Steve Lawson wants charges dropped in Crystal Rogers murder case. Here's what to know

One of three men charged in connection with the high-profile disappearance of Crystal Rogers is expected to argue his charges should be dropped Thursday, based on an alleged deal he says investigators promised then yanked away.

Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, went missing around July 3, 2015, from Bardstown, Kentucky. Her car was soon found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside. While her body has never been found, she is presumed dead by investigators.

Rogers' case finally received a break in recent months, when her then-boyfriend, Brooks Houck, and a father and son pair, Steve and Joseph Lawson, were separately arrested.

All three are now in the midst of pretrial motion filings, with a day-long hearing scheduled for Thursday in Nelson County.

Here's what to know.

How is Steve Lawson tied to Crystal Rogers' disappearance?

In a significant break in the eight-year investigation, investigators announced late last year that Nelson County resident Joseph Lawson had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.

A few weeks after Lawson's arrest, the FBI announced Brooks Houck was arrested "without incident" at a job site. Houck was Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and was identified by investigators as a suspect within the first few months of the investigation.

According to court records, Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence.

In December, the FBI announced a third arrest — that of Joseph's father, Steve Lawson. Lawson, 53, faces the same charges as his son.

According to recently filed court documents, Steve Lawson is believed to have told investigators he was asked by Houck to move Rogers' car around the time of her disappearance. Lawson also allegedly told investigators Houck wanted Rogers "gone."

All men have pleaded not guilty.

Will Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson be at the Bardstown hearing?

Houck and Joseph Lawson are not required to attend Thursday's pretrial hearing, according to a new agreement between defense attorney Brian Butler and prosecutor Shane Young.

While many expected Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms to hear and potentially rule on a number of motions this week — including a pivotal argument between the prosecution and defense teams over whether the three men will be tried together or separate — the agreement now stipulates that Steve Lawson's motion to dismiss his charges will be heard first.

Houck's objection to a consolidation is now scheduled for a hearing on July 8.

What did Steve Lawson tell investigators?

In advance of Thursday's hearing, Houck's defense submitted a 40-page motion rebuffing Young's request to consolidate the three defendants into a joint trial, which shared previously unreleased details about Steve Lawson's testimony to investigators.

Houck's motion provided excerpts of transcribed interviews that allegedly took place between Lawson and police. An audio copy was not included in court documents.

In one of those interviews, Lawson claimed Houck said his relationship with Rogers was strained and that he'd "like to see (Rogers) gone," in addition to making an arm gesture Lawson interpreted as indicating Houck wanted her dead.

In the new motion, Houck said he believes prosecutors will bring up a 13-second phone call between Houck and Steve Lawson that occurred at 12:07 a.m. on July 4, 2015 — around the time of Rogers' disappearance.

Last year, Steve Lawson told a Nelson County grand jury he had called that day to tell Houck "the job" of moving Rogers' car had been done.

Was Steve Lawson promised immunity?

After a March 21 hearing, Steve Lawson's defense attorney Theodore Lavit said his client was verbally promised immunity if he told the truth to investigators. However, a plea agreement has not formally been sent to Lawson, and Lavit has since filed a motion to strike Lawson's earlier testimony and comments to police.

Lavit's motion includes excerpts from interviews between Lawson, detectives and Young. The motion alleges that during an interview dated June 8, 2023, Young told Lawson: "I’m giving you blanket immunity, take advantage of it."

An audio copy is not included in the court documents.

Lavit is expected to argue Thursday that his client should be given immunity, thereby having all charges against him dropped, or have all comments from June 8, 2023 to the present ruled inadmissible.

Where will Rogers' murder trial take place?

While Judge Simms is not expected to rule on whether the men's charges will be consolidated into one trial, he could potentially rule on a different pending motion.

At the March 21 hearing, prosecutor Young agreed with defense attorneys that the trials, slated for early next year, would be better handled outside of Nelson County, given the nearly decade-long public fervor around the case.

Simms approved the venue change and tasked the legal teams with agreeing on a neutral site that had a big enough facility to host, as well as privacy protections for potential jurors. Weeks later, the attorneys collectively proposed Christian County, located in southwestern Kentucky.

Kevin Coleman, Joseph Lawson's defense attorney, previously told The Courier Journal that the Christian County Justice Center in Hopkinsville is "probably about the shortest distance you're gonna get" while still adhering to the set of requirements desired by the legal teams, such as having a higher likelihood of potential jurors not being exposed to previous media coverage as well as the desired facility accommodations.

While all attorneys, including Young, have agreed on Christian County, not everyone was happy with the compromise.

Till Ballard, Rogers' grandfather, said the travel time will be "hard on the family" if the venue is moved to Christian County. The distance between Bardstown and Hopkinsville is approximately 150 miles, or about a 2-hour drive.

Simms, who has final say in where the trial will be relocated, has yet to rule on the proposal.

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Steve Lawson seeks dismissal of charges in Crystal Rogers murder case