BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Three months after Joseph Lawson is arrested in the death of Crystal Rogers, his father, 53-year-old Steve Lawson is taken into police custody.
Like his son, Lawson was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. His charges stem from an incident over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. The same weekend Rogers vanished.
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According to Lawson’s attorney, who is a well-known lawyer in the area, the arrest came as a complete surprise due to his client’s cooperation with the authorities.
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Episode two will be available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts on Tuesday, April 2.
Conspiracy to Murder
Steve Lawson was arrested in southern Indiana while visiting his mother.
As police worked to extradite him back to Nelson County, WHAS11 Investigative Reporter Shay McAlister tracked down his attorney to learn more about Lawson’s connection to Rogers’ case.
Although Lavit didn’t elaborate much on the late-night phone call between Houck and Steve on the night Rogers disappeared in 2015, he said Steve’s son, Joseph Lawson, was “extremely involved.”
According to Lavit, Joseph Lawson is the answer to one of the biggest questions surrounding Rogers’ disappearance: How did the Bardstown mother’s car end up alongside the Bluegrass Parkway, all her belongings untouched, just days after she was reported missing?
Lavit also spoke of a “transactional immunity” given to Steve Lawson in exchange for his cooperation with investigators. He said there were dozens of interviews leading up to the arrest.
Despite those claims, Lawson was arrested and charged while the investigation continued.
As police continued searching for answers in Nelson County, a discreet property search was underway and another arrest would soon grip the small town.
On a warm September morning, the man named the prime suspect in his girlfriend’s disappearance eight years prior was working on a construction site when undercover officers placed him in handcuffs.
A neighbor spotted the arrest, took a picture, and the news spread like wildfire:
Brooks Houck arrested, charged in the death of Crystal Rogers, held on a $10 million bond.
Houck’s arrest is only the beginning of a lengthy court process, but soon prosecutors will shock Nelson County once again with bombshell information linking Crystal Rogers’ death to another unsolved murder.
Episode three of "Back to Bardstown" will be released on the WHAS11 YouTube channel on Monday, April 8. It will be released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts on Tuesday, April 9.
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