TIMELINE | Crystal Rogers case, an in-depth look from disappearance to trials
Nearly a decade ago, a mother of five, Crystal Rogers, disappeared under mysterious circumstances from Bardstown, Kentucky.
Only one suspect was ever named, her then-boyfriend. Now, he and two others are facing charges in her murder.
Here's a timeline of the Rogers case and how it has evolved over the years.
2015
July 3: The last time Crystal Rogers was seen alive with her then-boyfriend Brooks Houck. Houck told investigators they were at his family farm together with their son, and they left together. He said when he woke up the next day, she was gone.
July 5: Sherry Ballard, Rogers' mother, reports Rogers missing. That same day, her car was found abandoned at the 14 mile marker on the Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. Her keys were in the ignition, and her phone and purse were still in the car.
October: The Nelson County sheriff states Brooks Houck is a suspect. Houck맥스카지노s brother, Nick Houck, is fired from the Bardstown Police Department for interfering with the criminal investigation into the case.
December: Danny Singleton 맥스카지노 who worked for Brooks Houck and was friends with him and Rogers 맥스카지노 was arrested on 38 counts of perjury for lying to the grand jury. He pleaded guilt in July 2016 to amended charges of false swearing.
2016
May: Brooks Houck맥스카지노s grandmother, Anna Whitesides, invokes the fifth Amendment when subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury. The Rogers family believes her white Buick was used in the crime.
August: A search warrant is served to Nick Houck at Whitesides맥스카지노 home on Pulliam Avenue. Days later, another search warrant is executed at Whitesides맥스카지노 home and garage as well as the home of Nick Houck.
A little more than a week later, another search warrant was executed on the farm of Rosemary Houck, Brooks Houck맥스카지노s mother.
November: Rogers맥스카지노 father, Tommy Ballard, is shot and killed while hunting with his grandson on family property in Bardstown. His case still hasn't been solved.
2017
July: Another search is conducted by state police at Anna Whitesides맥스카지노 home.
2018
July: Brooks Houck is indicted on unrelated theft charges. He was acquitted in April 2019.
2020
August: The FBI announces it is taking over the investigation.
Federal agents went to the homes of Brook and Nick Houck, as well as the Houck family farm again. They also went to a storage facility where Rogers had a unit and took her car. Read more here.
2021
August: FBI and Nelson County sheriff search properties in Woodlawn Springs Subdivision where Brooks Houck had built homes.
2022
October: FBI searches land on Paschal Ballard Lane owned by Houck family.
2023
January: A special prosecutor was appointed to the Rogers case and two other high-profile Nelson County death investigations -- including Rogers' father's.
September: Joseph Lawson is indicted for conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy tampering with physical evidence. He has a pretrial conference on Oct. 26.
September 20: Brooks Houck is indicted for murder and tampering with evidence.
September 27: Brooks Houck is arrested and held on a whopping $10 million bond. He was housed in the Nelson County Jail then transferred to Hardin County.
Dec. 8: Steven Lawson, father of Joseph, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder. That makes three people facing charges in her disappearance.
Dec. 18: Crystal's family files wrongful death lawsuit against Houck.
2024
Feb. 12: Judge lowers bond for Joseph Lawson, cutting it in half to $250,000.
March 7: Houck requests trial be moved out of Bardstown.
August 8: Steve Lawson abruptly fires lawyer during hearing. Lawson told Judge Charles Simms his attorney was not doing his job.
"I can't use his council anymore, sir," Lawson said.
Sept. 4: FBI searches new home in Bardstown that has connections to Houck family.
Records say the house had been sold by Brooks' brother, Nick Houck, in 2018, a few years after Rogers disappeared.
Oct. 7: Judge moves trial out of Bardstown to Warren County.
Nov. 5: Judge approves two separate trials in the case. Steve to be tried separately from Joseph and Houck.
2025
Jan. 9: Judge postpones Steve Lawson's trial to May due to a large amount of evidence that needed to be reviewed.
March 26: It is decided that some hairs collected nearly a decade ago as evidence in the Crystal Rogers case will be tested as part of Brooks Houck's trial. | Read more.
May 27: Trial begins for Steve Lawson.
May 30: Steve Lawson found guilty on both counts: complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence.