LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Attorneys for Steve Lawson, one of three men charged in the Crystal Rogers murder case, asked a judge Tuesday to postpone his February trial date, arguing they were appointed in August and haven't had time to properly review the massive amount of evidence.

Louisville attorney Darren Wolff, who, along with attorney Zach Buckler, took over after Lawson fired attorney Ted Lavit in August, said at the time it may not be possible for them to be prepared by February for trial.

"To declare that volume of (evidence) as anomalously high would be an understatement," Wolff wrote in a motion filed Tuesday in Nelson Circuit Court.

In addition, the motion claims Lawson hasn't yet been shown all of the evidence against him and that just recently more evidence from the federal government was only recently turned over to the defense by prosecutors.

Prosecutors had believed the evidence was just duplication of other discovery already given to the defense, according to Wolff. 

The motion included an affidavit from Lawson saying he has met with attorneys several times regarding a postponement, and he believes he needs "more time to fully comprehend the discovery in my defense."

The motion is scheduled to be heard in court Jan. 9.

The defense has not suggested a new trial date.

Nelson County Judge Charles Simms III separated Lawson's trial from that of his son, Joseph, and Brooks Houck.

Houck and Joseph Lawson are scheduled to stand trial June 24 in Warren County.

Both trials were moved out of Nelson County to Warren County because of the massive amount of publicity surrounding the case.

Rogers was last seen with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, during the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Her car was left running on the side of Bluegrass Parkway with her purse still inside. She's presumed dead, but her body was never found.

Joseph Lawson pleaded not guilty in September 2023 to criminal conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the Rogers case. He is not charged with Rogers' murder, but prosecutors instead charged him with conspiracy, meaning they believe he was involved in some fashion with whomever killed Rogers.

The maximum sentence for the conspiracy charge is 10-20 years in prison.

In addition, the indictment charges Joseph Lawson with complicity to tampering with physical evidence when he "destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed or altered physical evidence." The maximum penalty for that charge is one to five years in prison.

Steve Lawson, according to a Dec. 6, 2023, Nelson County indictment, agreed to "aid one or more persons in the planning or commission" of the death of another and then "destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed" or altered physical evidence on July 3 or July 4, 2015, when Rogers disappeared.

Houck's indictment accused him of "acting alone or in complicity with another" committing the offense of murder of Rogers. He's also charged with tampering when he "destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed or altered" physical evidence, according to the indictment.

This story may be updated.

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