WQXE News

The defense opened its case as the trial of Crystal Rogers investigation suspects Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson continued at the Warren County Justice Center Wednesday.

Lawson’s attorney Kevin Coleman gave his defense’s opening statement to the jury. Coleman stated that Lawson is not guilty of either of the charges he faces, and described Lawson as “collateral damage” in the Commonwealth’s pursuit of convicting Houck. 

The first witness called by Houck’s defense was Heath Farthing, the owner of So-Cal K9 Detection Services. Farthing testified that he does not recommend cross-training search dogs for both live searches and human remains detection, noting that many organizations including FEMA began not recommending the cross-training after the majority of cross-trained dogs used at Ground Zero following the September 11th attacks were signaling for live rescues when they had actually found deceased victims. When asked about the search conducted by Terry Benjamin’s dog in May of 2016 that involved a vehicle owned by Houck’s grandmother Anna Whitesides, Farthing testified that forensic processing the vehicle ahead of the search “absolutely” could have impacted the reliability of the search, as could Benjamin and the K9 being driven to the search by Detective Jamie Brooks.

Rhonda McIlvoy, Houck’s sister, was called to the stand. She testified that Houck and Rogers’s son Eli was born with an underdeveloped optic nerve in one of his eyes which has led to multiple treatment attempts and complications, including five trips to urgent care facilities in the last 21 months. She testified that she, her husband, and children were in Louisville on July 3, 2015, with a picture of her children standing next to the Louisville Slugger bat in downtown Louisville time stamped shortly after 7 p.m. submitted into evidence. When asked by the defense if she was part of a conspiracy, McIlvoy answered “No.” She also testified that she had no knowledge of Houck being involved with a conspiracy. On cross examination, the prosecution asked McIlvoy about the secret recordings she made of her grand jury testimony. She testified that at the time she was not aware of what the grand jury was, and wanted a record of what she said so her words couldn’t be later used against her.

University of Louisville Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Adrian Lauf was called to testify as an expert in cell phone analysis. Lauf testified that data from NELOS, the location data system AT&T uses for devices on its network, is consistent with Steven Lawson’s phone being on Boston Road, and he testified that the Bluegrass Parkway is too far from the towers the data indicates the phone connected to. During cross examination, Special Prosecutor Shane Young questioned Lauf’s data, indicating at least one inaccuracy in his report and noting testimony Lauf made in a previous case in which he questioned the reliability of NELOS. Lauf testified that he reviews data he is presented with on a case-by-case basis.

The defense will continue its case Thursday. Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III told the jury he believes closing statements and jury instructions will be delivered Monday, with jury deliberations beginning Tuesday.

After five days of testimony from 38 witnesses, the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Crystal Rogers investigation suspects Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson Tuesday.

The prosecution showed a recorded deposition of Terry Benjamin with Lone Star Search and Rescue. He testified that on May 21, 2016, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jamie Brooks picked Benjamin and his K9 partner Ranger up and took them to a parking lot owned by the Louisville Metro Police Department on Poplar Level Road. Benjamin testified that Ranger performed a “double-blind” search of the lot, with no prior details from Brooks and with Brooks waiting outside the lot which had about 10 cars in it. Benjamin said Ranger narrowed his search to two vehicles, then sat down at the back right corner of a white Buick, which Brooks on Monday testified was the kind of car Anna Whitesides and Nick Houck had traded into a dealership on May 2, 2016. Benjamin testified that sitting down is Ranger’s trained final response in a human remains detection search.

The prosecution next called Joshua Hickman, who the court recognized as a digital forensics expert. Hickman testified that he had been asked to do analysis on extraction data on Rogers’s phone, and he testified that the data shows on July 3, 2016, the phone was on and using apps from 7:39 p.m. until it appears the battery died at 9:23 p.m. Hickman said the device booted back up at 11:57 p.m. before being manually shut down 30 seconds later, and he testified that Rogers’s phone was then off until 10:45 a.m. on July 6.

Joseph Lawson’s former stepmother Rebecca Greer, who is also the mother of his former partner Elizabeth Chesser, was called to the stand. She testified that in 2019 she overheard a conversation between Elizabeth and Lawson about “moving a car and $50,000.” When she later asked Lawson about it, he told her she needed to “ask Steve.” Greer also testified that she and Steven Lawson went over to break up an altercation between Chesser and Joseph, at which time Steven and Joseph began fighting. Greer testified that Joseph told Steven “You keep on, and I’m going to let everyone know about this car and your involvement.”

Lawson’s grandmother Barbara Colter also took the stand. She testified that in the summer of 2022, while Steven Lawson was living with Colter, Joseph showed up one day on his motorcycle while high and told her that Steven killed Rogers. She testified that she said “if you’re going to say stuff like this, you have to know it’s a fact.”

Following the closing of the prosecution’s case, Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III dismissed the jury for the day to review “motions for a directed verdict of acquittal” filed by both defenses. Houck’s attorney Brian Butler argued that the prosecution’s case does not meet the standards set in Kentucky case law for conviction in a no-body homicide. Butler said “It’s clear you have to have one of three things: a body, a crime scene, or confession. None of those exist in this case.” Simms denied the motion, stating that based on evidence presented there is proof of death in the case for a jury to deliberate on. Lawson’s attorneys argued in order to have a conspiracy you have to have an agreement, which they said the persecution never proved. Simms one again said the evidence presented could reasonably convince a jury, and denied the motion.

The defenses will open their case as the trial resumes at the Warren County Justice Center Wednesday morning.

Area school districts are celebrating new additions to their administrative teams.

Elizabethtown Independent Schools has named Wesley Hatfield as the district’s new Curriculum Specialist. The district said in a release: “A dedicated educator with nearly 20 years of classroom experience, Hatfield brings a deep understanding of instructional excellence, collaboration, and student-centered learning to this new leadership role.”

EIS also announced Daniel Lockwood as the district’s new Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning. The district said: “Lockwood brings more than two decades of educational leadership experience to the role, including service as a teacher, principal, and most recently, a leader at the Kentucky Department of Education.”

Meanwhile, Hardin County Schools announced that John Hardin High School Vice Principal Tiffany Jones will serve as the district’s new Director of Federal Programs and Leadership Development. She replaces Debbie Wyatt, who is retiring following a 33-year career with HCS.