuesday inside the Warren County Justice Center as a 15-member jury continued hearing testimony in the investigation into Crystal Rogers’ disappearance during day two of Steve Lawson’s high-profile trial.
Lawson has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence in the case of Crystal Rogers. She was 35 years old when she disappeared in Bardstown, Kentucky in July of 2015.
Prosecutors called nearly a dozen witnesses, from Lawson’s personal contacts to expert law enforcement officials involved in the case.
What we learned on the first day of the Steve Lawson trial
The day opened with defense attorneys cross-examining Detective Jon Snow, the lead investigator, whose testimony focused on the early stages of evidence collection and testing.But Snow’s confirmation that Nick Houck — brother of defendant Brooks Houck — and their mother, Rosemary Houck, remain under active investigation proved one of the day’s most significant revelations.
Brooks Houck has long been a central figure in the case, named a suspect by the former Nelson County sheriff in Rogers’ 2015 disappearance. He is charged in connection to the case and will stand trial, beginning June 24.
Though Nick and Rosemary Houck’s names have surfaced before, Tuesday marked the first time they’ve been so pointedly implicated in open court.
Steven Lawson in profile during his first day at trial.(Sydney Young)
Nick Houck, then a Bardstown police officer, failed a polygraph test during questioning, while Rosemary Houck was accused of obtaining a grand jury recording in secret to align testimony among those involved.
The focus later shifted to witnesses with direct ties to Lawson — including the mother of his grandchild, his former stepdaughter, and several who worked for or had connections to Brooks Houck.
Elizabeth Cheeser, daughter of Lawson’s most recent wife and mother of Joseph Lawson’s child, testified about a chilling moment she and her mother shared while watching a 2018 true-crime documentary produced by Oxygen.
Looking back on the Crystal Rogers case in a 10 year timeline
The film included footage of Brooks Houck’s interview with Detective Snow, during which Steve Lawson was heard on a phone call with Houck.Cheeser identified Lawson’s voice and testified that he eventually told her mother he left his ex-wife because she “knew he had committed murder.”
Defense attorneys immediately objected, prompting a brief court recess.
Afterward, Cheeser told the jury she came forward to help the Rogers family — particularly her mother — “get justice.”
When pressed by defense attorney Darren Wolff on why she hadn’t reported the alleged confession sooner, Cheeser said she eventually disclosed it to the FBI but feared for her life. Wolff called her testimony Wednesday a “bombshell dropped on the jury.”
Asked by prosecutor Shane Young if she feared anyone in the courtroom, she quietly replied she was afraid “someone is going to kill” her children.
Throughout the day, the defense frequently challenged the admission of prosecution evidence, leading to several private bench conferences.
While the details of those discussions remain confidential, the judge’s rulings often helped keep questioning focused and on track.
Cheeser also testified that Joseph Lawson had shared details about the case with her, further shaping her understanding of their involvement.
Both she and Lawson’s former stepdaughter, Lauren Hardin, were subjected to recall and could be called to testify again.
Hardin took the stand to challenge Steve Lawson’s alibi for calling Brooks Houck at 12:07 a.m. the night Rogers vanished.
Lawson claimed he was asking Houck about rental properties, but Hardin testified she was being evicted from a home owned by Houck and Rogers at the time — a call she said she never asked Lawson to make.
Defense attorneys argued that Lawson’s calls made sense given Hardin’s eviction.
Former Brooks Houck employees Charlie Girdley and Stacie Cranmer testified about overhearing conversations suggesting Steve Lawson was involved in “getting rid of a girl,” whom they later identified as Rogers.
Prosecutors spent the afternoon presenting cell phone data placing Lawson on the Bluegrass Parkway the night Rogers disappeared — a detail long known in the investigation.
Court testimony also revealed Joseph Lawson’s alleged plan to bury Rogers’ car to destroy evidence. That plan was foiled when the car got a flat tire and was abandoned roadside.
Steve Lawson admitted in grand jury testimony — played in court Wednesday — that he picked up his son that night and adjusted the car seat to make it appear Rogers had been driving and abandoned the vehicle herself.
His defense has already admitted in court that he is guilty of tampering with physical evidence. They suggested Tuesday he did not conspire to commit murder, however.
Jurors were told to return Thursday at 8:30 a.m. for the third day of the trial.
Prosecutors said they expected to rest their case by lunch Thursday.
Copyright 2025 WBKO. All rights reserved.
