More than a decade after Kentucky mother Crystal Rogers vanished without a trace, her former boyfriend has been convicted of her murder — and attention is once again turning to the unsolved shooting death of her father.
On July 8, a jury found 43-year-old Brooks Houck guilty of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the presumed death of Rogers, who disappeared on July 3, 2015. His accomplice, Joseph Lawson, was also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence.
Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five, was last seen at Houck’s family farm in Bardstown, Kentucky. Although her remains have never been found, prosecutors presented enough digital and witness evidence to secure convictions against both men.
“This was premeditated murder,” said Prosecutor Shane Young during the trial. “They planned to kill her — to get rid of her — and make it look like she just left.”
According to court documents, Houck misled investigators about his whereabouts the night Rogers went missing. Prosecutors say Lawson drove her car, which was later found abandoned with a flat tire, while his father, Steven Lawson, picked him up. Witnesses also reportedly heard the father and son discussing the crime afterward.
Steven Lawson was convicted in a separate trial on related charges. Defense attorneys for Houck and Joseph Lawson argued there was no physical evidence linking the men to the crime and questioned the reliability of the digital data, but the jury was not swayed.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/tommy-ballard-poster-71525-f9e48d5ed4fe484e8860988ef29de88b.jpg)
The recommended sentence is life in prison for Houck and 25 years for Joseph Lawson. Sentencing is set for August 21. Steven Lawson’s sentencing is scheduled for August 6.
The conviction brought some measure of closure to Rogers’ family. Her oldest daughter told WHAS 11, “It’s not fair what they did. She was a great mom and she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
Still, another piece of the case remains unresolved: the mysterious 2016 death of Crystal’s father, Tommy Ballard.
Ballard was shot once in the chest on November 19, 2016, while preparing for a hunting trip with his grandson. He had been relentless in his search for Crystal before his death, which remains unsolved.
Though no charges have been filed, Prosecutor Young recently told the court that investigators believe the two deaths may be linked. “We are waiting for testing to come back on the gun that we believe was used to murder Tommy Ballard,” he said.
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Ballard’s case. Anyone with tips is urged to contact the FBI’s Louisville office.
