Brooks Houck's sister granted permanent custody of child he shared with Crystal Rogers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Brooks Houck's sister was granted permanent custody of the child her brother shared with Crystal Rogers.

Houck agreed to let his sister, Rhonda McIlvoy, have full custody of Eli, who is now 12, according to court documents filed Monday.

McIlvoy has had temporary custody of Eli since 2023. She and her brother were the only parties involved in the case.

A custody hearing in which a judge was to take testimony from Houck and his sister, and perhaps others, was scheduled for Friday in Nelson County Family Court.

Instead, Houck signed an agreement not protesting the custody and acknowledging he "is not relying on any statements made by" any attorneys, according to the filing Monday.

Judge Joe Ballard signed the agreement. No one from Rogers' family has objected to the custody request.

McIlvoy filed the custody motion in Nelson Family Court on July 18, 10 days after Brooks Houck was found guilty in the 2015 murder of Rogers.

The motion pointed out that Houck is incarcerated and Rogers is deceased. And it claimed McILvoy has provided Eli a "stable and secure environment and good and proper care."

A 2023 temporary custody order attached to the initial motion shows McIlvoy would take care of Eli "by agreement of parties."

On July 8, a Warren County Circuit Court jury found Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson guilty in the 2015 murder of Rogers and recommended the maximum prison sentences.

The jury of six men and six women found Houck, 43, guilty of murder (principal or accomplice to the crime) and complicity tampering with physical evidence.

The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison for Houck.

A final sentencing hearing will be held Sept. 17 in Nelson County.

The child was 2 years old at the time his mother went missing in 2015.

In 2023, both of his grandmothers, Rosemary Houck and Sherry Ballard, Rogers' mother, fought for custody of him in court.

Rosemary Houck, who later withdrew her request, has been named an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the murder of Rogers. Nick Houck, Brooks' brother, has also been mentioned as being a suspect under investigation.

Sherry Ballard couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Crystal Rogers Coverage:

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