309: Evil Lurking on the Farm: His Girlfriend Disappears & EVERYONE is Connected | Crystal Rogers

Fresh out of a toxic marriage, raising four kids alone, and finally finding a place to call home, Crystal Rogers thought she’d met the man of her dreams: her landlord. But her happily ever after turned into a nightmare, with betrayal not just from him, but from his family, friends, and employees. Annie has covered Crystal’s story before, and it’s stuck with so many of you. But now, after years of waiting, her case has finally gone to trial… and this week, we’re diving into all the major updates you need to know.🔎Join Our True Crime Club & Get Exclusive Content & Perks 🔎 Join The Club: https://www.patreon.com/annieelise🎧 Need More to Binge? Listen to EXTRA deep dive episodes every week on Apple!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/serialously-with-annie-elise/id1519456164🚩Announcements🚩Want to Catch Annie LIVE on Tour? 🎤 🎟Grab your tickets now for a city near you: https://annieelise.com/pages/tour🌸 SPRING MERCH IS OFFICIALLY HERE! 🌸Shop now at https://annieelise.com/collections/shop-allDon't miss out before your faves sell out! 🛒🌷Follow Annie on Socials 📸 🩷Instagram: @ _annieelise, https://www.instagram.com/_annieelise/?hl=en💜TikTok: @_annieelise, https://www.tiktok.com/@_annieelise?lang=en🗞️ Substack: @annieelise, https://substack.com/@annieelise💙Facebook: @10tolife, https://www.facebook.com/10toLIFE⭐️Sponsors ⭐️Chime Financial: Open your account in 2 minutes at http://CHIME. COM/SERIALOUSLY. Willie’s Remedy: Order now at http://drinkwillies.com and use code SERIALOUSLY for 20% off your first order + free shipping on orders over $95. Factor: Eat smart at http://FactorMeals.com/ae50off and use code ae50off to get 50% off your first box plus Free Breakfast for 1 year. Truer Crime: Season 3 of Truer Crime is airing now! Follow Truer Crime wherever you get your podcasts, and catch new episodes every week. Shop Annie’s Closet & Must-Haves! 👗Poshmark: https://posh.mk/Tdbki6Ae0RbShopMY: https://shopmy.us/annieeliseAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/10tolife?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsfshop_BKN1ZMCMEZHACVFQ2R75&language=en_USDisclaimer ‣ Some links may be affiliate links, they do not cost you anything, but I make a small percentage from the sale. Thank you so much for watching and supporting me.🎙️ Follow the podcast for FREE on all podcast platforms! Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/serialously-with-annie-elise/id1519456164Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6HdheEH8WeMTHoe5da34qUAll Other Platforms: https://audioboom.com/channels/5100770-serialously-with-annie-eliseGet Involved or Recommend the Case 💬 About Annie: https://annieelise.com/For Business Inquiries: [email protected] Sources 🔗The Courier-JournalWDRB NewsWHAS11WLKY News Louisville*Sources used to collect this information include various public news sites, interviews, court documents, FB groups dedicated to the case, and various news channel segments. When quoting statements made by others, they are strictly alleged until confirmed otherwise. Please remember my videos are my independent opinion and to always do your own research. ••••••••••••••••••Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this video are personal and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the creator(s). These views are subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time and are not to be held in perpetuity. We make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this video and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify their own facts.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:15Annie Elise?

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• 1:12Speaker 02

  Well, imagine not knowing for almost 10 years what happened to someone you loved. They disappear and then all you know is that whatever did happen to them wasn't good.

• 1:21Speaker 03

  July 3rd, 2015 was the last day 35-year-old Crystal Rogers, a mother of five, was seen alive by her boyfriend, Brooks Haug.

• 1:30Speaker 04

  This was devastating for Crystal's parents and her dad, Tommy Ballard, made it his mission to find his missing daughter.

• 1:38Speaker 05

  Lawson's one of three men charged in connection to the death of Crystal Rogers. Another tense day in court to the point that a court officer had to stand in between the lead attorneys.

• 1:52Speaker 06

  Now, the whole world, especially Nelson County, knows that possibly, hopefully, justice has been and will be served.

• 2:02Annie Elise?

  Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serial Sleep.

• 2:26Annie Elise?

  Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all new episode of Serialistically. With me, your host, Annie Elise. I hope you had a great weekend. I hope you are like kickstarting the week, doing something fun. I know a lot of you are probably commuting into work right now. Some of you listen to this while you're cleaning, so maybe you're, you know, elbow deep in a toilet or bathtub, cleaning that out. But the point is, whatever it is you're doing right now, I hope you had a great weekend. Hope you are starting the week off on the right foot. Although now that I say that out loud, I realize that I'm probably contradicting all of that, right? Because I'm about to like jump in and like sweep all over your good, happy day and just dump all over it and ruin your day with this

• 3:07Annie Elise?

  case. But you know what? Maybe not, because that is what you're here for, right? No. Now, the case we're talking about today is one that I covered very briefly in the past, but there have been a lot of updates and it finally just came to a conclusion. A lot of you have also been requesting that I cover this case. And when I say a lot of you, I am talking about you've been in my DMs, in my comment section, tagging me, blowing me up over on Patreon. So many of you have been requesting it. So you know what I like to say, right? I like to consider myself like a podcaster of the people, if you will, where not really, that sounds so cheesy and lame, but you get what I mean, where I want to deliver the kind of content that you want to hear and that you're interested in hearing.

• 3:51Annie Elise?

  So here we are. Now let me backpedal a little bit and just kind of like set the stage for you. I want you to imagine this. Imagine that you are unlucky in love. I'm talking truly unlucky. You haven't been able to find your person, not your soulmate, not even like somewhat of a good quality candidate. You're fresh out of this toxic marriage, just kind of trying to now raise your family, your four children, all on your own, just Hopeful, but kind of defeated as well. You're struggling, you're wondering when things are going to finally start looking up for you. And then you finally get a place of your own. It feels like a fresh start. It feels like, okay, things are finally going in the right direction. We're getting back on our feet.

• 4:35Annie Elise?

  I've got my four kids with me. Maybe there's brighter things on the horizon too, in my love life. Things are just starting to look up. Then you meet your landlord of your new place. And this man seems like exactly what you've been waiting for. He seems like the man of your dreams. Well, that is exactly the situation that happened to Crystal Rogers. However, that happily ever after that she thought she was getting, it turned into an absolutely twisted nightmare. Because it wasn't just a repeat of what had happened to her in the past with a man betraying her. This time, the man betrayed her, his family betrayed her, his friends, his employees, coworkers, you name it, a whole slew of people, really.

• 5:19Annie Elise?

  And Crystal's story has stuck with so many of you since I first shared it, and so many of you who never even had heard of my coverage. And I know for those of you who are hearing it for the first time today, it is also going to not only stick with you, but it will deeply impact you. As I mentioned at the top of this episode, this case finally recently went to trial, and there is finally some sort of resolution. So I want to go through everything, top to bottom, side to side, give you all the details, all the red flags, and I want you to hear Crystal's story. But before we get into all of that, I want to go back a little bit. And I want to really learn who Crystal was, and I want to tell you why she was so special.

• 6:02Annie Elise?

  Thirty-five-year-old Crystal Rogers was born on April 4th, 1980. She was the first child of the family, and Crystal's parents, Sherry and Tommy, went on to have two more children after having Crystal. Sherry and Tommy decided to raise their children in Bardstown, Kentucky. Bardstown is a quaint little town in the Nelson County, Kentucky area, with a population of just a little bit over 13,000. The city is often referred to as the bourbon capital of the world, due to the 11 distilleries within a 16-mile radius of downtown Bardstown. So bourbon lovers often go there to try all of them out.

• 6:44Annie Elise?

  Unfortunately, not a whole lot other is known about Crystal's personal life and the background of her life. One thing we do know, though, about Crystal is that she was a mother, and her children were her absolute pride and joy. Crystal began having children pretty young, and was married to the father of her three daughters and one son. Crystal was the type of mom to do anything to make ends meet, and to make sure that her kids had everything that they needed and so much more. She was very protective of her kids, and would get mad if anyone else would ever try to discipline them also. And she was known to be way less strict than her mom Sherry had been. But overall, it was clear that Crystal's protective nature,

• 7:27Annie Elise?

  like many parents, just stemmed from how much she truly loved her children. But eventually, as unfortunately many stories go, Crystal and the father of her children split up. After just ending a very toxic marriage, she was now looking for somewhere for her and her four children to live, to find her soulmate, to find a new father figure. And when Crystal finally found a home, she met the landlord whose name was Brooks Houck. And Brooks' family was a very prominent family in the small community. They were known for owning many rental properties in the area, as well as the construction work that they did. Brooks' brother was part of the police department, and in 2014, Brooks himself even ran for sheriff in this small town of Bardstown.

• 8:13Annie Elise?

  So to say that they were well-known in that small town is basically an understatement. So Crystal and Brooks hit it off very quickly and quickly began dating, not too long after meeting. They then found out that they were expecting and they had their son Eli in 2013. But Crystal's family started noticing that things were a little bit off with Brooks. Brooks seemed to be very distant from Crystal's four children. More specifically, they were not treated with the same level of respect and care that he treated Eli with. There was a clear divide and Brooks made it known that Crystal's pre-existing four kids were hers and hers only.

• 8:57Annie Elise?

  Even though they all lived together and most families just share the groceries, for example, that didn't seem to be the case for them. Brooks would always buy the groceries for Eli, but would make it clear that Crystal needed to buy anything for the other four children, because again, they were not his. Now, we all know that the 4th of July weekend can bring in some really fun events, especially in small towns. It's usually full of events like barbecues, fireworks shows for just days on end, and that is no different in Bardstown. But in 2015, the 4th of July weekend ended up being different from all of the others for Crystal and her family.

• 9:36Annie Elise?

  On Sunday, July 5th, 2015, Crystal's mother Sheri received a text message from Crystal's daughter Kylie. And in that message, Kylie had asked Sheri if she had heard from her mom, Crystal. Sheri replied that no, she hadn't. Crystal usually responded to people pretty quickly too, but Sheri didn't really think much of it. So she sent Crystal a text that Kylie was looking for her and that she needed to get back with her before continuing on with her day. It wasn't until a few hours later in the evening when Kylie texted her again and asked her for a second time if she had heard from Crystal. And that's when she began to feel like something wasn't quite right.

• 10:17Annie Elise?

  Crystal hadn't responded to her earlier message and apparently wasn't answering her kids' messages either, which made her mother worry a lot. So Sherri immediately called Crystal, who didn't answer. So she began calling Crystal's friends and other family members to see if anyone had heard from her or knew where she was. At that point, Sherri was keeping her cool, telling herself that there could be a number of good reasons as to why Crystal wasn't answering. Not to get carried away yet, there could be so many reasons, it's a holiday weekend, who knows what's really going on. It wasn't until Crystal's sister Brooke called Sherri, not knowing anything about Kylie's texts that day, and asked if she had heard from Crystal, because she hadn't heard from her in two whole days.

• 11:01Annie Elise?

  And that is when the panic really set in. This was 100% not a normal thing for Crystal to just do, to ignore everyone, especially to not even be in contact with her kids, of all people. So Sherri, Tommy, and Crystal's brother Casey immediately went down to the sheriff's office to file a missing persons report. But on their way to file Crystal as a missing person, Sherri had actually seen Brooks. So she asked Brooks if he had seen or talked with Crystal, to which he responded, "No, he had not." Sherri said that when she told Brooks that she was filing a missing persons report, he said in a very calm and even tone, "Well, I think that's what you should do."

• 11:44Annie Elise?

  And then just let Sherri leave, without offering to go with her, or even slightly acting worried as if he was worried and that nobody had seen or heard from Crystal in days. While they were at the police station, Crystal's ex-husband's son called them and said that he saw a car along mile marker 14 on the Bluegrass Parkway that looked very similar to Crystal's red Chevrolet Impala. So the three of them got into the car and rushed to where this car was seen. As soon as they turned the corner and the car was in sight, Casey immediately knew that it was Crystal's, and that something had to be incredibly wrong for nobody to have heard from her and for her car to be on the side of the highway without her inside of it.

• 12:27Annie Elise?

  They knew the severity of what was going on, and they called the police to come and investigate the car so that nothing would be contaminated or ruined. When police arrived at the scene, they noticed a few major things right off the bat. The back passenger tire was low and it had left black marks leading from the parkway to the side of the road. However, both Tommy and Casey noticed that the tire wasn't completely flat or popped. Tommy thought that it was odd that she would have even pulled over on the highway for a low tire in general. They also noticed that Crystal's keys were still in the ignition. Her purse was in the passenger seat and her cellphone was in the console.

• 13:08Annie Elise?

  These were all things that Crystal would definitely not have left behind for any reason. If her family and law enforcement hadn't known any better, it looked as if Crystal had pulled over because of the low tire, gotten out of the car, and then vanished into thin air. None of it was making any sense. Even if Crystal had pulled over because she was worried about the tire, that didn't explain why everything else would be left inside the car, especially her phone, because they figured that she would have called her dad or her brother for some help or some advice about the tire, and it wasn't something that she would have tried to fix herself. It wasn't adding up. There was one more thing that stuck out to Crystal's family that police may not have noticed as being weird initially. Her family said that anytime she drove,

• 13:53Annie Elise?

  she had the seat leaned all the way back so that she could drive with her leg propped up on the side of the seat. And when the car was found, the seat was leaning all the way up in a position that Crystal very rarely ever had it in. So that left them wondering if Crystal possibly wasn't the last person to have been driving her car. Due to Brooks' previous behavior, when Crystal went missing, the Ballard family instantly pointed fingers at Brooks and were not quiet about the fact that they believed that he knew more than he was letting on. Crystal's family found it awfully weird that they had had been the ones to notice that Crystal hadn't been in contact with anyone in two days. Because wouldn't her boyfriend, who she lived with, have noticed something was off here?

• 14:39Annie Elise?

  Crystal's family said that Brooks also began acting like he had something to hide and wouldn't even offer to help in any of the searches for Crystal. Brooks was brought into the Nelsie County Sheriff's Office on July 8th and he was questioned. He told investigators that on the night of the 3rd, the couple had gotten home around 12:30 a.m. from his family's house that they had called the farm. He said that that day, they hung out with family, they fed the cows, and they had some burn piles to get rid of waste. He even said that Crystal, their son Eli, and himself, went on a walk at the farm that night, even though it was pretty late and it was a cold and rainy night out. Brooks claimed that when they got home, he went right to sleep, and the last he saw, Crystal was lying next to him,

• 15:23Annie Elise?

  wide awake, playing games on her phone.

• 15:25Speaker 07

  So you go to bed, she stays up, what's she doing?

• 15:29Speaker 04

  She's just on her phone, playing, I don't know what game, but she normally plays a game.

• 15:34Speaker 07

  Right.

• 15:35Speaker 04

  She's got several of them on there, but I don't know which one.

• 15:37Speaker 07

  Okay. So she's on her phone messing around doing whatever, and you go to bed, you, do you know what time she, Eli came to bed, or she put him into bed?

• 15:46Speaker 04

  I don't know.

• 15:47Speaker 07

  Don't have any idea?

• 15:49Annie Elise?

  When he woke up the next morning on the 4th, Crystal wasn't in bed, and her car wasn't out front. He later said, in an exclusive interview with Nancy Grace, that he didn't think it was odd that she was gone, because sometimes when they got into an argument, she would go and stay at her cousin Sabrina's house for days at a time. Now, this in itself didn't make a whole lot of sense, because he told detectives that they hadn't even gotten into an argument that night. Sabrina was more than willing to do interviews with investigators, and told them that in the last three years that Brooks and Crystal had been together, Crystal had only come to her house two times when the couple had gotten into an argument. She added that the first time that Crystal came, it had only been for an hour, and the second time, it had only been for two hours.

• 16:33Annie Elise?

  Yet Brooks was leading investigators to believe that Crystal would be gone for days on end, whenever they fought, which was making her disappearance seem almost normal. However, to everyone else, clearly, her going to Sabrina's was basically to just take a quick step back from the situation, get some fresh air, before ultimately going home just an hour or two later. So why were the stories so conflicting?

• 17:03Annie Elise?

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• 17:48Annie Elise?

  or a frame person, but definitely not like a round frame kind of person. And I was quickly humbled with the virtual try-on tool. When I tell you I was trying all of these different frames on Zenni, because I was like, I need new blue lights, I need new prescriptions. And it saved me so much hassle not ordering the ones that would look horrific on me. And so, I am thankful for that. Plus, they have over 150,000 5-star reviews, and they accept FSA and HSA cards, which is perfect if you have funds to use before the end of the year. So give the gift of Zenni this holiday season. Glasses, sunglasses, whatever you need. Go to zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off

• 18:30Annie Elise?

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• 18:54Annie Elise?

  During Brooke's entire interview, he also showed no emotion or worry for where Crystal was. He painted himself as this amazing person who stayed home with the kids while Crystal and her sister Brooke would just often go out and party. He also got defensive at many times, making excuses for why he didn't remember certain times and dates and who certain calls in his phone log were from.

• 19:17Speaker 04

  But what you're not aware, what you're missing is a lot of times that her and Brooke or sister or some of these girls that they do all these, they go out and do stuff. Sometimes they do these, this is gonna be embarrassing for me to talk to you about, but I'm wanting to get everything cleared up as quickly as I can. They do these fantasy parties. All these girls get together. They talk about and do whatever. And it's not uncommon for them, when they go out and party, they stay out the better part of the night, if not the whole night. So, and of course, I always have the children. You know, fair enough, they don't take the kids to that. Matter of fact, I take care of some of their other children while they're the ones going.

• 20:02Speaker 04

  It's not uncommon for, because I know, I don't get into all that stuff and they know that I'm a man, don't get me wrong. Understand that, a white-blooded American male. And there's no sense, I'm not telling anything different, but they do all these parties and order all this stuff. Well, who gets the kids? I'm good enough to get the kids for all this and I'm a good enough person to do that. And then when everybody sees a little bit of distress, they're gonna throw me under the bus. You know, they need to reexamine all these other actions, how, you know, and I can understand the family wanting to vent and stress. And it makes perfect sense to me. But these people know me better than what's going on.

• 20:45Speaker 04

  And before this is all over and done with, you all are too. But it really, it bothers me because not only...

• 20:56Speaker 04

  Have I been a victim? I can't even, my mind's not even where it should be because I'm trying to protect Eli from this. And I'm trying to, he's the most important person that I'm trying to protect. I don't care about them dragging my name through the mud right now because I'm looking to keep the main focus and emphasis on bringing her back safely and as quickly as possible. But it really, it really bothers me what's being done and the method that everybody's pursuing and doing because what's going to happen is I don't want their apology, I don't want nothing from them, but then after this is all said and done, they're going to sleep

• 21:39Speaker 04

  it under the rug and then it's going, they're just going to forget about what they've done to me in the process.

• 21:45Annie Elise?

  Brooks' call log showed that he had received a call around 12 a.m. on the 3rd when he and Crystal were allegedly on their way home. When investigators had asked who called him, especially at such a late hour lasting only 13 seconds, he first responded that he wasn't sure who had called him. He told the detectives to simply just call the number back, which they decided to do together. They discovered that the call was from a man named Steve Lawson, who worked for Brooks. He asked Steve what they had talked about that night at such a late hour, to which Steve responded that he was only calling him with a question about a rental property, as he owned many rentals around town. Steve said that it was a fairly quick call because Brooks told him that he would have to call Crystal to get the answers to his questions and would get back with him.

• 22:30Annie Elise?

  Now that statement was one of the first things that investigators would clock about his story, because according to his own recount of that night, Crystal was in the car next to him on their way home, even though Steve had just told them that Brooks said he'd have to call Crystal for the answer.

• 22:46Speaker 04

  But hey, I need your help while I got you on the phone here. Do you remember, the other night you called me really, really late? And I forgot, I forgot what you asked me. Can you, I guess we wasn't on the phone, I might have been tired, I know it was pretty late at night. Can you remember what you asked me or what you were after? I can't remember.

• 23:09Speaker 08

  For their numbers for her house.

• 23:11Speaker 04

  Oh, for a rental house.

• 23:13Speaker 08

  Yes, sir.

• 23:13Speaker 04

  And, and what did I, I forgot, what did I, what did I tell you?

• 23:17Speaker 08

  You told me that you would call, what's her name, Katie or whatever, she handles, handles all that.

• 23:23Speaker 04

  Crystal.

• 23:24Speaker 08

  Crystal, okay, I apologize.

• 23:26Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:28Speaker 08

  And she said she handles all that and, uh, that you would chip back with me on it.

• 23:33Speaker 04

  All right, thank you so much, Neil.

• 23:35Speaker 08

  Hey, if there's anything I can do, keep giving me a call.

• 23:39Speaker 04

  Thank you, you have a good night, Neil.

• 23:41Speaker 08

  Yes, sir, God bless.

• 23:43Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 23:52Speaker 07

  Okay. So that begs a question in my mind.

• 23:56Speaker 04

  All right.

• 23:57Speaker 07

  If she's in the truck next to you when he called, why would you need to call her about getting numbers for rental?

• 24:02Speaker 04

  Cause it being that way that not that we're headed to the house, you know, I just wouldn't, uh, she normally's not gonna deal with stuff that late and I mean, I don't, I, I probably didn't even look at the phone to see who it was calling, I'm sure I just answered it. You know.

• 24:19Speaker 07

  But he said you told him that you'd need to call her.

• 24:22Speaker 04

  All right.

• 24:24Speaker 07

  Why wouldn't you need to call her? I mean, that's an odd phrase for someone who's sitting next to you in the truck. Do you understand, you see what I'm saying?

• 24:31Speaker 04

  Yeah, I see exactly what you're saying, but I mean, that's what I, if that right there is what I told him, that right there is what I told him, um, we wasn't on the phone that, uh, that long, but normally I would just, uh, she handles all that and that's what I'll do, she's not gonna wanna mess with that kinda stuff that late, uh, I'm sure I probably tried to answer the phone really quickly, um,

• 24:53Speaker 04

  so that it wouldn't, uh, a lot of times after I get moving, Eli goes to sleep, you know, uh, sometimes he goes to sleep in the truck, sometimes he doesn't, so, if you wanna call him, and do you got his number and everything, do you wanna call him? You know, you can call him.

• 25:06Annie Elise?

  Brooks claimed that the next morning, once he woke up to find Crystal gone, he got their son ready and went on about their usual morning, not wanting to call or disturb Crystal if she was at Sabrina's, because apparently he was afraid of making all of the argument and the things worse between them. So after he fed Eli and got him ready for the day, they went back to the farm for a family 4th of July party. But again, he initially said that there was no argument, so that didn't really add up either. And I don't know about you, but if they did have a fight, I don't know how he could just go and celebrate the holiday, knowing things were so tense and not being sure of where she was. Plus, we also know he said they had a 4th of July party, there were burn piles, and for me, a big red flag that always goes off

• 25:50Annie Elise?

  is anytime somebody willingly mentions a burn pile that coincidentally coincides with somebody who has either turned up to be missing or murdered. It's almost as though, in my opinion, they're trying to get ahead of things and ahead of the story as to explain why things were burned. Potential evidence burned away, potential DNA burned away. What do you think? I mean, a burn pile coupled with the conflicting stories about their arguments, about Crystal being with him, uh, the math ain't mathin' here, something feels off. About a week after Brooks' interrogation, on July 18th, Brooks' brother, Nick Houck, was brought in for questioning. Now, Nick was actually an officer for the Bardstown Police Department, and it was very, very clear from the start

• 26:35Annie Elise?

  that Nick didn't want Brooks to do any police interviews and was even heard in Brooks' interrogation calling him and basically telling him that detectives were going to try and twist things in their favor and not to talk to them. Investigators had found out prior to this interrogation that on the night of the 3rd, Nick had taken a squad car out to the farm. And police found that to be a bit odd and decided to take the squad car in for further investigation. When detectives did a luminol test, they found bodily fluid all in the back of the car, as well as on a blanket that was in the trunk of the car.

• 27:11Speaker 09

  Take that car home with you. It's a take-home car. Nobody else uses it unless... Was to come up.

• 27:16Speaker 10

  The only person that's ever, the only other person that's used that car is, uh, Tom Blair. It was issued to him first and then it was passed down to me. But that's, you know, that's been a while back.

• 27:25Speaker 09

  Yeah, how long has that been, do you think?

• 27:27Speaker 10

  That's been a couple of years.

• 27:28Speaker 09

  Okay. Um, cardboard box with some extra stuff in it, fire extinguisher.

• 27:35Speaker 10

  Hats, just rain jackets.

• 27:36Speaker 09

  Hats, rain jackets.

• 27:37Speaker 10

  I mean, I could sit here and try to tell you, I don't know, there's, I probably could come up with half of them.

• 27:41Speaker 09

  When they, when they, uh, took your car, when the PD took your car from your house, what, uh, what was in the trunk being?

• 27:49Speaker 10

  Well, it's this morning, Grand Jury came up, it was just all the stuff I just told you, but there was also, uh, one other thing I can remember that was there was a, uh, I don't know, just a, just a regular blanket for moving, you know, where I moved from 104 Lindview Drive to where I'm at now, I took the blanket that was there and I just put it between furniture to keep it from marring up the furniture, you know, the finish on it. It went down the road and it's supposed to jingle around and.

• 28:11Speaker 09

  And in the trunk of your cruiser, you had furniture in the trunk?

• 28:14Speaker 10

  No, no, I didn't, uh, uh, no, what I did, I, I got the blanket at the farm, I used it and then I was gonna take it back in a few days, I forgot about it. So it's sitting there in the trunk, you know, but no, I used, I used my trailer and truck.

• 28:26Annie Elise?

  Even though they already knew the answer, they asked him if there would be any reason for blood to be in the trunk of his cruiser, to which he just adamantly, completely denied multiple times. He is extremely calm and collected through his entire interrogation, almost as if he had practiced the entire thing.

• 28:45Speaker 09

  So, I mean, we're gonna call it like it is. Is it, do you don't wanna remember or can you remember?

• 28:50Speaker 10

  I, I can't remember.

• 28:52Speaker 09

  Okay, because this is what's happened, you made a phone call, he was up here, within two hours of him leaving here, both of y'all were on the road, on the way to the farm, and the camera shows that, time and date stamped, phone call, time and date stamped. You're out there, what, what went on while you were out there at the farm?

• 29:10Speaker 10

  Yeah, if, if I knew, I'd tell you, I mean, I wish I could give you a detailed written statement, I don't know.

• 29:17Speaker 10

  Just kind of jump back to the cruiser here for a minute. Do you, is there any reason that there be any blood in the trunk of your cruiser?

• 29:26Speaker 11

  No reason at all.

• 29:27Speaker 10

  So you don't transport any biological evidence on a regular basis?

• 29:33Speaker 10

  When was the last scene that you had somebody that was bleeding? How long has it been?

• 29:39Speaker 11

  Oh, I mean, I'm sure it's maybe a wreck or something like that. That's been a long time ago.

• 29:43Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 29:43Speaker 11

  I mean, there's no, I can tell you there's no blood in part of my cruiser. I can guarantee you that.

• 29:48Annie Elise?

  Nick told investigators during this interview that he had very rarely spoken to Crystal over the last few years, and that he sometimes saw her on the street, but that that was about as far as their interactions went. He claimed that Brooks never complained to him about Crystal and their relationship, and that as far as he knew, they had a pretty solid relationship and didn't argue. To detectives, Nick's entire interrogation was more than suspicious, especially considering what they had found in the trunk of his squad car and his complete denial of it. They felt like he knew more than what he was leading on, so they decided to have him take a polygraph test. He was brought back into the office on July 24th where an FBI polygraph examiner discussed

• 30:31Annie Elise?

  his results with him, which turned out to be less than perfect.

• 30:35Speaker 11

  I'm talking to you man to man as a fellow law enforcement officer, that the time has come for you to think real hard about the rest of your life.

• 30:45Speaker 11

  This is you, I'm not talking about Brooks or anybody else. Details of who did what when? Can I tell you exactly? No, but I can demonstrably point out through forensic evidence already that things that you told us about where you were at various times are demonstrably not true. We can prove in front of a jury today. And start to, well, our self-preservation, we all do.

• 31:06Speaker 10

  Let me just cut you off. I mean, do we need to take this any further?

• 31:11Speaker 11

  I would like to take it to the truth, that's the whole reason we're here.

• 31:14Speaker 10

  It's a test, though. I mean, this, I mean, you're talking crazy. I mean, you're talking crazy.

• 31:18Speaker 11

  Was that your rehearsed response to what was going to happen today? Because it sure sounds like it.

• 31:23Speaker 10

  I don't know what it sounds like, I'm just telling you.

• 31:25Speaker 11

  Well, I'm telling you what it is.

• 31:26Speaker 10

  You're talking crazy.

• 31:27Speaker 11

  What's crazy about it? Explain it to me.

• 31:29Speaker 10

  The accusations you're making.

• 31:31Speaker 11

  Yeah, I'm saying that you're involved in this.

• 31:33Speaker 10

  Absolutely not.

• 31:35Speaker 11

  Well, you already told me that. That's why we did the polygraph, to find out. Well, now we both.

• 31:39Speaker 10

  I told you what now?

• 31:40Speaker 11

  You told me before you had nothing to do with it.

• 31:43Speaker 10

  Yes.

• 31:43Speaker 11

  Well, now we're past that, because I've already shown that you did have something to do with it.

• 31:47Speaker 10

  I don't know what the test.

• 31:48Speaker 11

  I just showed you.

• 31:49Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 31:50Speaker 11

  I just showed it to you.

• 31:51Speaker 10

  But I'm telling you I did have.

• 31:52Speaker 11

  And I'm telling you you're lying. I mean, I can't make it any, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but I'm telling you the truth.

• 31:58Speaker 10

  That's what I'm doing to you. I'm telling you the truth.

• 32:00Speaker 11

  No, you're not. We're past that. I've already shown you.

• 32:03Speaker 10

  I've taken the polygraph. Do you have anything else for me? Because I mean, I'm not gonna sit here and, we're not gonna go back and forth like this.

• 32:08Speaker 11

  You do whatever you want to do. I said I'm.

• 32:10Speaker 10

  I mean, I wanna cooperate with you. I mean, I'm not here.

• 32:13Speaker 11

  Tell me what happened. Tell me what you know.

• 32:15Speaker 10

  I don't know anything.

• 32:17Speaker 11

  We're past that. You've already shown me that you do.

• 32:19Speaker 10

  I know nothing. I'm sorry.

• 32:22Speaker 11

  That's not true. It's not me. I just showed you. I don't even show people that I showed you yours. And I even went the extra step for you, to find out, okay, well, let's try to nail down what you know more about. You know more about this?

• 32:35Speaker 11

  Who would know? Am I saying that you, you did it or you don't know? I'm just saying you know more than we do. Whether that's a simple conversation with your brother, or whether you were physically involved out there, I can't tell you. Either one of those things would explain what I'm seeing. My hunch is, it's something that your brother told you.

• 32:53Speaker 10

  I don't know anything. He has not spoken with me about this. He's my brother.

• 32:57Speaker 11

  I said that because he probably would know better than to say specific things, so it's matter than perhaps of what you observed, what you saw, what you saw other people say. I don't know. I wasn't there. All I'm telling you is, objectively, that's what we do, you and I do. That badge on there is what? To protect society, that's what a shield is, right?

• 33:15Speaker 10

  Yes.

• 33:16Speaker 11

  That's what we do.

• 33:16Annie Elise?

  At one point during his polygraph test, he was asked, flat out, point blank, "Do you know where Crystal is?" His response was no, but this turned out to be false. Now, I do want to be clear that the accuracy of polygraphs has always been a very controversial topic, but in my opinion, it seemed a little strange that he specifically failed the question about Crystal.

• 33:44Annie Elise?

  Okay, can we just talk about holiday gifting for a second? There's nothing like having those pieces in your closet that you absolutely love, that you know you can count on for any occasion. For me, it's like this nice little silk two-piece jumpsuit. It's like a pant and a nice little like top blouse, because I'm not really a dress person. And I feel like the best part is like, maybe give somebody else that feeling, having that staple to go to in their closet that is high quality, that looks great, that they can wear for any occasion. So this holiday season, I've not only found those pieces for myself in the past at Quince, but I am paying it forward and I am gifting the gift of Quince this season. Everything there is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands,

• 34:27Annie Elise?

  because they work directly with ethical factories and they cut out the middleman. So you're giving luxury quality, but without that luxury price tag. I've told you before too, if like you wanna maybe not branch out and do clothes, because that's a little bit personal of a gift, their cashmere throw blanket, I'm telling you, you will be the favorite daughter-in-law, favorite son-in-law, favorite friend. It is the best gift you could give. Cashmere throw blanket, mark my words. So go ahead, go check it all out at quince.com, give the gift of quality this holiday season. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too.

• 35:11Annie Elise?

  And when Quince asks you where you heard about them, let them know that it was Serial Sli that sent you. It is the best way to support the show.

• 35:20Annie Elise?

  This episode is sponsored by Chime. Get more of your money with Chime. With the Chime card, you get 5% cash back in a category of your choice with qualifying direct deposits. From gas to travel to dining. Choose the category that fits where you're spending most that month, then try switching it up next month. If you're spending $1,000 a month on groceries, you could get up to 600 a year back. Plus, you get travel perks like airport lounge access and 24/7 travel concierge included with your Chime card. There are no annual fees, no interest, and no credit check. To apply, join the millions who already are banking fee-free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com/serialistly. That is chime.com/serialistly. Sign up now, it only takes a few minutes.

• 36:05Annie Elise?

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• 36:23Annie Elise?

  Just a few months later, on October 16th, 2015, Barnstown Mayor John Royalty, Police Chief Rick McGubbin, and City Attorney Tim Butler held a press conference where they announced that former Barnstown Police Officer Nick Houck had been fired due to his failed polygraph test and his interference in the Crystal Rogers case. His interference was cited on July 8th, when he called his brother Brooks during his interrogation. Documents regarding the interference said, and I quote, "Making a call to his brother in such circumstances is enough to be considered interference in a criminal investigation, given Mr. Houck's experience and background as a police officer. In common terms, he should have known better."

• 37:07Speaker 12

  Really, I guess if you think about it, he injected himself into this. He made that call. He was not necessarily on the radar, but by him making that call, he therefore entered into the entire investigation. That, yes, of course, that was the first and really only forward-moving thing that he did. The rest of it was more of a, in a passive way. His lack of candor stood out to me as much as anything, and like I said, a lot of what he didn't do as much as what he did do. That's, that was kind of the balance that, you know, I looked at. But that, I think, was as bad as...

• 37:52Speaker 12

  Doing something proactive, if you will, the fact that he didn't do what a police officer should do.

• 37:59Annie Elise?

  A few days later, Brooks was officially announced as a suspect in Crystal's disappearance. Not only was he announced as a suspect, but the Nelson County Sheriff's Department officially said that they believed that Crystal was no longer alive. Months had gone by, and Crystal was still missing. The whole community came together, volunteering for search party after search party of all of the surrounding areas, Bluegrass Parkway, the woods, and even the waters nearby. Unfortunately, each search came up empty-handed, and Brooks was the main and only suspect at this point. And also, coincidentally, he was the one person who was not helping in any of these searches at all.

• 38:40Annie Elise?

  All of Crystal's family, as well as outside forensics teams and investigators, had been continuously searching for clues and possible evidence in this case, all the way up until November 2016, just a little over one year after Crystal had disappeared. And then, their entire worlds got turned upside down. On November 19, 2016, Crystal's dad Tommy had made plans to go hunting on the family's property, which sits adjacent to the Bluegrass Parkway, where Crystal's car had been found. He and Crystal's 12-year-old son Trenton went towards the back of the farm, and Casey and his son Brandon took the front half of the farm. Casey recalled sitting in his truck with Brandon, listening to the radio, when they heard one single gunshot.

• 39:24Annie Elise?

  At this same time, Sherri received a phone call from Trenton with something she never thought she would hear. Tommy had been shot. It was a single shot to his chest, and he unfortunately died on impact and was gone before Sherri could even arrive. Now, I cannot imagine the pain that this woman has gone through. It makes my heart ache for the trauma that she has experienced in such a short window of time. She and Tommy were high school sweethearts, and they had been inseparable ever since. Creating the lives they lived and a family that they loved altogether. Not only was she grieving the sudden disappearance of her daughter, but now she lost her husband too. In an interview after the fact, Sherri said that she knew in her heart that this was no accident.

• 40:09Annie Elise?

  Tommy had been very public with his search for Crystal. He had taken the investigation into his own hands the entire time, searching for clues, leading search parties, creating maps of possible places that Crystal could be, and also gaining access to security camera footage across town. He was not stopping until he got answers. And she believed that the person who was involved in Crystal's disappearance knew that. So when police looked into the scene, they found a small opening in the trees where they found that the trees and brush had actually been freshly cut with what looked like a saw. Casey said he had never seen an opening in that area like this ever before. It seemed as if this was meticulously planned. Was it because Tommy was asking too many questions?

• 40:53Annie Elise?

  Was he getting too close to finding out what happened to his daughter Crystal? Trenton told police that as soon as the two of them got out of the car and turned the corner into the hunting area, Tommy seemed to have been alerted by something he saw. He reached out a hand to stop Trenton and kind of push his body back behind his own. Tommy then took his rifle off of his shoulder and looked right into the direction of where the opening was. And it was right at that moment that he was shot. Now, I'm just gonna say this, guys. In my opinion, as well as his family's, Tommy had seen his killer. Or had at the very least been alerted that something suspicious was going on. Despite this eyewitness account from someone who had been there and saw everything firsthand,

• 41:38Annie Elise?

  investigators still didn't rule out the possibility of Tommy's death simply being an unfortunate hunting accident. But the Ballard family knew better. Tommy's family told their private investigators that over the course of the past year, Tommy had been keeping a box full of anything pertaining to Crystal's case. Every tip they had received had been written down, every address, every map of locations that Crystal could have been in, and Even every security camera in the area that Crystal had been seen on. Sherry said that if Tommy wasn't out physically looking for Crystal, he was at home on the computer, working on his own investigating. Sherry allowed the investigators to take pictures and make copies of everything, hoping that they might be able to comb through what Tommy had already found.

• 42:23Annie Elise?

  And investigators laid out everything in front of them, and organized each of Tommy's notes into subcategories. In Tommy's box was surveillance footage on July 3rd of Crystal in Walmart with her kids at 4:36 PM. This footage is very likely just hours before her disappearance, and possibly was the final hours of her life. Tommy's notes also said that a physical witness had seen Crystal bringing the Walmart bags into the house at 5:00 PM that night. Tommy also noticed that in the Walmart footage he obtained, a white Buick kept going back and forth towards Walmart while Crystal was there. Witnesses also came forward and claimed that the white Buick was also seen parked in a strange place at the farm

• 43:05Annie Elise?

  that Brooks' family owned on the night that Crystal went missing. And according to court documents, Brooks' grandmother, Anna Whitesides, owned a white Buick. But shortly after Crystal's disappearance, she ended up selling it. So investigators were able to find that car, and they found that it had been sold to a dealership, which they were able to track down and then search for any possible forensic evidence. When looking into the car, they found a GPS tracker under the front seat. So they immediately began testing the GPS, hoping it would possibly show where the car had been on the night that Crystal disappeared. But unfortunately, they found out that the GPS hadn't been in working condition since long before Crystal had gone missing. They also found what seemed to be bodily fluids,

• 43:49Annie Elise?

  and they tested them for blood, but it turned out not to be blood. By 2017, no progress had been made in Crystal's disappearance or her father Tommy's death. Interestingly enough, in July of that year, someone had been arrested, but not at all in any ways that anyone was expecting. A woman named Crystal Malpin was seen on security camera footage at Circle K in Bardstown. She was seen getting out of her car and taking down signs regarding Crystal's disappearance. This woman turned out to be Brooks's new girlfriend. Now remember, at that time, Brooks was still the only suspect in her case. So new girlfriend Crystal was charged with theft for unlawfully taking these, but her

• 44:32Annie Elise?

  bond was posted and she was released the same day. The Ballard family as a whole was just so in awe at the pure audacity that this woman had. Sherry was left upset and very confused. She wondered why Crystal wouldn't just help them. She also was left wondering why Crystal and Brooks weren't giving the family support if Brooks was as innocent as he claimed. By the end of 2020, the police had completely stepped in to take over Crystal's case. They immediately began serving search warrants, including Brooks's house, Nick's house, and their mother's house, as well as a storage unit in the area. The FBI told the media that they recovered several items of interest in this search.

• 45:13Annie Elise?

  Then in 2021, the FBI ripped up the driveway of Brooks' home, which had been built the same year that Crystal had gone missing. Again, in 2022, FBI searched the family farm, where Crystal had allegedly last been seen at. The farm was over 200 acres, but they focused on a smaller portion of it. They brought in cadaver dogs, drones, and excavating equipment. The search on the farm had lasted for five days straight. The FBI released that evidence had been collected, but they did not give any details on what exactly had been found. In August of 2023, a huge break in the case was finally made. For the first time ever, someone had been arrested in regards to Crystal's disappearance.

• 45:57Annie Elise?

  But to the shock of quite literally everyone, and everyone familiar with this case, it wasn't Brooks that was arrested. 32-year-old Joseph Lawson was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Murder, as well as a charge for tampering with physical evidence. Joseph's attorney Kevin Coleman confirmed that his client's charges were in relation to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Joseph has apparently had a pretty colorful criminal history over the years. He has had charges in the past of burglary, trespassing, assault, and possession of methamphetamine. So this guy is obviously shady, right? But you might be asking yourself or asking me being like, hey, Annie, okay, this guy, yes, obviously is like a walking red flag. But what's his connection to Crystal's case?

• 46:42Annie Elise?

  Well, remember that midnight phone call that Brooks got on the night that Crystal disappeared? You know, the one that the police then caught him in a lie about later on? Well, that was from Steve Lawson. And as it turns out, Steve is none other than Joseph's father. So now with Joseph arrested, things really started to fall apart for Brooks, and he was finally arrested. In late September 2023, Brooks was officially arrested and charged with the murder of Crystal, as well as tampering with physical evidence, and then he was given a $10 million bond. Now, keep in mind, before Brooks was arrested, he still had custody of he and Crystal's son Eli. And sadly, like we see so often, Brooks prevented Eli from spending any quality time with Crystal's mother, Sheri.

• 47:27Annie Elise?

  Unfortunately, the Ballards haven't been able to have a close relationship with the son that Brooks and Crystal once shared. When Crystal first went missing, Tommy and Sheri had filed for court mandated visitation times. They were able to see Eli every other Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. But in 2018, a judge overruled it, claiming that the connection between Brooks and Sheri has boiled over to the point that it is not in the boy's best interest to spend time with his grandmother. Brooks claimed that Eli had begun asking him, what did you do to mommy? And claimed that he was sullen and uncooperative every time after spending time with Sheri. So obviously, when Brooks was arrested, this threw a huge wrench in the agreed custody plan.

• 48:11Annie Elise?

  Brooks's mother and Sheri both went to court to fight over the now 11-year-old child. The proceedings were ruled to be confidential and neither side was allowed to comment or share with the media how the judge ruled. But reporters outside of the court saw Sheri leave with a huge smile on her face. And Brooks's mother looked less than happy. So, we obviously don't have confirmation. All we can do is hope that based on their reactions, that Sheri was granted custody and can finally begin to repair that relationship with her youngest grandchild. And of course, allow him to finally see his other siblings, who had not been allowed to see him since he was only a few years old. Brooks, though, he had bigger problems on his hands, namely, the massive $10 million bond that was keeping him in jail.

• 48:55Annie Elise?

  His arraignment was scheduled for October 5th, where he appeared via video. Brooks' defense team argued that the $10 million bond was extremely harsh and argued that Joseph's had only been $500,000. So, they argued for a $500,000 cash bond as well as GPS monitoring. The prosecution argued that the reason that Joseph's bond was set so much lower was because he has no other possessions other than his truck and that $500,000 is really $10 million to Joseph Lawson. Essentially, they just wanted to set bonds high enough so that neither of them could get out. During that same arraignment, multiple issues were brought up. The first was that the judge confirmed that he believed that Tommy's death is linked

• 49:38Annie Elise?

  to Crystal's and that his office is in the process of investigating it. Which is something, honestly, most everyone had already figured, but it had never previously been confirmed by any one official. Sheri was also seen getting extremely emotional when Tommy was brought up, and it was no doubt filled with a mix of relief and sadness, knowing now that his death is somehow connected to his daughter's death. All potentially, again, due to him getting too close to figuring out the truth and what really happened to his daughter, Crystal. So the prosecutor explained that they had purchased a gun from Nick Hauck, who is Brooks' brother. Nick was selling this rifle under a fake name, and they bought it. During the hearing, the prosecutor stated that they believed

• 50:22Annie Elise?

  that it's the gun that was used to kill Tommy, and they are investigating Nick's possible role in Tommy's death. After the hearing, Brooks' defense team filed another motion for the judge to lower his bond, and the judge, who goes by Honorable Sims, denied the motion, citing the safety issues at hand for any witnesses to the case. An indictment hearing was held on December 6th, and during the hearing, it was said that Steve aided one or more persons in the planning or commission of the death of another, and also destroyed, mutilated, concealed, or removed any evidence on July 3rd or July 4th, 2015. It was allegedly Joseph who took Crystal's car and parked it on the side of the highway. He claimed that while Joseph was moving Crystal's car, it got a flat tire at that mile marker where it was left.

• 51:07Annie Elise?

  So Joseph called Steve to come and get him, which he did. He claimed that Steve had no idea why Joseph had that car or what he was doing with it. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me that Steve was the person working for Brooks, yet his son would be the one mainly in contact with Brooks and doing all of his dirty work.

• 51:30Annie Elise?

  It's officially holiday season, which also means it's hosting season, right? So it's time where you look around, you notice things if you're like me, where like, oh, that little area could use a little bit of a refresh, or, ooh, I think I need a little bit more decorating over in this corner. And for all things hosting, Wayfair delivers high-quality, customer-trusted products for your home so that you can host and celebrate without having any of the stress. Wayfair helps you create a home that stands up to real life with thousands of products across every style and budget, plus trusted reviews that make shopping just way easier. Think colorful serving bowls, flameless votive candles, a holiday embroidered cotton napkin set,

• 52:12Annie Elise?

  just the little touches that make everything feel a bit more elevated and cozy. For me, it's my turn to host this year. So I already knew, looking around, I'm like, okay, my dishes are not going to cut it. My napkins aren't going to cut it. So I was able to get actual holiday dishes at a great value. Cute embroidered napkins. I got an amazing net new like wood cutting board that you can leave out on the counter. That's decorative too. So many amazing things and the reviews really sold it for me. So when you're refreshing your home this holiday season, Wayfair delivers exactly what you need. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com.

• 53:01Annie Elise?

  Now, before we get into the trial drama of it all, let's hit some pre-trial highlights. First up, Brooks, you know, the ever so charming guy. He asked for a change of venue and honestly, fair. Everyone in the town had pretty much spent the last decade sigh eyeing him, whether it was the grocery store on the street, at the gas station, you name it. So this was a fair ask and the court ended up saying, you know, fine, you can have your trial in a different area. You can change the venue. So the trial was now going to move to Bowling Green. But it didn't end there because then Steve Lawson went full courtroom diva. I am talking the works. During a pre-trial hearing, he literally fired his lawyer right there in court on the

• 53:45Annie Elise?

  spot and he asked the judge for a new attorney.

• 53:47Speaker 08

  Governor, my attention, I don't think. I'm trying to knock nobody. My attorney's doing his job for me anymore. I can't use this, uh, I don't know what you call it. His counsel anymore, sir. I'm sorry. I can't use his counsel anymore, sir. Okay. Are you saying that you're wanting a different attorney? Yes, sir. That's exactly what I'm saying, sir.

• 54:14Annie Elise?

  And because Steve had made those statements, the ones about Crystal's car implicating Joseph, lawyers for Brooks and Joseph said that Steve should be tried separately so that it would keep things fair. So Steve got his own trial while Brooks and Joseph Lawson just got lumped together. And Steve, he was the first to face the jury in May of 2025. And his defense with this whole thing was basically like, yeah, I helped hide the car, but I didn't know that there was a murderer that was involved, which, okay, sure, my guy. On the stand, Steve also admitted that on the night that Crystal disappeared, his son Joseph had called him for a ride. Steve showed up, found Joseph next to Crystal's abandoned car, and then made the decision to help him stage it.

• 54:56Annie Elise?

  He said that he moved the driver's seat forward so that it would look like Crystal had driven the car. Then he took the baseball bat from the car and drove off and didn't ask any other questions. And according to Steve, the reason for that is because he thought that the car was stolen. Yet according to the prosecution, it's because he knew that it was evidence in a murder. And remember that infamous phone call to Brooks, the one that Steve claimed was about a rental property? Well, in court, he finally admitted that he had called Brooks to say, quote, "The job is done." And that's not the only thing that Steve said about Brooks. The prosecution, they brought receipts, literal jailhouse phone calls that had been recorded.

• 55:38Annie Elise?

  And in these calls, Steve admitted that Brooks, according to him, wanted Crystal gone.

• 55:45Speaker 05

  One on January 5th, Lawson's mother wanted to know, "Brooks Hauck didn't ask you to kill her." Lawson responded, he said, "I want her gone." I said, "What are you talking about? I don't know why you're talking to me. No more, no less, end of story." They then talked about Roger's car found on Bluegrass Parkway and Steven Joseph Lawson's involvement with it. "Why in the hell did you take him to get her car?" Lawson's mother said. "I don't know, Mom. That's the truth." The call ends with her asking Lawson, "When you knew she was missing, why didn't you say something?" He responds, "Yeah, I should have said something right then."

• 56:28Speaker 05

  In a second call a few days later with an unknown person, Lawson is asked about Crystal's body. I'm telling you, I don't know, he said. The frustrated caller says to Lawson, it's premeditated murder. There's no premeditation on my end, Lawson responded. You could have saved that girl's life, and you didn't. Lawson says, I never set nobody up.

• 56:54Annie Elise?

  So prosecutors argued that obviously Steve wasn't clueless about the murder. And in fact, he was actually getting paid to help hide it. Because as it turns out, Brooks promised him future drywall work if he helped him out. Which is so crazy, because when you think about it, it means that Steve helped cover this murder of an innocent woman, all in exchange for the chance at a construction job. How does that math at all equate? In the end, though, the jury didn't buy his whole, you know, I didn't know, I thought the car was just stolen, that whole act, not at all. And on May 30th, 2025, Steve was found guilty on both counts. And they recommended that he be sentenced to 17 years. So now let's move on to the main event.

• 57:38Annie Elise?

  Brooks and Joseph, because remember, they were going to trial together. And boy, oh, boy, was it worth the wait. Now let me just say this, the prosecution had to build its case almost entirely on circumstantial evidence, because Crystal's body still hadn't been found at this point. And we also don't know what the murder weapon was, right? But they didn't let that stop them, and they still came with some serious evidence. One of the biggest pieces of it was the secret audio recording of Brooks and his mom, Rosemary. Because in this clip, Brooks asks if the police took his brother Nick's car. And you can barely hear Rosemary say anything, but when you really listen, she basically says, yeah, they took it. And he's worried about the blanket in the back of it.

• 58:23Annie Elise?

  You don't think that you left anything on that blanket, do you? And then, without almost missing a single beat, Brooks just responds, saying, don't worry about it. Which begs the question, like, hello, if you're innocent, why would you guys be panicking about what is on a blanket in your trunk?

• 58:58Annie Elise?

  Then there was the testimony from Charlie Girdley, one of Brooks's former employees and also, I have to just say, like, the MVP of jaw-dropping testimony. Charlie said that on the night of July 3rd, he saw Brooks give Joseph Lawson Crystal's car keys. Then Charlie said that Joseph told him that if it came down to it, he would quote, "pull her teeth and the hogs would do the rest." Now, if you aren't familiar with like hogs and boars and things like that, they will feed on, many of them, not all, maybe all, but the majority of them, will literally feed on a human body. And so, a lot of people in a lot of twisted, disgusting cases will

• 59:41Annie Elise?

  leave a body out in the woods, the forest, the farmland, wherever it is, I think I just said "foods," but you know what I mean, the woods, the forest, the farmland, wherever it is, and like, allow nature to take its course and for the evidence to be destroyed that way. And that's exactly what he was implying here. Pulling the teeth so that they would not be able to match dental records and then feeding her to the hogs. It's sick. I mean, it's just such a disgusting, dehumanizing, awful thing to say about another human being. And this was really impactful, so much so that the jury seemed to agree and take what Charlie said very seriously. They even asked to re-watch his testimony before they went into deliberation.

• 1:00:21Speaker 13

  He said he'd been shaving her head and pulling her teeth and the hogs would do the rest.

• 1:00:27Speaker 14

  Okay.

• 1:00:27Annie Elise?

  This is from the direct examination of Charlie Girdley, a former employee of Brooks-Hauck. This was testimony. The jury asked to re-watch.

• 1:00:35Speaker 14

  Do you remember any conversation?

• 1:00:42Speaker 14

  What you had about Joey, about Krista's car that week.

• 1:00:48Speaker 13

  He said he was buried it with a skister and nobody ever found it. Steve had come up to me and said something about Brooks wanted to get rid of his old lady. He wasn't the man for the job that I was.

• 1:00:58Annie Elise?

  Now, the Lawson family, they had a lot to say too. Heather, Steve's ex-girlfriend, said that she overheard the Lawsons talk about moving a body off of the family farm. And Joseph's grandma Barbara had said that Joseph actually told her that Steve had killed Kristal, which, talk about like, family bonding at its absolute worst, right? Why would you confide in grandma that there was a murder and get everybody else roped in? It just kind of shows how sick and twisted and deep this whole thing really goes. Now, on the tech side, prosecutors used cellphone data to blow holes in everybody's alibis. Brooks had said that Kristal was playing on her phone that night, well past midnight, except it turns out that her phone died around 9:30 PM.

• 1:01:43Annie Elise?

  And it was also manually shut off just before midnight. Then, it later turned up in her abandoned car days later. So, you know, nice try, Brooks, trying to say she was like playing games or on Farmville or whatever the hell he was saying, past midnight. It's like, the data will never lie. Then came the white Buick. You know, the car that was owned by Brooks' grandma, the one that was seen near the Walmart and the farm the night that Kristal vanished? Well, sure enough, inside that car, police found hair that was consistent with matching Kristal's. So with all of this, even without a body, or without a murder weapon, or even a confession, all of this circumstantial evidence really was adding up. And it didn't take long for the jury to deliberate.

• 1:02:26Annie Elise?

  After just four hours, the jury came back. Brooks was found guilty of murder, principal or accomplice, and also tampering with evidence. Joseph was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and also tampering with evidence.

• 1:02:40Speaker 15

  In regard to Commonwealth versus Brooks William Houck, in regard to instruction number four, it says, "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder, principal or accomplice under instruction number four C." And under instruction number five, it says, "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of tampering with physical evidence under instruction number five."

• 1:03:07Speaker 15

  In regard to Joseph Lawson, the verdict form number four says, "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of conspiracy to commit murder under instruction number four A. And under verdict number five, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of tampering with physical evidence under instruction number five."

• 1:03:28Annie Elise?

  So the sentencing phase followed immediately. And if you thought that that first deliberation was short, let me just say, it took the jury literally 20 minutes this time to recommend the sentencing, which also happened to be the maximum possible sentence for both Brooks and Joseph. And that was life in prison for Brooks and 25 years for Joseph. Now, final sentencing is scheduled for August 21st, but I'm sure you know what I'm going to say, right? I say, lock him up, throw away the key, feed him to the hogs, buh-bye. Now, here's what's really interesting. Brooks might not be the only family member in hot water because the formerly detective on the case said after the trial that it is not over. When he was

• 1:04:12Annie Elise?

  asked if justice was done, he simply replied, quote, "No, I feel like we've got a little more to go. You'll see." So, does that mean that more arrests might be coming? Maybe for Nick? Maybe even for Rosemary? What about Grandma Barbara? You know, not that I'm saying Grandma, you know, was involved, but clearly she was told about it. So, what else is going to happen?

• 1:04:35Speaker 16

  The prosecutor, Shane Young, mentioned Brooks Hauck's brother and mother as co-conspirators in the case. Young, named Nick Hauck and Rosemary Hauck, they have not been charged. The defense and prosecution also mentioned 2019 taxes filed for COVID benefits under Crystal's name, but didn't elaborate. Young said people are filing taxes under dead people's names as tax fraud is happening across the nation.

• 1:05:00Speaker 17

  I think Rosemary and Nick had something to do with it. And I think that will all come out within time.

• 1:05:06Speaker 15

  Does today give a sense of closure?

• 1:05:11Speaker 17

  Somewhat, I would still wish we would be able to lay her to rest the way she is.

• 1:05:18Speaker 17

  Do you think that will ever happen? In time, yeah. I do hope that it will happen.

• 1:05:25Annie Elise?

  As Crystal's daughter reminded everyone, there is still one huge question here. Where is Crystal? What exactly happened to her? I can only hope for her family's sake that somebody finally cracks and tells the truth. I don't care if they're trying to work out a deal. I don't care if they're trying to flip on the other person to make their sentencing less when the official sentencing comes down. I don't care what it is. I just hope that somebody does crack or flip and that the investigators find her remains and that her family finally gets that peace. However, that being said, if they truly did feed her to the hogs or do something in that vein, it's very possible that her remains will never be found and that we may never have that answer.

• 1:06:11Annie Elise?

  And let's not forget, there hasn't been justice for Tommy in all of this either. Crystal's dad was likely murdered for pushing to find his own daughter. Where is the justice in that? And the FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for tips in his case. So hopefully that amount of money too is enough to make somebody hopefully talk so that the family can get justice for him as well.

• 1:06:32Speaker 18

  The Ballard's sat through every moment of two high-profile trials in just the last few weeks. Three convictions followed, but closure did not. What are you guys doing now to maybe get more people to talk?

• 1:06:47Speaker 19

  Now that the FBI has done what they've done, it's opened us back up to that and we're raising our reward as far as that goes.

• 1:06:54Speaker 18

  This year, the family more than doubled the reward and now offering $50,000 of their own money. The FBI has also renewed its call for tips, a signal the case is not forgotten.

• 1:07:06Speaker 19

  They haven't forgot Tommy Ballard and they're still working on it. And it was good to see that they offered a reward as well.

• 1:07:14Speaker 18

  The recent convictions in Crystal's case brought tears and some sense of relief, but they didn't bring closure.

• 1:07:20Speaker 19

  I feel really good about the conviction on all three of them. That's for sure. But I know we've got a little bit of waiting period to go through that process and we'll see how that goes and go from there.

• 1:07:32Speaker 18

  Ballard says someone out there knows the truth and now more than ever, the family needs them to speak up.

• 1:07:39Speaker 19

  Anybody that has anything, whether, I mean, they may not think it's anything, but if they remember anything about that day or the day before, from somebody parked on the Bluegrass Parkway, somebody walking on the Bluegrass Parkway, something they heard, no matter how small it is, you never know what it's gonna be a good tip or not a good tip and the police, they want those tips.

• 1:08:01Speaker 18

  From the farm where Tommy Ballard fell and took his last breath, a memorial still stands along with the family still standing and searching for Crystal and still waiting for justice.

• 1:08:13Speaker 19

  I'm never gonna have peace until Crystal's remains are found and an arrest in the murder of my brother.

• 1:08:19Speaker 18

  While the family continues to search for Crystal's remains, Ballard believes the three men convicted in the case should and could provide answers.

• 1:08:28Speaker 19

  A hundred percent, yes, I do. I mean, I feel like that all of them should man up and tell what they know. Do I think that's gonna happen? Probably not.

• 1:08:38Annie Elise?

  As for now, at least three of these scumbags are finally behind bars. But like we heard, there still may be a ways to go. We still need justice for her father. We need full answers. There might be other family members implicated. So while there has been justice in a way for Crystal at this point, which I'm happy about, I'm thrilled about, there is still quite a bit of road to go, in my opinion. So this is the majority of what's going on or what has gone on thus far in the Crystal Rogers case. But if we do end up hearing more updates in the future, such as a body discovery, more details, more arrests, I certainly will keep you guys updated. Thank you so much for tuning in today and

• 1:09:22Annie Elise?

  hearing Crystal's story, keeping her name alive, keeping her father's name alive, and just pushing forward for accountability, justice, and answers. Until the next one, guys, be nice, don't kill people, don't get involved with any wild hogs, and just, please, please, please, be a good human. If you have dirtbag family or dirtbag family by proxy because of in-laws or whatever it may be, just steer clear of them. Don't let them rope you into things. Not saying that like they were innocent and all this and got unknowingly roped in, but like... Just make good decisions, okay? I'm rambling, so I'm gonna shut up. But thank you guys for tuning in. Okay, bye.

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