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Thread: Brooks William Houck Charged with Murder in 2015 KY Slaying of Crystal Rogers

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Brooks William Houck Charged with Murder in 2015 KY Slaying of Crystal Rogers


    Crystal Rogers


    Brooks William Houck


    10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CRYSTAL ROGERS

    By BENJAMIN H. SMITH
    oxygen.com

    The mother of five went missing on July 3, 2015, and she hasn't been found to this day.

    Known as the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” Bardstown, Kentucky, is a small town with a population of just below 12,000, but it also has an unsettling number of high-profile, unsolved murders and disappearances. Chief among them is the case of Crystal Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five, who hasn’t been seen since July 3, 2015, and is presumed dead by police.

    Not unlike the mythic feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, which happened nearby, the search to find out what happened to Rogers soon led to acrimony between her family and the family of her boyfriend at the time. Over the ensuing three years, the drama around her disappearance would include accusations of police interference, the still unsolved shooting death of her father and a sign campaign straight out of the movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

    1. Crystal Rogers disappeared on July 3, 2015.

    According to her boyfriend Brooks Houck, Crystal Rogers was last seen on the night of July 3, 2015. In an interview with Nancy Grace, he said she stayed up late playing games on her phone and was gone the next morning from the house where they lived with their 2-year-old son, Eli, and other children. According to radio station WBKR, Brooks did not report her missing for two days, and ultimately it was her own family that went to police.

    “I told him ‘I’m going to the Police Department to report her missing,’ and he said, ‘That’s what you should do,’” Rogers' mother Sherry Ballard told The Kentucky Standard.

    On July 5, police find Rogers' maroon Chevy Impala abandoned with a flat tire on the shoulder of the Bluegrass Parkway. Inside were her purse, keys and cellphone.

    2. Rogers' family was suspicious of her boyfriend.

    When Rogers went missing, Brooks said he wasn’t initially worried about her absence since she often went out with friends and stayed out late, sometimes not coming home until the next morning. Rogers’ family, however, was immediately concerned.

    "The stories just don't add up. You just don't go to bed one night and not know she's gone and then not worry when she left the baby," Rogers’ sister Brooke Ballard told ABC News.

    "He has not offered once to search — or help — or do anything for the family," she said.

    In an interview with Nancy Grace, Brooks admitted he and Rogers had a “stressed relationship” at times, but he emphatically denied having anything to do with her disappearance.

    "I'm 100 percent, completely innocent in this,” he said. Despite Rogers' family's criticisms, he claimed he was helping search efforts “behind the scenes” and said that his polygraph test was determined to be "inconclusive."

    Kentucky State Police officially named Brooks Houck a suspect in Crystal Rogers' disappearance in October 2015, according to NBC News.

    He continued to deny his connection to the disappearance, saying, "My whole family's name is trashed for something completely not even tied to me. [...] It's taking a lot of energy and effort. [...] I can't even go on the side of the road without looking like a murderer. This is starting to get silly. I don't need an attorney. I'm innocent. This, to me, is starting to get silly."

    Brooks has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance.

    3. Brooks’ brother was fired from the police after being accused of interfering with the investigation.

    On October 16, 2015, Brooks' brother Nick Houck was fired from the Bardstown Police Department for allegedly “interfering with the investigation” of Crystal Rogers’ disappearance, according to NBC affiliate WLEX. Nick was accused of warning his brother that detectives planned to interview him and advised him not to speak with them. Nick later told the Kentucky State Police that he only contacted his brother to tell him that "they might be trying to trip him up" and "he should protect himself."

    Nick then failed a polygraph test conducted by an examiner from the FBI when questioned about the case.

    When confronted with the results, Nick denied that he was lying, saying, “I don’t give a goddam what your f*cking computer said… You’re calling me a f*cking liar [and] I don’t like it when people call me a liar.”

    Police subsequently released footage from the Houck brothers' separate police interviews. Nick has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance.

    4. Brooks' friend was arrested for lying to police.

    In December 2015, Louisville’s WDRB reported the arrest of Danny Singleton on 38 counts of false swearing after he allegedly lied under oath to a grand jury in relation to the investigation of Crystal Rogers’ disappearance. According to NBC News, Singleton is a close friend and longtime employee of Brooks Houck.

    Singleton later pleaded guilty and was released from jail after being in custody for six months.

    5. Other members of the Houck family were caught up in the investigation.

    When the Houck brothers' grandmother Anna Whitesides was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in June of 2016, the then-82-year-old invoked her Fifth Amendment rights, refusing to testify for the fear she might incriminate herself. Investigators had wanted to ask her about a white car of hers they believed was connected to Rogers’ disappearance.

    Whitesides' lawyer said, “There are lots of things, particularly in a high-profile case, where there is as frenzied an investigation as there is here that could ensnare an 82-year-old woman.”

    That August, Whitesides’ home was searched, as were the homes of Nick Houck and his mother Rosemary Houck, where several pieces of farm equipment were seized, according to WLKY. Whitesides’ home was again searched in July 2017, following the death of Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard.

    Whitesides has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance.

    6. Rogers' father was killed in an unsolved hunting accident.

    On November 19, 2016, Crystal Rogers' 54-year-old father Tommy Ballard was fatally shot in the chest by an unknown person while waiting in a field for his grandson to go hunting. His family believes the same person is responsible for both Tommy’s death and Rogers' disappearance.

    “When that happened to my husband,” wife Sherry Ballard told WDRB, “it was no accident.”

    Sherry believes Tommy was getting close to finding out what happened to Rogers before he was killed.

    7. There are other unsolved murders haunting Bardstown.

    The Rogers and Ballard cases are unfortunately not the only unsolved cases to afflict the tightknit community of Bardstown, Kentucky. In May 2013, Officer Jason Ellis was ambushed on his way home from work, and shot multiple times. The motive and person behind his murder remain a mystery to this day.

    Nearly a year later, in April 2014, 48-year-old teacher Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, were found dead inside their home. WAVE reported Kathy had been shot multiple times, while Samantha had been bludgeoned about the head, both women showing knife wounds to their necks. Again, the motive and perpetrator have never been determined.

    Speaking in the wake of the Ballard shooting, longtime Bardstown resident Betty Greenwell told WDRB, "All these killings and murders and things going on here — it makes you nervous. Very nervous."

    8. Rogers' aunt disappeared in 1979.

    In 1979, Crystal Rogers’ Aunt, Freda Sharene “Sherry” Ballard, went missing from Bardstown, according to The Kentucky Standard. The 19-year-old was over seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and her remains weren't found until August 1983. They were discovered on a farm close to where Rogers’ car was found. Her estranged husband, Edsel “Eddie” Barnes, and another man, George Weir, were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison for her murder.

    9. Signs have gone missing.

    Ever since her disappearance, Rogers' family has plastered signs around Bardstown and its neighboring communities asking for any information on Rogers. In July of 2017, Brooks Houck’s current girlfriend, Crystal Maupin, was arrested after she was allegedly caught on camera ripping up signs connected to the investigation.

    On the one-year anniversary of Tommy Ballard’s death, signs showed up around Bardstown speculating about Brooks’ involvement in Rogers’ disappearance. According to WDRB, Rogers' family “don’t know who is responsible for the signs.”

    10. Both cases remain unsolved.

    To date, no one has been arrested for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and the shooting death of Tommy Ballard. Rogers' body has also never been found. In March 2018, the Kentucky House of Representatives and State Senate passed a resolution honoring them, as well as the victims of other unsolved Bardstown murders, and urging witnesses to come forward.

    https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/10...crystal-rogers
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    CRYSTAL ROGERS: KEY PLAYERS IN THE CASE OF THE 35-YEAR-OLD MOM OF 5 WHO DISAPPEARED

    By BENJAMIN H. SMITH
    oxygen.com

    Crystal Rogers' car was found along a Kentucky parkway. It had a flat tire, and the keys were still in it, as were her purse and cellphone.

    The 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers continues to fascinate people far beyond the reaches of the small town where it occurred. People are drawn into the mystery of a woman who vanished into thin air and the cast of characters who were prevalent in her life. The case involves two families, at least three different law enforcement agencies, and the so-called “Bourbon Capital of the World,” which, despite being voted “The Most Beautiful Small Town In America” in 2012, is host to a series of unsolved killings that has put townsfolk on edge.

    Like the layers of an onion, the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and “The Bardstown Murders” reveal new details at every turn. Here is a review of all the key players in the Rogers case in advance of Oxygen's upcoming series, "The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers."

    Crystal Maria Rogers

    Rogers was a 35-year-old mother of five from Bardstown, Kentucky. At 5 foot 9 inches tall, with long, blonde hair, she was hard to miss. At the time of her disappearance, she lived with Brooks Houck, her boyfriend of several years, their 2-year-old son Eli and her other children. Houck claims the last time he saw her was around midnight on July 3, 2015, at home, playing games on her phone.

    When he awoke the next morning, Houck says she was gone, as was her car. Her mother, Sherry Ballard, reported her missing two days later. That afternoon, a relative found her car along the Bluegrass Parkway. It had a flat tire, and the keys were still in it, as were her purse and cellphone.

    Despite a massive multi-year search effort and a $100,000 reward being offered for information about the case, Rogers remains missing as of this writing.

    Brooks Houck

    Crystal Rogers' boyfriend, Brooks Houck, was named a suspect shortly after she vanished. He has has never been charged in connection with her disappearance. According to radio station WBKR, Brooks did not report her missing for two days, and ultimately it was Crystal's family that went to police.

    When Rogers went missing, Brooks said he wasn’t initially worried about her absence since she had, on occasion, spent the night out at her cousin’s or other family member’s homes.

    Rogers’ sister, Brooke Bryan, told ABC News, "The stories just don't add up.”

    Days after Rogers’ disappearance, Houck took a lie detector test, however, according to The Kentucky Standard, Detective Jon Snow of the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office called the results inconclusive. Soon after, Brooks called into "The Nancy Grace Show" and said he was "100 % completely innocent in this.”

    In October 2015, Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly told reporters that he believed Crystal Rogers was dead and that Brooks Houck was the sole suspect in her disappearance. Despite this assertion, and numerous search warrants being executed on property owned by various members of the Houck family, Brooks has not been charged with any crimes related to the case.

    In June 2018, after three years of silence, Houck commented on the case, telling WDRB, “I have been advised, you know, to ride the wave and keep on keeping on. And that's what I've done and it's worked out great this far.”

    On Wednesday, July 18, Houck was arrested on four counts of felony theft for allegedly stealing more than 200 bundles of roofing shingles from a Lowe's store over the course of three days in April 2018. According to The Kentucky Standard, witnesses saw police remove three evidence bags and a computer modem from his home. He was released the following day on $25,000 bond and has not released a statement at this time.

    Tommy Ballard

    Following Crystal Rogers’ disappearance, her parents, Tommy and Sherry Ballard, led search efforts to find their daughter. On November 19, 2016, Tommy Ballard was fatally shot in the chest by an unknown gunman while hunting with his 11-year-old grandson on family property. He was 54 years old.

    According to Sherry Ballard, in the weeks before his death, Tommy told her he believed he was being followed.

    As of yet, the Kentucky State Police have not classified Ballard’s death a homicide. Trooper Jeff Gregory told WDRB, “It doesn't mean we can't change that title later.”

    Sherry Ballard

    Sherry Ballard, who has lost both a daughter and a husband, remains a vocal advocate for her family. She is convinced the shooting death of Tommy Ballard is related to Crystal’s disappearance.

    “When that happened to my husband, [...] I knew it was no accident,” she told WDRB.

    She has also voiced her suspicions that her daughter’s presumed death is tied to the unsolved murder of Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis, who was ambushed in 2013 on his way home from work. In a March 2017 interview, Sherry Ballard told WDRB she believed Crystal “overheard something maybe she shouldn't have” about the Ellis murder.

    These claims, however, have not been substantiated. She has also pushed the Kentucky Legislature to put pressure on law enforcement to help solve the unsolved Bardstown crimes, which also include the April 2014 murder of 48-year-old special education teacher Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha.

    Nick Houck

    Early on in the investigation of Crystal Rogers’ disappearance, Brooks Houck’s brother Nick Houck came under scrutiny. Nick was an officer with the Bardstown Police Department, and he allegedly warned his brother not to talk to investigators. His police cruiser was later searched, and he was asked to come in for questioning, which he initially refused.

    He later failed an FBI polygraph test. “I don’t give a goddam what your f*cking computer said," he told the examiner. "You’re calling me a f*cking liar [and] I don’t like it when people call me a liar.”

    Nick was eventually fired from the police department for interfering with the case. In August 2016, police served a search warrant on Nick Houck in connection with the Rogers' case. No charges have ever been brought against him.

    Anna Whitesides

    The Houck brothers’ grandmother, Anna Whitesides, has also been publicly associated with the case. In June 2016, she invoked her rights under the Fifth Amendment, refusing to testify when subpoenaed to discuss a white car she owned at the time of Crystal’s disappearance, which investigators believed was potentially connected to the case.

    Her home was searched that August and again in July 2017. Her attorney, Jason Floyd, told the Courier-Journal police were searching for “bullets and a reloader" following the death of Tommy Ballard.

    No charges have ever been brought against her in connection with either Crystal or Tommy's case. The white car, a Buick, was searched by police and subsequently released.

    Sheriff Ed Mattingly

    Despite calling Brooks Houck “completely cooperative,” in the early days of the Crystal Rogers investigation, Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly changed his tune a few months later, saying at an October 2015 press conference, “I would label Brooks Houck a suspect.”

    In December 2017, Mattingly announced he was retiring from the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office due to concerns his retirement benefits would be cut following a call by Kentucky state legislators for public pension reform.

    Danny Singleton

    In December 2015, the Nelson County Sheriff's Department announced the indictment of Danny Singleton, 53, for perjury in connection to the Crystal Rogers investigation. At the time, Singleton was an employee of Brooks Houck, and according to NBC, “a close friend.”

    In July 2016, after pleading guilty to 38 counts of false swearing, he was released from jail.

    https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/ke...ance-bardstown
    Last edited by Moh; 07-31-2018 at 04:54 AM. Reason: Included source
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Brooks Houck charged with murder in Crystal Rogers case

    By Rachel Smith
    Louisville Courier Journal

    Brooks Houck has been arrested and charged with the murder of Crystal Rogers, the Bardstown mother whose disappearance has mystified the public since she went missing in 2015.

    Houck was Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and is the father of one of her five children. He was identified as a suspect early in the investigation but has denied involvement.

    Houck's arrest was announced by the FBI on Wednesday morning. He has been charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to court documents. His bond is set at $10 million cash. He is also ordered to not have any contact with Rogers' family.

    In the indictment, Houck is charged with murder "by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers."

    In a release, the FBI office said its officers have "been laser-focused on our commitment to hold accountable those that were responsible for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Today, we take a significant step in making good on that promise."

    His arrest comes just weeks after the first arrest in the case. Earlier this month, Joseph Lawson was arrested in Nelson County and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the case.

    Lawson's name had not surfaced publicly in the investigation before his arrest. But WHAS reported that Houck made reference to an employee named Steve Lawson previously when interrogated by the Nelson County Sheriff's Office. The Courier Journal has not been able to confirm any relation between the two Lawsons.

    Houck previously told officers that he'd last seen Rogers alive when they visited his family's farm the night before she disappeared July 3, 2015. A few days later, her car was found abandoned on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside.

    Her body has never been recovered, but she is presumed dead. She was 35.

    FBI agents took over the case in 2020 and have conducted multiple searches in and near Bardstown for her body and other evidence.

    Over 150 federal agents served search warrants in August 2020 at three sites owned by Houck and his family members. An FBI Louisville spokesman at the time said all three locations had already been searched "to various degrees" over the years.

    But the Bardstown farm where Rogers was last seen has been a focal point of the investigation, with the most recent search being conducted in late 2022. The land, which sits on 30 acres, is owned by Houck's mother.

    In August 2021, agents searched a subdivision where Houck owns properties. Agents reportedly used a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigators using a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. The driveway was reportedly dug up, and large chunks of it were hauled out of the neighborhood in construction trucks.

    On Sept. 7, 2021, the FBI announced that the search in Bardstown ended, with several "items of interest" sent to a lab in Virginia for testing.

    No further information has been released on the evidence collected from these searches.

    In 2015, Houck's brother, Nick, was fired as a police officer with Bardstown Police after interfering in the investigation.

    The mayor of Bardstown said Nick Houck phoned his brother when he knew Brooks was being interviewed by detectives, warning that his brother "should protect himself," and that investigators "might be trying to trip him up," the Kentucky Standard reported in 2015.

    City officials held an administrative hearing on Nick Houck's actions and fired him a day later.

    Also, a home being built by Brooks Houck was burned down in 2019 in what city officials said was an arson case.

    Brooks Houck's arraignment is set for Oct. 5 in Nelson Circuit Court.

    https://www.courier-journal.com/stor...e/70978832007/

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