Jury seated for second trial in Crystal Rogers’ death. Opening statements begin Wednesday.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Jury selection has concluded for the second murder trial in the death of Bardstown mom Crystal Rogers.
Brooks Houck, Rogers’ ex-boyfriend, and Joseph Lawson’s combined trial began Tuesday in Warren County.
TONIGHT ON WHAS11+:Tune in at 9 p.m. ET forspecial trial coveragein the Crystal Rogers case with Shay McAlister, Alexandra Goldberg, and Doug Proffitt, as well as insight from WHAS11 legal analyst Nick Mudd.
Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. Lawson is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Lawson’s father, and co-defendant, was convicted of similar charges to his son in May.
Here’s the three biggest takeaways from jury selection:
1. Crystal Rogers body
During jury selection, Special Prosecutor Shane Young told potential jurors the prosecution’s case would rely heavily on circumstantial evidence.
“This is what we call a no-body homicide,” he added. “We have not located the victim.”
Circumstantial evidence is one of the hardest cases to build, according to WHAS11 legal analyst Nick Mudd.
Without a body, prosecutors will need to rely on cell phone records, surveillance video, witness testimony or other tools to prove their case.
Several expansive searches across Nelson County in the last decade have taken place, but it’s been unclear what, if any, evidence has been discovered. However, Young’s statement Tuesday confirms Crystal Rogers’ body has yet to be found.
2. Brooks Houck’s mom
As a sea of pink shirts entered the courtroom to show silent support for Rogers’ family and friends, several members of Brooks Houck’s family also entered as well.
His son Eli, his sister, and mother’s boyfriend showed up to court Tuesday, but his mother Rosemary Houck was notably absent.
During Steve Lawson’s trial, Young named Rosemary Houck as an“Unindicted co-conspirator” still under investigation in Rogers’ case.
Rosemary Houck has been present at many of her son’s pre-trial hearings in Bardstown.
She also owns the family’s farm, a 245-acre property on Paschal Ballard Lane, which is located about nine miles south of downtown Bardstown. The farm is the last place Rogers was seen alive on July 3, 2015, according to police. It’s been searched several times for evidence.
3. Jury questions
Fifteen jurors were chosen to hear the case, but only 12 will make the final jury. The other three will be dismissed randomly as alternates prior to deliberations.
Attorneys were thorough in their questioning to jurors, taking much longer with jury selection compared to Steve Lawson’s trial. By the end of the first day in Lawson’s May trial, attorneys had already finished opening statements.
Judge Charles Simms began questioning the 132-person jury pool about what they knew about the case and where they learned about it from.
Many in the jury pool, around 55 people, had heard about Rogers’ case, but didn’t know specifics or have an opinion. Approximately 33 people knew nothing of the case.
Of the jurors who knew about Rogers’ case, some said they’ve driven past the billboard on the Bluegrass Parkway, others heard about it from local news outlets, their spouses, co-workers, people at church, and social media. One man said after he was selected for jury duty in this trial, his co-worker mentioned WHAS11’s Bardstown podcast.
Attorneys were curious about jurors’ connections to various fields in law enforcement and questioned whether they could look past emotions and focus solely on evidence presented at trial to guide their decisions.
The jury returns to court at 8:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday. WHAS11 will again provide updates throughout the day.
TONIGHT ON WHAS11+:Tune in at 9 p.m. ET forspecial trial coveragein the Crystal Rogers case with Shay McAlister, Alexandra Goldberg, and Doug Proffitt, as well as insight from WHAS11 legal analyst Nick Mudd.
