Man accused of being ‘recruited’ to ‘get rid of Crystal Rogers’

BARDSTOWN, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — In the Commonwealth’s response to recent court filings, prosecutors claim that a man facing charges regarding Crystal Rogers’ suspected death is more involved than he’s “willing to admit.”

Steven Lawson, 53 , was indicted on Dec. 6 on a charge of criminal conspiracy to commit murder, according to court documents. He was also indicted on charges of tampering with physical evidence in May 2023.

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In March, Lawson’s representation claimed that he was offered immunity in return for his cooperation, requesting that charges be dropped and that Lawson’s statements should not be held admissible in court.

After eight years of no answers, Lawson is the third man charged in Rogers’ disappearance. His son, Joseph Lawson , and Rogers’ former boyfriend, Brooks Houck , are also in police custody. Attempts have been made by those facing charges for a separate trial, and the Commonwealth’s May 16 filings also rebut that motion.

According to court documents, prosecutor Shane Young claims that Lawson would not be entitled to immunity based on the belief that his statements didn’t provide the whole truth.

“Obviously, the Commonwealth is convinced that parts of Lawson’s statement are truthful,” court documents state. But they go on to reveal that prosecutors believe that Lawson was more involved in Rogers’ disappearance and death than he’s let on.

Lawson allegedly admitted that he was recruited by Houck to move Rogers’ car in the early morning hours of July 4, 2015, as well as looking for someone to “get rid of Crystal Rogers,” per court documents.

The filing alleges that the pair spent an “inordinate amount of time together” preceding Rogers’ disappearance, and witnesses allegedly claim that conversations between them and Lawson show that Houck attempted to recruit Lawson or have him recruit somebody else to “get rid of Rogers.”

“While this information fits other facts and extrinsic evidence, other information provided by S. Lawson does not,” the documents state. “S. Lawson’s statements fall apart when questions arise about what he was doing certain hours of the early morning of July 4 as well as the phone call Houck made to Lawson on July 8 from the police station.”

Lawson allegedly told detectives that the call in the early morning hours of July 4, 2015, was to tell Houck that “the job is done,” alluding to the car being moved, per court documents.

The Commonwealth affirms the immunity offer was made, but Lawson did not live up to his side of the agreement, documents said.

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All three men charged have motioned for a separate trial, and the Commonwealth argued this motion in its May 16 response.

“In Kentucky, joint trials are favored when charges arise from the same set of facts,” court documents read.

Court documents go on to claim that a separate trial wouldn’t provide the jury with a full picture of what happened on the day of Rogers’ disappearance.

“If one is lying, it is easier for the truth to be determined if all are required to be joined together,” court documents said.

All three men are due in court at 9 a.m. on June 13, where each side will be heard and a decision will be made. The jury trial is set to begin on Feb. 10, 2025, in Hopkinsville.

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