A judge in Bardstown has formally sentenced Brooks Houck to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend and mother of his child.

Nelson Circuit Judge Charles Simms III largely went with a jury's recommendation on Wednesday in sentencing Houck to the maximum punishment for the murder of Crystal Rogers. The jury convicted Houck on July 7 and recommended life plus five years, but Simms said that wasn't allowed under state law.

Rogers, a mother of five, was 35 years old when she went missing on July 3, 2015. Two days later, her car was found along the Bluegrass Parkway with her purse, cell phone, and other personal belongings still inside.

At trial, prosecutors convinced a jury, based largely on circumstantial evidence, that Rogers was killed on the Houck family farm, although her remai

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