Overview
- Attorney General Russell Coleman filed briefs on Thursday urging judges to affirm the convictions and sentences of Steven Lawson and Joseph (Joey) Lawson as their appeals proceed.
- Steven Lawson, 55, was sentenced to 17 years after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, and his appeal is pending at the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
- Joey Lawson, 35, was sentenced to 25 years on the same charges and appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court in April, with the AG arguing his guilt is tied to the actions of Brooks Houck.
- The AG’s briefs emphasize the state’s trial narrative, saying Steve “didn’t just agree to help, he delivered,” and calling Joey a conspirator whose culpability mirrors Houck’s role.
- The filings follow Brooks Houck’s January appeal of his life sentence and maintain momentum in a long-running, high-profile case that has shaped public attention and legal responses in Kentucky since Rogers vanished in 2015.