'You're a sick individual'; Ballard family sounds off to Brooks Houck at sentencing

Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson were sentenced to prison time for their roles in the death and disappearance of Crystal Rogers on Wednesday.

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In what marks a pivotal moment for a case that has captivated Kentucky, two of the three men convicted in the Crystal Rogers case were formally sentenced Wednesday.

Brooks Houck was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. The judge followed the jury's recommendation, but specified that Kentucky law will not allow him to deny the defendant parole.

Joseph Lawson was sentenced to sentenced to 25-years in prison for his role in Crystal Rogers' death.

Houck and 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. Judge Charles Simms, who had the final say in the penalty, decided to stick with the jury's recommendation.

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

Steve Lawson at his sentencing hearing in August

Family has the final say

Crystal Rogers' family has waited more than a decade for this moment of access to speak directly to a man they once trusted as Crystal's partner. July 4th weekend 2015 in the hours after Crystal disappeared, Brooks Houck ignored the Ballard family's desperate calls and texts... and they haven't spoken since.

In the courtroom on Wednesday, he had no option but to go face to face with a family who blames him for the worst thing to ever happen to them.

"I hope every day you sit in prison you see my daughter's beautiful face," Sherry Ballard, Crystal's mom, said to Houck, "you are a true coward."

Crystal's sister Brooke Ballard had words for Houck, and his family, saying, "your mom is an evil woman who raised evil children. I hope you have the worst life possible."

Two of Crystal's children also took the stand. Kyleigh Fenwick described an abusive house when she lived with Brook and her mom. She said he would take light bulbs from her room when she forgot to turn them off and let them sleep among centipedes. "You never cared about anybody but yourself", she said to him.

Ashley Miller, Crystal's oldest daughter, was emotional on the stand. She said, "you stole the every day moments that made life beautiful. I hope you slowly rot away in prison."

A final attempt at a new trial

The Commonwealth's case against Houck and the Lawsons relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, as Rogers' body was never found. But the lead prosecutors have argued even still the evidence clearly establishes both her death and Houck's criminal responsibility.

They used this argument to defend against a new trial for the three defendants. Both Steve Lawson and Joseph Lawson had requested new trials.

The judge did not rule on the motions at the hearing, and said he would release a decision on Monday and that is when the appeals process can begin.

What comes next

For now, the Crystal Rogers case is closed, and complete in the court system. Both Joseph Lawson and Steve Lawson have indicated in previous court filings they intend to file appeals with the Kentucky Court of Appeals but neither have officially filed at this time.

Brooks Houck discussed appealing his sentence with his family on recorded jail phone calls from the Warren County Detention Center in the weeks after his trial, but has not officially made the request.

What about the co-conspirators in this case?

Much of the evidence shared during the three weeks of trial in the Crystal Rogers case had been submitted over the course of several years, and locked under seal by the judge before trial. This included information on un-indicted coconspirators, transcripts of interviews with detectives and the transcript of the grand jury recordings that were played at trial.

One of the court documents released after trial revealed the reasons why the prosecutor believes Rosemary Houck is a co-conspirator. It describes a conversation with one of Brooks' employees. asking for help “getting rid” of Crystal.

Nick Houck, Brooks Houck's brother is also considered an un-indicted coconspirator in the case. He did not attend any days during his brother's trial.

At this time, neither of them have been charged in connection to Crystal's case.

Just for paid subscribers:

Behind-the-scenes photo gallery: Photos all day long- from the courthouse, the media setup, the atmosphere, and inside the courtroom.

The deep dive analysis: This isn't just a recap; it's an analysis of what this sentence means, what appeals might look like, what the families said, and what the investigators involved behind the scenes believe could be coming down the pipeline.

Live Q&A: Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Shay McAlister will do a live Q&A with paid subscribers. Those who join will have the chance to ask anything, and discuss the case in detail.

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