LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nine years after Bardstown mother of five Crystal Rogers first went missing, her case is finally seeing movement in the justice system.
This week, attorneys representing the three defendants, and the prosecutor, met to discuss trial logistics. They decided Christian County in southwest Kentucky fits the needs for this trial.
Brooks Houck, Steve Lawson and Joseph Lawson are facing charges in the death of Rogers, who disappeared in 2015.
RELATED: Why attorneys agree 3 men charged in Crystal Rogers' death should face trial outside of Bardstown
According to Ted Lavit, Steve Lawson’s attorney, the meeting was held on Tuesday and multiple Kentucky counties were considered. Ultimately, he said the most important factors included courthouse capacity, safety for jurors, convenience for the court staff and witnesses, and a location far enough away from Bardstown to eliminate media bias.
Christian County Circuit Court is located in Hopkinsville, which is about 150 miles from Bardstown.
"We considered various locations and it was thought that the location at Christian County would be suitable," Lavit said. "It’s not that far away from Bardstown - couple hours. It has good protection for jurors and witnesses, and counsel and court personnel. And it was thought that this all being considered this would be a proper place to recommend to Judge [Charles] Simms."
Lavit believes the judge will want to see the facility in person, or send a member of his staff to do so, before finalizing the location. It will be up to the judge to make the final decision.
The Christian County courthouse is about two hours from Bardstown, and two and a half hours from Louisville.
One of the primary reasons for the change in venue is media coverage of the Crystal Rogers case. The case has been heavily covered by Louisville and Lexington media, and has even been covered on a national level.
"That was the primary object of our discussion," Lavit said. "It was thought that it met the criteria of eliminating any media bias. I wanted to go a little further out and considered Paducah, but on the other hand, convenience for Judge Simms, personnel and witnesses all had a bearing on the decision,’ Lavit said.
Right now, attorneys are preparing a court document to submit the suggestion to Judge Simms. If the judge agrees and finalizes the location, he will likely cancel next week’s court date which was scheduled to discuss the trial location.
The trial is scheduled to begin in February 2025.
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