The most horrific testimony of the trial. The witnesses who corroborated it. And the defense that nearly tore it all apart.

"I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.

Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials is available to paid subscribers only. You can become a member for $4.99/month and gain access to all of my work, including full interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and my weekly news podcast.

I turned around and looked at Sherry Ballard.

Her head was in her hands. Her daughter and son were crying on either side of her. Casey- Crystal's brother- looked heartbroken and furious.

Then Sherry got up and walked out.

I stayed in my seat. I had to. But I understood why she couldn't.

Because the man on the witness stand had just told the jury what Joseph Lawson said about Crystal Rogers:

"He said he would shave her head, pull her teeth, and the hogs would do the rest."

The courtroom went quiet. The kind of quiet where you can hear people breathing. Where nobody moves. Where the weight of what was just said settles over every person in the room.

Episode 6 of "Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials" is live now. And it's the most disturbing episode of this series. It's also the most complicated- because the man who delivered this devastating testimony had been lying to police for years.

Charlie Girdley is sworn in to testify under oath

You won't find this on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's only here, on shayinformed.com because this is independent journalism funded directly by people who believe this work matters. You can sign up here.