BARDSTOWN, Ky. (Court TV) — Brooks Houck was sentenced to life in prison plus five years Wednesday for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Crystal Rogers , while his co-defendant, Joseph Lawson, received 25 years for his role in the 2015 killing that shocked the small Kentucky community.

Brooks Houck (L) and Joseph Lawson (R) enter a courtroom for their sentencing on Sept. 17, 2025. (Court TV)

Nelson County Circuit Judge Charles Simms III handed down the sentences following emotional victim impact statements from Rogers’ family members, who have waited nearly 10 years for justice in the case that captivated national attention.

Houck, 42, was convicted in July of murder and complicity to tampering with physical evidence in the death of Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five who disappea

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