RECAP: Steven Lawson trial enters third day in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – An ongoing trial surrounding the death of Crystal Rogers entered its third day in Bowling Green on Thursday.

Day 3: Thursday, May 29 

The trial of Steven Lawson ended a few hours early Thursday due to the defense having two more witnesses that could not appear. The trial will resume tomorrow, May 30 here in Bowling Green.

News 40 will continue to bring you the latest details in this case.

Day 2: Wednesday, May 28

Jurors filed into the Warren County Justice Center Wednesday morning, with several witnesses taking the stand throughout the day.

These included Johnathan Snow, Lorin Hardin, Elizabeth Chesser, Charlie Girdley, Tim O’Daniel and Melissa Dober who had impactful testimony.

Rogers, whose body was never found, disappeared from Bardstown in July of 2015. Since then, Joseph and Steven Lawson, along with Rogers’ ex-boyfriend, Brooks Houck, face separate trials in this case.

Steven Lawson’s trial is the only one currently taking place in Bowling Green as he faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Rogers.

Hardin, daughter to Tammy Lawson and a step-daughter to Steven Lawson said she had been in the process of getting evicted shortly before Rogers disappeared but never asked her step-father to help her in finding somewhere new to say even though that is what he repeated on the phone to Brooks Houck when he was being questioned by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.

Chesser told the jury that Lawson was dating her mom after Rogers disappeared while Chesser was also dating Joseph “Joey” Lawson. Chesser said Steven told her mother that he planned to leave his wife Tammy Lawson because “she knew he killed somebody and was going to tell”.

Girdley also testified to the jury some things of importance, like how Lawson told Houck that if he wanted “someone to take care of his old lady”, he should ask Charlie.

Tim O’Daniel, a homicide detective with Louisville Metro Police provided evidence to the court that Lawson’s phone was using 3 cell phone towers along the route Rogers’ car had driven the evening she went missing as well as Dober with Elizabethtown Police who reported that upon pulling phone call records and cross referencing them with the data extracted from the phone, several calls between Lawson, his wife, Lawson’s son and Houck happened in those late night hours and some were deleted.

Joseph Lawson faces the same charges as Steven Lawson, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, while Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence.

News 40 will continue to provide you with the latest details that develop on site from this case throughout this week.