Life Sentence for Brooks Houck, 25 Years for Joseph Lawson in Crystal Rogers Case

BARDSTOWN, Ky. — More than a decade after Crystal Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five, vanished in Bardstown, two men have been sentenced in connection with her 2015 disappearance and presumed murder.

Sentencing Details

On Sept. 17, Brooks Houck was sentenced to life in prison for murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence. Joseph Lawson received a 25-year prison sentence for conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence.

Judge Charles Simms III said he was bound by Kentucky law when issuing the sentences. While the jury had recommended life in prison plus an additional five years for Houck, Simms noted that the extra time could not be added under state sentencing rules. Instead, the five years will run concurrently with the life sentence.

Family Impact Statements

Before sentencing, Rogers’ relatives addressed the court with emotional statements. Her mother, Sherry Ballard, delivered a pointed message directly to Houck:

“Brooks Houck, you may have received a lifetime in prison, but I received a lifetime of grief and pain. You deserve yours. I don’t deserve mine.”

Two of Rogers’ children also spoke, expressing the enduring loss of their mother, while Houck sat stone-faced throughout the proceedings.

Trial Background

The convictions followed a two-week trial that began in June 2025. Prosecutors argued Houck orchestrated Rogers’ murder to avoid a custody battle and child support payments involving their young son.

Investigators believe Lawson helped Houck carry out the plan, including moving Rogers’ car, which was found abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway days after she disappeared. The car contained her keys, phone, and purse, leading investigators to believe the scene was staged to look like Rogers had left voluntarily.

Larger Case History

In May, Steven Lawson, Joseph Lawson’s father, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence in a related trial. He admitted to picking up his son after moving Rogers’ car and received a 17-year sentence in August.

The Rogers case, long a source of anguish for Bardstown residents, has finally reached a conclusion in court — though her body has never been recovered.

The sentencing of Houck and Lawson marks a pivotal moment in the long-unsolved disappearance of Crystal Rogers, bringing some measure of justice to her family after a decade of uncertainty. For more Kentucky crime updates, follow ChicagoMusicGuide.com.