Two of the suspects in the Crystal Rogers investigation are agreeing to the testing of hairs found in Rogers’s vehicle, while the special prosecutor in the case says one suspect is raising objections.
Nelson Circuit Court Judge Charles Simms III issued an agreed order Thursday between the Commonwealth and Joseph Lawson allowing for the testing of two hairs tape-lifted from the vehicle in September of 2016. The order is the same as the one issued Wednesday between the Commonwealth and Brooks Houck except Lawson agreed to submit to a buccal cheek swab in order to provide a DNA sample.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young introduced a motion Wednesday requesting the court order the testing in Steven Lawson’s case as well and order Steven Lawson to also submit a cheek swab for a DNA sample. The motion notes that Steven Lawson’s attorneys have not agreed to testing the hairs.
A copy of a 2016 court order submitted with Young’s motion states that the third hair noted in the agreed orders and the motion, which was tested in 2016, was found in the trunk of a white Buick which belonged to Houck’s grandmother Anna Whitesides. The order states that an official with the Kentucky State Police Laboratory said the third hair “appeared to be similar to the decedent’s hair.”
The prosecution requested to argue the motion on April 3, which is when Lawson is next scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing.
