Brooks Houck Is a Liar and Murderer Who Finally Got What He Deserved

The body of Crystal Rogers has never been found. In July 2015, the 35-year-old mother of five was reported missing by her own mother. On the day Sherry Ballard contacted police, Rogers's car was found abandoned with a flat tire at mile marker 14 on the Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown, Ky. Her keys, phone, and purse were still inside the red Chevrolet Impala.

According to WLKY, Rogers was living with her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. Brooks Houck was the last person to see Rogers. He told police that on July 3, he and their son were at his family farm together. When Houck woke up the following morning, Rogers and her vehicle were gone. It would be nearly a decade before Houck would be arrested in connection with her death. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

In November 2025, more than a decade after Rogers disappeared, Houck was transferred from Oldham County Detention Center to Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. This is a temporary situation as Houck is ultimately headed for Roederer Correctional Complex in La Grange, Ky., per WDRB. That is where Houck will serve out his life sentence.

Rogers's mother spoke with WDRB three months after Houck's conviction in July 2025. "I miss Crystal every day," said Ballard. She waited 10 years to hear a judge say that Houck was guilty. It was a feeling Ballard will never forget. Sadly, that brief moment of joy did not last long. "After they said guilty, my son looked at me, and he's like 'Mom, Dad should be here,'" she said. "And that was a very hard moment."

Ballard's husband was fatally shot during a hunting trip 18 months after Rogers went missing, per WDRB. Tommy Ballard was with his grandson when a single shot was fired from a wooded area very close to where his daughter's abandoned car had been found. "100 percent not an accident, but 100 percent my brother was murdered," said Mike Ballard, who believes Tommy was killed because he was still searching for his daughter.

Houck's brother, Nick Houck, was tied to Tommy's death. Prosecutors say Nick tried selling the gun used in shooting to an undercover FBI agent. Nick was the only member of the Houck family who did not come to his brother's trial. He has not been arrested or formally charged.

In September 2023, 32-year-old Joseph Lawson was indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity in tampering with physical evidence in connection with Rogers's death, reports NBC News. Three months later, Joseph's father, Steve Lawson, was charged with the same crimes, per The Independent. Joseph and his father were eventually sentenced to 25 and 17 years in prison, respectively.

During her victim impact statement, Ballard asked Houck if her daughter knew he was going to kill her. According to WHAS, Ballard wanted to know if she begged for her life. "I pray that one day you will grow a heart," said Ballard. "And have the decency to tell me where my daughter is so we can have a proper burial for her. You owe that much to your own son, and my daughter deserves that."