A Kentucky man was arrested last week and charged in connection with the disappearance of the Crystal Rogers cold case eight years ago.
Joseph L. Lawson, 32, pleaded not guilty Friday in Nelson County Circuit Court to charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence on or about July 3 and 4, 2015, which is when Rogers was last seen alive, WDRB reported .
Rogers, 35, was last seen alive over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015, when his Chevrolet Impala was found still running with his phone and wallet inside in Bardstown, according to the FBI.
He was reported missing by his mother the next day.
A little over a year later, on November 19, 2016, Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, was mysteriously shot to death while hunting on his personal property.
Rogers’ disappearance and her father’s death — and the possible connection between the two incidents — made national headlines in 2018, when they were the subject of the Peacock documentary “The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers.”
It is unclear what the evidence against Lawson is, other than the allegations.
Joseph Lawson, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charge on Friday. Grayson County Detention Center
Lawson was first indicted on the harassment charge on June 21, but the case was sealed until Thursday, local WDRB said, citing court records.
The indictment on conspiracy charges was dropped on July 24, the outlet said.
Rogers was not named in the indictment, but Lawson’s attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed to WDRB that his client’s case is tied to her disappearance.
“Of course I don’t know much about this case at this point, but I’m sure there’s a lot to do,” he admitted.
Lawson’s bond was set at $500,000 and he is due in district court again on Oct. 26.
He is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair, and is being held in solitary confinement in a cell with accommodations for disabled inmates, WDRB reported.
Crystal Rogers was last seen on July 3, 2015. Courtesy of family
The conspiracy charges indicate that prosecutors do not think Lawson acted alone, even though he is the only person now publicly charged in the eight-year-old cold case.
Just a year earlier, the father of Rogers’ youngest child, Brooks Houck, had been named as a suspect in her disappearance, but ultimately never charged.
Joseph Lawson’s name did not come up in the initial investigation, although Huock checked the name of an employee named Steve Lawson during an interview with police, WDRB recalled.
Steve Lawson may be Joseph Lawson’s brother, public records show.
Lawson’s bail was set at $500,000.WDRB
Rogers’ boyfriend, Brooks Houck, contacted an employee, Steve Lawson, during one of his initial police interviews.WDRB
In a phone call during a police interview, Houck was heard asking Steve Lawson for help recalling a late-night conversation the evening Rogers disappeared, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
“Do you remember the night you called me very, very late, I forgot what you asked me … can you remember what you asked me or what you were after? I don’t remember,” Houck asked in the recording obtained by WDRB.
“I definitely can. I asked you for the number for the house,” replied Steve Lawson.
“Oh, for a rental house,” said Houck.
Rogers was reported missing by his mother on July 5, 2015.FBI
At the time, Houck – whose family was well-known in the area – owned several properties, the outlet said.
In 2021, investigators tore up a concrete driveway at one of the properties Houck built in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision, WAVE reported.
“It’s just sad,” neighbor Joey Hicks told the outlet of the Rogers case.
“It’s really, really sad to hear anything like that, especially, you know, so close to home. I’m sure everyone feels the same way I do, they just want this case solved.”
Over the years, the Houck family farm, homes owned by Houck and his brother, and storage units listed under the Rogers name have also been searched several times, according to WDRB.
Joseph Lawson — who has an extensive criminal record, including summonses for domestic violence and multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance — is being held at the Grayson County Detention Center, WHAS said.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
