Prosecutor seeks to consolidate cases of the three Crystal Rogers defendants
NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT
Thursday, March 14, 2024 — The prosecutor in the cases involving the three defendants in the Crystal Rogers case has asked the court to consolidate the cases.
Special prosecutor Shane Young petitioned the court Wednesday to combine the trials of Brooks Houck, Steven Lawson, and his son Joseph Lawson into one case in preparation for a possible 2025 trial.
Young argues that all three men face similar charges, and the same evidence will be presented at the trial of each defendant if the trials are held separately.
All three defendants have filed for a change of venue to either Boyd County or Daviess County Kentucky, and according to the filing, “The logistics of moving a case of this nature and size would be monumental. Requiring multiple trials in another venue would certainly be a waste of judicial resources when the cases involve the same facts surrounding the same events.”
Young states that he would like the motion to consolidate the trials heard at the Nelson Circuit Court hearing set for next week, or as soon as possible after that.
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS HOUCK BOND. On Monday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the Nelson Circuit Court’s decision to leave Brooks Houck’s bond at $10 million cash.
The court of appeals agreed that Houck’s financial net worth made the high bond necessary. It also agreed that the bond was necessary as Houck was considered “a danger to potential witnesses and the integrity of the official proceedings.”
EXPERT WITNESS DISCLOSURE. On Monday, Joseph L. Lawson’s defense attorneys filed a motion for an order requiring the prosecutors to disclose the identity of the expert witnesses prosecutors plan to call. They also seek to know the subject matter, the substance of the facts or opinions of expected testimony, their credentials, and any reports or statements by the expert related to his or her expected testimony.
NEXT UP. Brooks Houck, Steven Lawson and Joseph Lawson will be part of a hearing at 1 p.m. in Nelson Circuit Court on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
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