After a decade-long pursuit of justice, Brooks Houck, the convicted killer of Crystal Rogers, will face formal sentencing this Thursday, August 21, 2025.

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UPDATE: Sentencing has been delayed until September 17th, due to serious health issues with Joseph Lawson.

In what marks a pivotal moment for a case that has captivated Kentucky, two of the three men convicted in the Crystal Rogers case are set to be formally sentenced this week.

Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson were convicted of their roles in Rogers' death and disappearance on July 8, 2025, when a Warren County jury delivered swift justice after deliberating for just four hours.

Houck was found guilty of murder and tampering with physical evidence and Lawson was found guilty of tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit murder.

The jury's sentencing recommendation came even faster than the verdict, in just a matter of minutes they recommended the maximum penalty: life in prison plus five additional years for evidence tampering for Houck and 25 years in prison for Lawson.

Both men will appear for formal sentencing on Thursday.

Steve Lawson, the third man charged and convicted in the case, was formally sentenced on August 6th to 17 years in prison.

A Decade of unanswered questions

Crystal Rogers vanished during the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Brooks Houck was her boyfriend at the time, and the father of her youngest child. Two days after her mom reported her missing, her car was discovered on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with the keys in still in the ignition and her purse and phone on the passenger seat.

Despite extensive searches by the FBI and local investigators, Rogers' body has never been found. As recently as last month, during Houck's trial, Prosecutor Shane Young confirmed they still don't know where her boy is. He told the jury, "we don't know where she is. We haven't found her body. I wish we did. Her family deserves that."