Life in prison for Brooks Houck. 25 years for Joseph Lawson. And the chance for the Ballard family to look them in the eye and speak their mind.

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

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The morning of deliberations, the sun rose over Bowling Green in shades of orange and pink.

I ran into Sherry Ballard before we walked into the courthouse. She was smiling. Not the nervous kind of smile you put on when you're trying to hold it together. A real one. She told me she had peace. That she'd prayed, looked for little signs, and felt something she hadn't felt in ten years.

"This is it," she said. "I'm here for a reason."

Inside the courtroom, the judge reminded everyone what was about to happen. Twelve jurors would decide if the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Brooks Houck killed Crystal Rogers and that Joseph Lawson helped. Three bailiffs were sworn in to watch over deliberations. The jury walked out just before 9 a.m. And then we waited.

The hallway got crowded fast. Media, family members, attorneys- nobody wanted to stray too far. The Houck family eventually moved to a different floor. The Ballard family and Crystal's supporters spread out along the hallway, sitting on the floor, leaning against walls. You could feel the tension. The hope. The weight of not knowing.

Two hours in, the jury came back. Too quick for a verdict- and it was. They had a request. They wanted to rewatch the testimony of Charlie Girdley, Brooks Houck's former employee, who had delivered some of the most disturbing testimony of the trial. The jury watched about 20 minutes, handed the judge a note saying they didn't need to see any more, and went back to deliberating.

Two more hours passed. Then someone shouted, "We have a verdict!"

Episode 9 of "Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials" is live now. It's the verdict. The jail calls. The homecoming that brought a small Kentucky town to tears. And the sentencing- when the Ballard family was finally able to speak their mind.

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