The judge in the Crystal Rogers investigation cases has denied suspect Steven Lawson’s motion to test hairs found in Rogers’s car.
Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III denied Lawson’s motion to continue the trial date for DNA testing.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young had originally motioned to have the hairs tested, but after learning from the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab that the hairs in question were more than eight inches in length and appeared to have been chemically treated, the Commonwealth was ruling out that the hairs could belong to either Lawson or his son and fellow suspect Joseph Lawson, and Young withdrew the motion. Steven Lawson’s attorneys said Lawson’s right to due process meant the hairs should still be tested in case they could potentially identify another suspect.
In his ruling issued Friday, Simms said the court is not going to delay Lawson’s trial for DNA testing of the hairs. Simms said even if the testing revealed another suspect, it does not exclude Lawson’s alleged involvement with the crime. Simms noted Lawson’s grand jury testimony in which he said Brooks Houck requested his assistance with moving Rogers’s vehicle and detailed the role he played in leaving it on the Bluegrass Parkway. Simms also noted the “unlikeliness of these hairs bearing any relation to Rogers’s disappearance,” as previous rulings in Kentucky court cases have said hair has minimal exclusionary value as there is no way to determine when a hair was deposited in a particular place.
Simms said “this court believes that Lawson is simply attempting to further delay this proceeding.” Simms cited the fact that Joseph Lawson and fellow suspect Brooks Houck both immediately agreed to the testing, and that it is apparent the hairs don’t belong to Lawson.
Lawson is charged with Tampering with Physical Evidence and Conspiracy to Commit Murder. His trial is scheduled to begin in Warren County on May 27.