BACKGROUND: From a previous post of this Blog: " WHAS11abc: Reporter Joseph Garcia: Recap of first week of testimony: (I am dropping in, from time to time, on this intriguing 'no body' homicide case in which Brooks Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence, and Joseph Lawson is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence…."Without a body, prosecutors will need to use phone records, surveillance video, witness testimony or other tools to prove their case. Circumstantial evidence cases are one of the hardest to build, according to WHAS11 legal analyst Nick Mudd. Brooks Houck's attorney, Steve Schroeing, argued the case presented by the prosecution is built on pressure from family and the media to solve Crystal Rogers' disappearance. "Her family was panicked," he argued. "There was an explosion of publicity on this case like Kentucky had never seen." According to his attorneys, Houck was the answer to a mystery authorities couldn't figure out. The defense argued in the first four years of investigating there was no body, no evidence of her death, no murder weapon, and not a single eyewitness who could say she was harmed. Schroeing said a change in the dynamic of the investigation came in 2023 when Kentucky State Police investigators allegedly switched from "approved police tactics to manipulation." He argued the massive dig on Thompson Hill Road was an effort to find evidence to match the prosecution's new theory. "Nothing is found," Schroeing said. "They were wrong again."
https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2025/06/brooks-houck-joseph-lawson-second.html
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "On Thursday, the defense revealed what the FBI, which took over the case in 2020, found in the end. The most shocking was women's underwear containing hairs and women's clothing discovered during a search of a property Houck was developing in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision. These discoveries were considered "items of interest." But the items, which were dug up in the driveway, porch, and sidewalk areas of that home, did not trace back to Rogers. In fact, a DNA analysis did not match a profile for any person, prosecutors said."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "We heard from a total of six defense witnesses before resting their case. Their overall argument, specifically for Brooks Houck, is that there is no evidence of a murder. It appears the strategy for Joseph Lawson's defense is to fly under the radar because they did not call anyone to the stand. Closing arguments will begin on Monday for the trial's ninth day."
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STORY: "Defense rests its case in second Crystal Rogers trial; questions about DNA arise," WKLM (Reporter Alexis Mathews) reports, on July 3, 2025. (Alexis Mathews joined the WLKY news team in November 2020 as a General Assignment Reporter. Prior to landing in the Derby City, Alexis worked in Parkersburg, West Virginia as an evening anchor and producer.")
The defense rested its cases in the Crystal Rogers murder trial on Thursday, which comes exactly 10 years after the Bardstown mother disappeared.
New details were revealed about the searches for her remains in court Thursday.
One of the most anticipated questions related to this case was addressed in court today: "What, if anything, did the FBI find during their searches for Crystal Rogers body?"
Read about: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
The answer was shocking, and arguably underwhelming, for us all.
The search for the remains of missing Bardstown mom, Crystal Rogers, dates back a decade. The Houck family farm has been a constant focus since the 35-year-old vanished ten years ago.
But various properties, cars, and bodies of water connected to prime suspect Brooks Houck, his family members, and co-defendant Joseph Lawson were also searched.
On Thursday, the defense revealed what the FBI, which took over the case in 2020, found in the end. The most shocking was women's underwear containing hairs and women's clothing discovered during a search of a property Houck was developing in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision.
These discoveries were considered "items of interest." But the items, which were dug up in the driveway, porch, and sidewalk areas of that home, did not trace back to Rogers.
In fact, a DNA analysis did not match a profile for any person, prosecutors said.
Other property searches, including the most recent, in September of last year, at Cox's Creek, a home formerly owned by Nick Houck, Brooks' brother. And another extensive search of Houck family farm in October 2022 also did not turn up any evidence of a crime scene or Rogers' DNA.
We heard from a total of six defense witnesses before resting their case.
Their overall argument, specifically for Brooks Houck, is that there is no evidence of a murder.
It appears the strategy for Joseph Lawson's defense is to fly under the radar because they did not call anyone to the stand.
Closing arguments will begin on Monday for the trial's ninth day.
In wake of the ten-year observance since Rogers disappeared, her family's spirits were higher today than one would expect.
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.wlky.com/article/crystal-rogers-trial-defense-rests-case-questions-dna/65292357
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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