Steve Lawson sentenced to prison time after emotional testimony in court

Crystal Rogers' family looked Steve Lawson directly in the face and called him a worthless, pitiful person.

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One of the three men charged in the Crystal Rogers case was sentenced to 17 years in prison Wednesday. Nelson County Judge Charles Simms stuck with the recommended sentence from the jury and recommended Lawson not be eligible for probation or parole.

Ultimately, it is a separate board that decides if an inmate is released early. But Rogers' family promised Lawson they will attend every hearing. Mike Ballard, Crystal's uncle said, "if I'm alive and able, you will see me again because I will be at your parole hearing when you come up for parole, and I will do everything I can to prevent you from getting parole because of what you've done."

Lawson was convicted on all charges after his trial in May. The jury recommended 17 years in prison, and Judge Charles Simms has stood by their recommendation.

Mike Ballard took the witness stand on behalf of Crystal Rogers. He turned and looked at Steve Lawson directly and said, "I could stand up here and go on and on about what a worthless, despicable, pitiful, thoughtless, gutless person you are. But I really don't have to say what everyone already knows."

Lawson admitted to picking his son up from the Bluegrass Parkway on July 3rd, after he said Joseph Lawson had moved Crystal Rogers' car at the request of Brooks Houck. His attorney asked during trial, "did you think you were giving Brooks Houck an opportunity to kill Crystal?" Lawson responded, "no sir. I was just moving a vehicle."

But Rogers' family doesn't buy that. At sentencing, Mike Ballard said, "she was unaware that it would be the last day her children, her mother, her dad, Casey and her sister Brooke would ever hear her voice or see her again. But you knew that. You knew all about that special date because you, Joey Lawson your son and Brooks Houck had a plan in place."

Lawson told a panel of grand jurors in 2023 that he knew Tommy Ballard. He said Tommy offered him his first drywall job. Mike Ballard touched on that relationship during his sentencing speech saying, "you knew Tommy was a good man, and you knew he was out searching every day looking for his daughter, but you didn't care, did didn't make anything. It didn't make anything to you, didn't mean anything to you."

Rogers' sister Brooke Bryan also spoke at sentencing. She told Lawson he could have stopped the murder, and should have spoken up sooner.

"You could have stopped this, you could have saved her life and we wouldn't be here today. You had the chance to do the right thing and you could have spoke up, you could have, you could have told the truth", Bryan said,"you knew what was happening. You had the power to stop it, but you stayed silent."

Lawson declined to speak at sentencing. He will now be turned over to state custody and classified into a prison.

He also has the opportunity to appeal the conviction in the Kentucky Court of Appeals. If he decides to do that, he will need a new set of appointed lawyers.

Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson will be sentenced on August 21st at 1 p.m.

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