BARDSTOWN, Ky. — New attorneys for one of the suspects charged in the death of Crystal Rogers say it's unclear if next year's trial will begin as scheduled.
Steve Lawson appeared alongside his new attorneys, Darren Wolff and Zach Buckler, during a hearing for Lawson and his son, Joseph on Thursday. The father-and-son duo are both charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Thursday's hearing in Nelson County wrapped up within minutes as Judge Charles Simms met Lawson's new defense.
Lawson fired his previous attorney, Ted Lavit, during a hearing on Aug. 8. He argued that Lavit was working with attorneys for the third man charged in Rogers' death, her ex-boyfriend Brooks Houck.
Wolff is an attorney from Louisville and Buckler practices law in Lexington. Both men are private attorneys hired as contractors by the the Department of Public Advocacy.
Simms hoped both attorneys would be ready for trial within six months, however Wolff said the attorneys are just starting to look over the voluminous discovery in Rogers' case.
"I think this probably shouldn't surprise anybody, we literally just got appointed to this thing," Wolff said, adding the two men will need at least 45 days to review the two terabytes of information they've been given and get caught up.
RELATED: Discovery in Crystal Rogers’ death includes evidence in two other unsolved Bardstown murders
Houck's attorneys cited similar concerns at the end of 2023, saying they would need at least a year to build his case due to the thousands of documents, hundreds of hours of interviews, and ten years of investigative work.
Wolff told the judge it's unlikely the trial will begin in February as scheduled.
"I'm not one hundred percent positive we are going to be prepared to try this case during the time period this court has scheduled for that," he said. "I don't want to come here today and put anyone on the illusion that this is just going to continue as originally planned."
Members of the Ballard family told WHAS11 it's disappointing the trial could be delayed, saying they've waited more than a decade for justice in Rogers' disappearance. And they aren't the only ones hoping the delay won't be long.
Judge Simms said with three people in jail it's important for him to get the trial started on time.
The next court date is scheduled for October 4 at 9 a.m.
Where will the trial be held?
Judge Simms has yet to decide whether to combine the three trials or make them separate. He's been waiting to hear from Steve Lawson's attorneys whether he will waive "evidentiary protection."
If Steve Lawson does chose to waive those protections, it means the prosecutor can include statements he made during police interviews last year.
Judges very rarely agree to try defendants separately because of the burden it puts on the victim's family to go through multiple trials and the burden on taxpayers who pay for travel expenses to move court personnel to another county.
A ruling on where the trial will be held is also still up in the air. Attorneys previously agreed on holding the trial in Christian County, nearly 150 mils away from Bardstown, but Simms wasn't too impressed with the selection.
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