Crystal Rogers investigation suspect Steven Lawson was back in Nelson Circuit Court for a status hearing Thursday as Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III reviewed several motions before the court.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young remanded his motion for the court to order DNA testing of two hairs found in Rogers’s vehicle and for Lawson to submit to a cheek swab to provide a DNA sample. Young said after speaking to a KSP Crime Lab Chemist he learned the hairs in question measure eight to ten inches in length and had been chemically treated, so in order to not waste time and money on testing the Commonwealth would stipulate that the hairs did not belong to either Lawson or Joseph Lawson. Young noted that the Commonwealth would anticipate that Brooks Houck’s hair would appear in the car as he used it.
Steven Lawson’s attorneys filed a motion Thursday morning requesting access to the hair samples in order to conduct their own testing, and despite the Commonwealth remanding their motion they still said they wanted the hairs tested and reviewed by their expert in order to see if the hairs belong to somebody else identified in the case.
Young responded by calling the motion a tactic to delay the trial, and said Lawson’s attorneys are looking for a tactical advantage by getting his trial moved to go after Houck’s, which Young said “the only person that benefits is Brooks Houck.” Lawson’s attorneys responded that the results of the hair testing could dictate the defense’s strategy, and said they took issue with Young implying the defenses are collaborating. Simms denied the motion for testing, but agreed to schedule a hearing for April 14 to discuss the issue after the defense’s expert gets a chance to examine the hairs at the KSP Crime Lab.
The court will also discuss the defense’s motion to continue the trial beyond the currently scheduled May 27 start at the April 14 hearing. The Commonwealth provided a laptop for Lawson to be able to review the discovery in the case at the courthouse, which Simms said he would make arrangements to allow. Lawson’s attorneys requested an expert inspect the laptop to ensure it was safe for Lawson to use. Simms said they could examine the laptop after the hearing.
