A Woman Vanished In Kentucky's Bluegrass Country — And A Flat Tire Cracked The Case

It was almost nan cleanable crime.

But successful nan end, a brace of mundane events connected Kentucky’s Bluegrass Parkway — a level tyre and a telephone telephone — played an outsize domiciled successful solving nan disappearance and presumed decease of Crystal Rogers much than a decade ago.

That, astatine least, is really nan charismatic who tried 3 men convicted this twelvemonth successful relationship pinch Rogers’ decease views nan solution of a lawsuit that was based connected a upland of circumstantial evidence. Authorities ne'er recovered Rogers’ body. Nor did they place a crime segment aliases a execution weapon.

“If they had not gotten a level tire, we astir apt wouldn’t person solved this case,” said Shane Young, nan commonwealth’s lawyer for nan state’s 9th Judicial Circuit. “That telephone telephone was nan 1 hiccup successful nan scheme because that telephone telephone was not expected to beryllium made.”

For much connected nan case, tune successful to "The Trouble successful Bardstown" connected "Dateline" astatine at 9 ET/8 CT tonight.

In an exclusive question and reply pinch “Dateline,” nan seasoned charismatic reflected connected nan yearslong effort to bring justness to Rogers’ family and to different unsolved homicide victims successful Bardstown, nan scenic mini municipality successful nan bosom of Kentucky’s bourbon region wherever Rogers lived. Among nan different victims is Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, who was gunned down astir a twelvemonth and a half aft his girl vanished connected July 3, 2015.

Tommy Ballard.Dateline

At nan time, Ballard, 54, was starring an effort to analyse his daughter’s disappearance.

Rogers’ boyfriend, Brooks Houck, 44, was convicted of execution successful Rogers’ sidesplitting and sentenced to life successful situation successful September. His attorneys are appealing nan verdict.

Two men whom prosecutors identified arsenic accomplices, Steve Lawson and his son, Joey Lawson, were convicted of conspiracy and tampering pinch beingness evidence. Steve Lawson, 55, was sentenced to 17 years successful prison. Joey Lawson, 34, was sentenced to 25 years to life. They’re besides appealing their convictions.

In court, attorneys for nan men said they were victims of constabulary coercion — 1 of nan lawyers described nan interrogation strategies to “Dateline” arsenic “the Bardstown inquisition” — and said location was nary beingness grounds linking them to nan murder.

A narration connected nan rocks?

Young was tasked pinch taking complete nan lawsuit arsenic a typical charismatic successful 2022. At trial, Young based on nan couple’s narration was deteriorating. The killing, he said, was motivated by Houck’s fearfulness of losing custody of nan couple’s 2-year-old son. Rogers was apt killed astatine nan Houck family farm, prosecutors person said.

That mentation was partially backed up by a relative of Rogers’ who testified that erstwhile she saw Rogers connected July 3, Rogers said she and Houck were going connected a astonishment day that night.

In interviews pinch police, Houck said he’d past seen Rogers that evening, aft they’d gone to nan workplace for respective hours pinch their toddler and walked astir successful nan fields. Back astatine home, he said he fell dormant earlier Rogers did, according to a video of nan interview.

Crystal Rogers.Dateline

The adjacent morning, Houck said that erstwhile he awoke, Rogers was gone — thing he said she’d done earlier erstwhile she needed space, according to nan video.

Jon Snow, nan erstwhile Nelson County Sheriff's detective who questioned Houck, pressed him for specifications during a follow-up interview. It was raining connected July 3, Snow pointed out, but Houck said he’d spent hours extracurricular pinch their toddler.

“Four and a half hours is simply a agelong clip to beryllium extracurricular successful nan rain, successful nan mud, pinch a 2 1/2 twelvemonth old,” Snow said. “Does that make sense?”

“I understand what you’re saying,” Houck responded.

Problems connected nan parkway

According to prosecutors, nan Lawsons were responsible for getting free of Rogers’ car — a maroon Chevrolet Impala that was found, pinch a level tire, connected July 5 connected nan broadside of nan Bluegrass Parkway.

“I deliberation nan scheme was to make it look for illustration she left,” Young told “Dateline.” “Whether they were gonna thrust nan car into a reservoir aliases a stream aliases whatever, I don’t deliberation nan car was ever expected to beryllium recovered again.”

Crystal Rogers and Brooks Houck.Dateline

But then, according to nan prosecution, Joey Lawson sewage a level tyre while driving nan Impala. So he dialed his father, who past called Houck, Young said. (Joey Lawson has denied driving nan car aliases playing a domiciled successful Rogers’ disappearance.)

The telephone was made astir midnight and lasted conscionable 13 seconds, according to Snow. In nan follow-up question and reply pinch nan detective, Houck said that he didn’t callback what nan speech was about, but that it had been made by Steve Lawson, who worked for him.

So Houck dialed Steve Lawson connected nan spot, a video of nan question and reply shows.

Steve Lawson during a constabulary interview.Dateline

“Can you retrieve what you asked maine aliases what you were after?” Houck said.

“Sure, I can,” Steve Lawson responded. “I called and asked you for them numbers for nan house.”

Steve Lawson initially denied having been connected nan parkway, though he later admitted it to a expansive jury. Under questioning from investigators, he said that nan telephone telephone from his boy was really a petition to prime him up connected nan parkway, a video of nan question and reply shows.

An FBI study of Steve Lawson’s telephone confirmed that he’d been connected nan parkway, adjacent nan spot wherever Rogers’ Impala was recovered connected nan nighttime of her disappearance. At trial, Joey Lawson’s attorneys disputed nan study and said nan telephone really showed Steve Lawson not connected nan parkway, but connected a roadworthy parallel to it.

Joey Lawson.Dateline

The aforesaid FBI study showed that Joey Lawson had many times called his begetter earlier Steve Lawson yet answered and made nan 13-second telephone to Houck, according to Steve Keary, an FBI supplier who investigated nan case.

Steve Lawson told authorities that erstwhile he arrived astatine nan parkway, he recovered Rogers’ Impala, sewage successful and scooted nan spot forward, a video of nan question and reply shows. His boy was taller than Rogers, he said, and Steve Lawson said he was worried his boy had gotten caught up successful thing bad. Moving nan seat, he told investigators, was his measurement of covering that up.

Steve Lawson besides told authorities that earlier Rogers’ disappearance, Houck had described nan couple’s narration arsenic troubled and said he wanted her “gone.”

“To me, ‘gone’ intends gone,” a video of nan question and reply shows him saying.

Making nan lawsuit successful court

Even though investigators had only gathered circumstantial evidence, Young told “Dateline” that he believed they’d gathered capable to beryllium their case.

Shane Young.Dateline

In Houck’s trial, nan assemblage returned a blameworthy verdict successful only a fewer hours.

It’s unclear if 2 group identified by prosecutors astatine proceedings arsenic unindicted co-conspirators will look charges, he said.

One of those alleged co-conspirators is Houck’s brother, erstwhile Bardstown constabulary serviceman Nick Houck. The department's erstwhile police, Chief Rick McCubbin, told “Dateline” that he fired Nick Houck because McCubbin believed he hadn’t afloat cooperated pinch nan investigation into Rogers’ disappearance.

Nick Houck has denied playing a domiciled successful nan disappearance and has ne'er been charged pinch a crime. His lawyer did not respond to a elaborate database of questions from “Dateline.”

Prosecutors opportunity they person identified a imaginable nexus betwixt Nick Houck and nan sidesplitting of Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, who was fatally changeable while connected a hunting travel pinch Rogers’ 11-year-old boy connected Nov. 19, 2016. In a tribunal proceeding and successful his question and reply pinch “Dateline,” Young said that Nick Houck sold a weapon to an undercover serviceman that investigators judge has nan aforesaid aliases a akin caliber arsenic nan limb utilized to termination Ballard.

Officer Jason Ellis.FBI

He sold nan firearm utilizing nan sanction Nick Ballard, Young told “Dateline.” Houck has not been charged pinch a crime successful Tommy Ballard’s death.

Young is besides investigating nan sidesplitting of Bardstown constabulary serviceman Jason Ellis, who was fatally changeable connected May 25, 2013, while clearing character branches from an exit ramp connected nan Bluegrass Parkway — branches that investigators judge were placed intentionally. McCubbin said location was grounds nan shooter had been lying successful hold astatine nan apical of a adjacent stone wall.

Asked if he expects charges successful either case, Young said: “Don’t know. We’re moving connected them.”