The trial of two men charged in the disappearance and presumed murder of Crystal Rogers of Bardstown is now in its second week.
The jury learned on Monday that a social media post by her father led to a major break in the case.
Two raccoon hunters testified being at the family farm of one of the defendants, Brooks Houck, the night of July 3, 2015. Investigators believe Crystal Rogers was killed there that evening, but the hunters testified they heard no gunshots or other disturbances at the property.
They said they did see a white Buick parked at the farm, and a few days after learning of Rogers' disappearance, they notified the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office about the car.
Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, made a public plea on Facebook asking if anyone had information about the car. Days later, a search warrant was executed at the home of Anna Whitesides, the grandmother of Brooks and Nick Houck. Brooks Houck was Rogers’ boyfriend and father of one of her children.
Detective Jamie Brooks with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office testified that police found a new car in Whitesides’ garage with a temporary tag. That led investigators to a dealership in Louisville where the white Buick was traded just days after that Facebook post. Surveillance video placed Anna Whitesides and Nick Houck at the dealership.
The car was taken to the Louisville Metro Police Department for forensic testing. A hair found in the trunk was not a match to Whitesides, but was ruled to be similar in characteristic to Rogers’ hair. The revelation was difficult for some of Rogers’ family members, who left the courtroom in tears.
Under cross-examination by the defense, Detective Brooks acknowledged that no blood or bodily fluids belonging to Rogers were located in the trunk.
Brooks Houck is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. He's being tried in Bowling Green alongside co-defendant Joseph Lawson, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence.
On the witness stand earlier in the day was Charlie Girdley, who worked for Houck in his construction business. He said Joseph Lawson spoke to him once about Rogers, saying he would "bury her with a skid steer and nobody would ever find her."
Rogers' remains have never been found since her disappearance over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015.
Girdley said a few weeks later he was on the Houck family farm helping Brooks Houck pour concrete at a barn. He testified Houck’s mother, Rosemary, made the comment "they would've been better off if she was gone long before she was."
Rosemary Houck and her son, Nick, are considered unindicted co-conspirators by the prosecution. Neither have been arrested or charged in the case.
Under cross-examination, the defense tried to discredit Girdley as a former drug addict and convicted felon. Defense attorneys say Girdley was using drugs at the time of Rogers’ disappearance and did multiple police interviews where he said he didn't know anything about the case.
Another witness on Monday was the the former girlfriend of Nick Houck. Amber Bowman testified they lived together several years before ending the relationship.
Bowman told jurors that Nick left their home the morning of July 3, 2015, when they were packing to move into a new home. She testified Nick told her he needed to help his brother, Brooks, on a rental property the brothers owned.
Bowman said Nick Houck ignored at least 15 phone calls and text messages asking for his whereabouts. He didn't return home until the next day. Bowman said Nick told her he had been working on a fixer-upper home the couple was moving into, but she told the jury she visited the home several times in that 24-hour period, and Nick Houck wasn’t there.
Under cross-examination, Bowman said when Houck returned home, there was nothing unusual or suspicious about his appearance.
Nick Houck is a former Bardstown police officer who was fired for interfering in the investigation.
The prosecution will call more witnesses when the trial resumes at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
