From Bardstown to Bowling Green: my new podcast covering the Crystal Rogers trials

New podcast Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials- launches exclusively for Shay Informed subscribers February 17th.

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It's finally time.

After years of covering the Crystal Rogers case, I'm sharing a new podcast that tells the complete story of the Crystal Rogers murder trials. This podcast picks up where my others left off- the final chapter- justice.

It's called Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials.

Here's what you need to know:

What it is: A 10-episode podcast series covering the 2025 trials of Steve Lawson, Joseph Lawson, and Brooks Houck- the three men convicted in connection with Crystal Rogers' disappearance and murder.

What makes it unique: I was there. In those courtrooms. Every single day. I heard every witness, saw every piece of evidence, and watched as a decade-long mystery finally unraveled in front of a jury. Afterwards, I got the interviews that no one else got. And for the last several months, I've had the time to pour through the trial tapes, jail phone calls, and my notes to build something special.

Where you can hear it: This podcast is different from most podcasts you're used to because it is available exclusively to Shay Informed subscribers. You won't find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other public podcast platforms. It lives behind the subscription wall at shayinformed.com, and here's why: the only way this work exists is because subscribers support it. It wouldn't be fair for them to pay for a project that is then open to the public.

What to expect: The podcast is based on my notes taken during trial, recorded trial tapes, interviews after trial, and jail calls between Brooks Houck and his family members- telling a side of the story we haven't heard.

Why this podcast exists

When the Crystal Rogers trials finally happened in 2025, I made a decision: I was going to be in that courtroom every single day. No matter what. I was pregnant. I had a eight month old I had to bring with me. But I was going to be there. And I was- even though it meant moving my family to Bowling Green for a few weeks to make it happen.

I sat through jury selection. I heard opening statements. I watched Sherry Ballard take the stand and describe the worst weekend of her life. I listened as Steve Lawson admitted what he'd done. I was there when all three guilty verdicts were read.

I spent months producing this podcast- conducting exclusive interviews, going through trial transcripts, and editing hundreds of hours of courtroom audio. This is the complete story of how three men were finally held accountable for what happened to Crystal Rogers.

And it's told the way it should be: with no sensationalism, just the truth.

What you'll hear

Over 10 episodes, I'm taking you inside both trials with actual courtroom audio, exclusive interviews, and the evidence that finally cracked this case.

You'll hear from:

• Sherry Ballard, Crystal's mother, on what it was like to testify and finally see justice
• Former Detective Jon Snow, the lead investigator who spent years chasing leads in this case
• FBI Special Agent Steve Keary, who took over the investigation in 2020
• Crystal's grandparents, Till and Betty Ballard, on what these convictions mean for their family
• The Houck family, from recorded jail phone calls made every night after court ended for the day

And you'll hear the evidence that convicted three men. The phone records. The alibis that fell apart. The witnesses who finally came forward. The confession that stunned the courtroom.

All of it.

The day everything changed for me

Halfway through Brooks Houck's trial, something happened.

A woman approached me in the courthouse hallway. She said she was a fan of my work and asked for a hug. I said, of course.

Then she leaned in and whispered, "You need to follow me to a room down the hall. There are some people who need to talk to you. We need to be discreet."

I followed her into a side room where two officials were waiting. After that conversation, I ended up with 24/7 security for the rest of the trial. I sent my mom and daughter home. And I kept working- because Crystal's family deserved nothing less.

I tell the full story in the podcast.

What's in the podcast

Episode 1: Fatal Drive to the Farm
The Steve Lawson trial. Sherry's testimony. The midnight phone call. The confession. And the first guilty verdict.

Episode 2: The Jury Pool
Brooks Houck's trial begins. Only 33 out of 130 potential jurors hadn't heard of this case. What does that tell you? And the beginning of the evidence that would start to build against Brooks Houck.

Episode 3: The Alibi
Prosecutors systematically destroy Brooks Houck's alibi by calling every single person he claimed could clear him. And you hear from Brooks Houck- as trial gets underway.

Episode 4: The Family Conspiracy
Evidence that this wasn't just Brooks- it was Rosemary, it was Nick, it was the whole family covering it up. People who were closest to them at the time are called to the witness stand.

Episode 5: The White Car
How Tommy Ballard's Facebook post led investigators to a crucial piece of evidence. And right as things are heating up, I get a warning I wasn't expecting.

Episode 6: Shave her head and pull her teeth
The testimony about hogs and teeth and concrete- the moment that shocked everyone in that courtroom, and the first time we hear why Joseph Lawson agreed to move the car.

Episode 7: The Defense Attacks
Why Brooks Houck's lawyers thought they could win, how they tried to dismantle the prosecution's case, and Brooks' sister Rhonda paints a picture of fear, intimidation and threats against her family.

Episode 8: Closing Arguments
Both sides make their final case to the jury. Everything comes down to this. When the defense asks the judge for a directed verdict, the judge lays out the evidence piece by piece and says there is enough to convict.

Episode 9: Guilty
The verdicts. The reactions. What it felt like in that courtroom when justice was finally served, and the special homecoming the Ballard family received.

Episode 10: Where is Crystal?
What happens next? What do we know about Crystal's body? Could there be more charges? And what about the other Bardstown cases?

How to listen

This podcast is available exclusively to Shay Informed subscribers at shayinformed.com. Not on Spotify. Not on Apple Podcasts. Just here.

If you think this work is worth supporting, subscribe here. If not, I get it. No hard feelings!

Why this matters

Crystal Rogers disappeared 3,868 days ago.

For nearly a decade, her family searched. They organized volunteer searches across Nelson County. They put up billboards. They kept her face on the news. They refused to let anyone forget her name.

And they never gave up.

When I sat in those courtrooms last year, watching Sherry Ballard testify, watching Brooks Houck sit silently as witness after witness detailed the evidence against him, I thought about all those years. All those searches. All those nights the Ballard family went to bed not knowing what happened to Crystal.

This podcast is for them.

It's the complete story of how justice finally came. How investigators connected the dots. How prosecutors built their case. How a jury heard the evidence and said: guilty.

This is independent journalism

When I left television news to start Shay Informed, people asked if I could really make it work. If people would actually pay for local journalism.

Here's what I know- Circumstantial: The Crystal Rogers Trials wouldn't exist without subscribers who believe in this work. This podcast has no ads, no corporate backing, no one telling me what I can or can't say.

It's just me, telling the truth about what happened in those courtrooms.

If you believe stories like Crystal's deserve to be told properly- if you think accountability journalism matters- I hope you'll subscribe and support this work.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring about Crystal Rogers. And thank you for supporting independent journalism.

Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed here! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.