Prosecution says Steve Lawson’s motion for new trial in Crystal Rogers case ‘has no merit’
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The prosecution in the Crystal Rogers case has responded to the defense’s motion for a new trial.
Steven Lawson, one of the three men convicted in the recent trials involving the disappearance and presumed murder of Crystal Rogers, is set to be sentenced Aug. 6.
Shortly after Lawson was found guilty in May for conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, his defense team filed a motion requesting a new trial, citing eight reasons Lawson was denied a fair trial. Among the reasons were jury instructions that failed to reflect Kentucky law and the presence of the “Team Crystal” movement and a number of people in the gallery wearing pink.
The Commonwealth filed a response to the motion nearly two months later, objecting to each of the points the defense made, saying, “None of these allegations of error have merit.”
The Commonwealth argued the jury instructions were appropriate and lifted from Cooper & Cetrullo, a book providing specific instructions for jury instructions in Kentucky written by a former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice and edited by a former Director of the Administrative Office of the Court.
In response to people in the gallery wearing pink, the prosecution said that the issue was brought up on the first day of trial, and when the judge counted how many people in the courtroom were wearing pink, he only found that four out of 60 people were. The response argues, “there is no tangible prejudice to the defendant from four individuals wearing pink in the courtroom.”
“The defendant has failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to a judgment notwithstanding the verdict. The defendant has shown no grounds which would entitle him to a new trial. Wherefore, the Commonwealth requests this court deny the defendant’s motion,” the Commonwealth said at the end of their response.
The judge hasn’t yet ruled on the motion.
The two other men convicted in the Brooks Houck case, Joseph Lawson and Brooks Houck, are set to be sentenced Aug. 21.
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