NELSON COUNTY, Ky. — Crystal Rogers' former boyfriend Brooks Houck made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon after being charged with murder in the Bardstown mother's 2015 disappearance.
Houck to appeared in Nelson County Circuit Court via video during his arraignment hearing on Thursday, Oct. 5.
WHAS11's Shay McAlister has been covering the Crystal Rogers case throughout the entire investigation. She provided live updates from inside the courtroom as major details in a number of unsolved cases came to light.
Live Updates
1:50 p.m.
Judge has asked for time to read documents and will discuss the written order on Houck's bond later.
Court has been dismissed. The decision on Houck's bond will be released later.
1:46 p.m.
Sherry Ballard's eyes filled with tears as they mentioned Tommy Ballard, her husband.
1:41 p.m.
The judge said he is very concerned for the safety of the witnesses. Young agrees.
He said his office is also investigating the murder of Tommy Ballard which they believe will be linked.
Young said they purchased a gun from Nick Houck, who sold it to authorities using a fake name, and are currently testing it. They believe that was the weapon used to kill Tommy Ballard, Crystal's father who was mysteriously murdered 18 months after her disappearance.
Nick Houck is Brooks' brother and was a former Bardstown Police officer. He was fired after then Police Chief Rick McCubbin said he interfered in the investigation.
1:37 p.m.
Prosecutor Shane Young said Houck does have a loving, supportive family. "I completely agree, they've been supportive."
Grand jury proceedings are secret. In this matter, Young said Houck's sister, brother, mother, brother-in-law, and mother's boyfriend secretly brought in recorders and recorded the grand jury.
"I've been practicing for 28 years and have never heard of that!" he said.
Young is alleging Houck's family violated Kentucky law when they illegally recorded grand jury proceedings.
Young said Brooks Houck showed his sister how to run the same recorder in July 2015, the same month Crystal Rogers was murdered. He said they wanted to get their story straight.
1:33 p.m.
Crystal's family members are visibly upset listening to the discussion of lowering Houck's bond.
1:32 p.m.
Houck's co-defendant Joseph Lawson is being held on a $500,000 bond because his only possession is a truck.
Young said Lawson was found "naked" with no possessions when arrested.
"$500,000 is $10 million to Joseph Lawson," he said.
1:28 p.m.
The defense team is asking for a $500,000 cash bond and GPS monitoring. The judge has turned it over to the prosecution for a response to the bond motion.
Shane Young said he has never asked for a $10 million bond until this case. This is the first multi-millionaire he has ever prosecuted for murder.
Young said some grand jurors thought the bond should be "double that."
1:23 p.m.
Brooks Houck is appearing in court today from the Hardin County Detention Center.
1:20 p.m.
Media is watching the arraignment from the jury box.
1:17 p.m.
Crystal's mom and daughter sit stoic in the front row as they listen to Houck's attorney ask for a reduced bond.
1:10 p.m.
Now the court is hearing the defense's motion to reduce bond. Butler wants the $10 million cash bond reduced to $500,000. He said in his 28 years of practice, he has never heard of a bond even close to that.
Houck's constitutional rights are being violated with this bond, Butler said.
The defense team had Houck's risk to not appear in court assessed and said he is classified as "low risk."
1:09 p.m.
Next court date scheduled for Feb. 8, 2024 at 1 p.m. for pre-trial.
1:08 p.m.
Pre-trial is set for February to see if discovery is complete and they are ready for the actual trial.
Shane Young said he would be ready for a trial in the summer of 2024, but Defense attorney Brian Butler said "there is no way Mr. Houck can get a fair trial in 2024."
Butler said he plans to make a motion to try this case in another county.
1:02 p.m.
Houck has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young said the discovery is going to be "over a terabyte" of evidence. Prosecutors estimate there is thousands of documents of evidence in this case.
1:01 p.m.
Court has officially started. Houck is appearing on video from the Hardin County Detention Center.
12:53 p.m.
Houck's attorney, Brian Butler, is in the courtroom.
12:43 p.m.
Brooks Houck's mom, Rose Mary Houck has walked into the courtroom.
12:42 p.m.
Brooks Houck will be appearing in court via video. Sheriff's deputies are getting the video monitor set up now.
12:34 p.m.
Within minutes of the courtroom's doors opening, the courthouse is halfway filled.
Crystal's family is sitting in the front row.
12:31 p.m.
Sherry Ballard and Crystal's sister and daughter have arrived at the courthouse.
12:27 p.m.
The courtroom's doors have opened. Sheriff is letting family inside first.
12:22 p.m.
Friends and family of the Ballards told WHAS11 they are wearing pink inside the courtroom today in honor of Crystal. They said they are representing her and her voice.
12:10 p.m.
Till and Betty Ballard spoke with reporters outside the courtroom. When asked what their reaction was to Houck's request to lower bond and be released for work, Till Ballard said it's his lawyer's job but called it "a joke."
"I don't think that's gonna happen. No, that's not gonna happen," he said. "I don't think he's gonna lower it today, that's my opinion, he may do it later, but I don't think he will today."
11:57 a.m.
Crystal Rogers' grandparents, Till and Betty Ballard, have arrived at the courthouse.
The clerk said doors will open at 12:30 p.m.
11:50 a.m.
Despite the hearing being open to the public, the judge has ordered it not to be livestreamed by the media due to the "tremendous interest" in the case and to prevent courtroom distractions. His order is posted on the door of the courtroom.
Some of the Ballard family has started to arrive at court. The clerk tells us she is expecting a "packed" courtroom.
11:12 a.m.
The courtroom is expected to open at noon for the community and media. This is the only case that will be heard in that courtroom today.
Multiple media agencies have already arrived outside the Nelson County courthouse. The clerk told Shay she is expecting a large turn out from the media and community.
What to expect?
During his arraignment, the judge will tell Houck the charges brought against him and advise him of his rights. There will be no evidence presented or heard during Thursday's court hearing.
Because Houck is being held in a different county, he may show up over video conference from Hardin County.
That being said, the judge will hear a motion from defense attorneys to reduce Houck's $10 million bond to $500,000 -- with the special condition of a GPS monitor and work release, if that bond is posted.
Houck's attorneys argue the current bond is "unreasonable and oppressive" and called him a "low-risk defendant."
Case background
Houck was charged on Sept. 27 with murder and tampering with physical evidence.
According to court documents, his charges stem from an incident that took place over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. That was just days before Crystal's car was found abandoned on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse left inside.
Houck has been the main suspect in Crystal's disappearance since 2015, however he isn't the only person charged in her case. 32-year-old Joseph Lawson has also been arrested in connection to the unsolved case.
Court records show Lawson has been indicted on two charges: conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. The charges were filed in July of this year, according to court records.
Both indictments are sealed, so Houck and Lawson's connection to the case and each other is still unclear.
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