Acquittal denied: Judge cites ‘proof of death’ in Crystal Rogers trial tied to Houck family car

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (FOX 56) — Court filings hint at the defense attorneys’ first moves after the Commonwealth rests its case against Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson, the two men on trial in connection with the disappearance of Crystal Rogers.

On Tuesday afternoon, July 1, Houck’s attorneys filed a motion for acquittal, citing the unknown whereabouts of Rogers’ body or where her death occurred.

“Despite tireless and seemingly endless efforts over the course of a decade, not only have her remains never been located, the commonwealth has failed to identify any trace evidence proving that Ms. Rogers was murdered at a particular place. In addition to no body and no crime scene, the commonwealth has also failed to produce a murder weapon, so it can do no more than speculate as to how she was allegedly murdered,” the motion reads.

Steve Lawson, Joseph’s father, was convicted of tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit murder in May. His defense attorneys filed a similar motion, which was also denied.

According to the FOX affiliate in Louisville, WDRB, requests for summary judgment were denied after prosecutors finalized their case and argued there is proof of death.

The jury has heard from 41 witnesses, and on the sixth day of testimony, a K-9 dog handler testified that the dog alerted to human remains in the back of a car owned by the Houck family.

Terry Benjamin’s testimony was played from a previously recorded video deposition. He said he met Detective Jamie Brooks in May 2016 at a National Rifle Association event and was asked to accompany him on a search the following day. He reportedly wasn’t told what he was looking for, and Benjamin said he and K-9 Ranger were led into a small parking lot where about 10 vehicles were being held. 

According to Benjamin’s testimony, the K-9 went through the lot before focusing on two cars, including a white Buick LeSabre, which had been owned by Brooks Houck’ grandmother, Anna Whitesides. After going to the passenger side, Benjamin said Ranger went to the back of the Buick and sat down.

Benjamin said this was his alert that he’d found human remains.

Defense attorney Steve Schroering pointed out that the car had been scoured by investigators before Ranger’s search. The K-9, who Benjamin said was certified in 2015 for human remains detection, had done about 300 searches but dealt mostly with finding live human beings. This was the first time Benjamin had testified in a criminal case, and he acknowledged he’d lost all the documents pertaining to Ranger’s training.

Hair that was similar to strands recovered from Rogers’ hairbrush was also previously recovered from the trunk of the white Buick. A DNA test was reportedly unable to match a profile for Rogers.

The car was reportedly sold just days before detectives searched Whiteside’s home.

The final testimonies pertained to hearing either Joseph or his father discuss their involvement in Rogers’ disappearance.

Rebecca Greer, who dated and was then married to Steve, said in 2019 she overheard Joseph talking about moving a car for $50,000, and when she asked Joseph about it a few months later, he told her it was true, “but if you want to know any details, you have to ask Steve.”

Further, she claimed to have witnessed a physical fight between the Lawsons during which Joseph said, “you keep on, and I’m going to let everyone know about this car and all your involvement.”

Barbara Colter, Joseph’s grandmother, then testified that he came to her house in 2022 while he was on drugs and said, “Grandma, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Colter said Joseph Lawson sat down and told her Steve had killed Rogers, though he didn’t provide any details. The judge told the jury that testimony can only be used against Joseph Lawson, not Brooks Houck.

In May, Steve was convicted of tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Rogers’ 2015 disappearance. Colter testified twice while Steve was on trial but never mentioned this encounter.

The trial is set to resume with Joseph Lawson’s attorneys, Kevin Coleman and Bobby Boyd, giving their opening statement, and Houck’s defense will begin to present its case.