(LEX 18) — On Thursday, the three suspects in the Crystal Rogers murder case are expected to be in court in Bardstown.
There are a number of motions that have been filed in the case that could be heard in court, including motions by all three defendants to have the case moved to another county.
Defendants Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson, and Steven Lawson all argue that the amount of familiarity with the case and media coverage in the area mean that they would not get a fair trial unless the case is moved out of the media coverage area.
In the motion, Houck’s attorney called coverage of the case “unabated media sensationalism.”
The attorney also pointed to billboards around Bardstown and car bumper stickers that show information about the Crystal Rogers case, some of them mentioning Houck by name.
Houck’s attorney also argued that jurors could be afraid of reprisal in the area, saying that anyone who speaks out in defense of Houck is publicly shamed on social media.
The motion pointed to a woman who was shown in a social media video defending Houck, only for people to allegedly use “facial recognition technology” to identify her. After that, there were “messages of hate and vitriol toward the woman,” according to the motion.
Another question that could be discussed on Thursday is whether the three defendants should be tried together or separately. Prosecutors argue the three should be tried together because the facts of their cases are the same.
The defendants argue they should be tried separately. Houck’s attorney wrote that in order to argue what they believe was bias against him in the investigation, police interviews of Joseph and Steven Lawson would have to be shared with jurors.
But at the time of those interviews, Steven and Joseph Lawson were told the interviews wouldn’t be used against them, and therefore they shouldn’t be used in the Lawsons’ trials, the defendants argue.
