Nancy Grace Episode Entered as Evidence in Crystal Rogers Boyfriend Murder Trial

Published Jul 20, 2024, 1:40 PM

It's been years since Crystal Roger went missing. Her then-boyfriend, Brooks Houck, immediately became the main suspect. 

The mom of five was last seen at Houck's home. Rogers' car was found abandoned with a flat tire on the Bluegrass Parkway two days later. Her keys, phone, and purse were inside the vehicle. Houck was interviewed, but not arrested.

Houck has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Now we learn that an Nancy Grace episode in which Houck spoke with Nancy on HLN has been entered into evidence. 

Rogers’ body has not been found.   

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

  • James Shelnutt – Attorney – The Shelnutt Law Firm, P.C.; 27-year Atlanta Metro Area Major Case Detective and Former S.W.A.T. Officer; X: @ShelnuttLawFirm
  • Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski – Forensic Psychologist, Author: “Darksides;” FB: forensicsandmediapsychologist/TikTok: Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski
  • Sheryl McCollum – Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder & Host of New Podcast: “Zone 7;” X: @149Zone
  • Fallon Glick – WDRB Louisville News Reporter; Facebook & X: @FallonGlick @WDRBNews
  • Jessica Noll -  Podcaster: "Bardstown"
  • Shay McAlister - reporter WHAS,; Podcaster: "Bardstown"

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Crystal Rogers, a beautiful young mom, seemingly disappears into thin air, last seen at the home of her boyfriend, where he says she was sitting in bed beside him, playing on her cell phone and then what just vanished? Like Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie? How did that work? Well? It didn't in the last days, A bizarre twist in the case. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. The latest filing in the case of men now charged in Crystal Rogers's death is all about an episode of Nancy Grace filmed the week after Crystal disappeared in Bardstown. The episode of NG on hl N was entered by prosecutors. They have not revealed the episode's significance in the case, but I have reason to believe it is. When her boyfriend, Brooks Hawk, agreed to be interviewed by NG Nancy Grace on h l N. As I recall it, I ask him why he never reported Rogers missing when he realized she was gone, and he answered he wasn't alarmed in any quote, way, shape or form, that it was not uncommon for her to go to her cousin's house when there were issues in their relationship. But during the episode, Crystal's father, Tommy Ballard tells me he knew of only one time Crystal had gone to her cousins. I recall also asking Brooks how about people who claimed he the boyfriend was not involved in the search for Crystal Rogers, and he responded, all my efforts and searching for her have been done behind the scene with Nelson County Sheriff's right. Okay, just remember family says he never helped look for Crystal, and they were suspicious of his story from the beginning, and it was Roger's own mother that reported her missing, not him. Okay, why is this particular episode of n G going to be a state's exhibit? But to understand that, you've got to understand how Crystal went missing.

Nelson County Detective John Snow sits down with Crystal's boyfriend, Brooks Hawke. The conversation lasts for about ninety minutes. Brooks tells Detective Snow just what he told Cristel's mom, Sherry Ballard, and Crystal brought his family's farm feeding the cows.

You will feed the cows and then you come back out and you walk the road right.

The road he goes in.

After we'd come back, we'd come back out for walking through here.

Brooks draws a makeshift map for the detective and shows where he says he and Crystal were on Friday, July third, twenty fifteen.

That's you the driveway, the other drum wathers the ball line right, and then when we walk out the road and we just walk back through there.

Wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans, Brooks sits casually, arm up on the table. He maintains his composure and appears unfazed by the detective's questions about the last time he saw Crystal on his mom's farm.

You are hearing just a tiny portion of a fantastic podcast. I'm totally hooked on it. Bard's Town be is in brother ar Dstown, bard like Shakespeare, the Bard bard Town Podcast, and this is what it is about. It's all about the mysterious deaths that take place in a very small Kentucky town considered the Bourbon capital of the world, Bardstown, Kentucky. It's like so many small communities across our country, much like the one I grew up in, except people are dropping like flies in Bardstown. With me right now, investigative journalist, podcast producer with A Vault Studios. Jessica Nol with me her partner, investigative reporter with Whas n Louisville. They are responsible for Bardstown Podcast. You can find it at www dot bardstownpodcast dot com. To you, Jessica, tell me about Crystal Rogers? Who is she? Who was she?

Well?

Crystal Rogers is a thirty five year old mother of five. She had lived and grown up in Bartstown her whole life, and she was dating a man by the name of Brooks. How they had a child together, and she seemingly vanished July third, twenty fifteen, and her car was found on the popular roadway through Kentucky Bluegrass Parkway a couple of days later, and her purse, her cell phone, everything that a woman would keep with her was found in her car, her unlocked car, and she's not been seen since.

You know, to Shane McCallister, investigative reporter Whas Louisville chan, you guys are rolling her in to the Bardstown murders. Tell me about the other murders.

Sure, so all of these cases date back to twenty thirteen, that's when Bargstown police officer Jason Ellis was ambushed on his way home from work. It was the middle of the night and as he was pulling off the highway onto his exit, there was branches laying in the middle of the road and at least one person hiding, who then shot and killed him when he got out to move the branches. That was the first case. Just over a year later, Samantha and Kathie Netherland, a mother and daughter, were in their home when they were attacked and brutally murdered. And this is a special education teacher at Bargstown Elementary School and a high schooler, a teenage student. They were very beloved in the community. And that one happened next.

And then.

Sixteen months later, Crystal Rogers goes missing.

And as of right now, we don't know what has become of Crystal Rogers. If she's dead, we don't know her mode of death or cause of deay. Jessica, weren't you just at the bourbon festival, right? So we went back.

Spencer Brudig and I, one of our producers, went back to Bartstown for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which is a huge deal in Bardstown. Thousands of people come in from all over to sample bourbon from several distilleries that are actually based right there in Bartstown. It's probably the biggest event of the year every year there. So we wanted to go back because there has been some issues with signs that were in yards for the prayers for Crystal and standing with the Ballards. They were being taken down, and so we wanted to go back and see what was going on and what people were saying. And what we saw was an incredible outcry of community support.

Now wait a minute, a minute, I want to talk. I don't want to gloss over what you just said. Signs across bard Town have been removed, and the signs specifically were showing support for Crystal Rogers who goes missing. Incredible pain for Crystal's mother, Sherry Ballard, her daughter Crystal went missing, and then her own husband was mysteriously killed in twenty sixteen. Now a brand new heartache, very very disturbing because these signs all across the county were taken down. Now Balard blames Bardstown, the city, which says it has to follow city policy. All temporary signs in right of ways have to be removed. Now, I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I'm looking at a giant pink placard, a sign that says Prayers for Crystal. Now, why would anybody want to take that down? And it's not in a right of way, it's off I would say, a good fifteen to thirty feet off the highway. So what happened to the Prayers for Crystal signs, Jessica.

Well, the city and the county deny taking them down, But the signs were actually found behind city Hall, near a dumpster where they store signs that have been taken down. So and Sherry and some friends and family are actually the ones who found those signs back behind city Hall, and they it didn't stop them. They replenished what was out there. When we went to Bardstown, there were new signs out, but there was also you know, bourbon festival signs, no parking signs, no pets here signs that were exactly in places where the Prayers for Crystal signs used to be and were taken down. But they had created some brand new signs also. And some of the signs, I should mention aren't just prayers for Crystal. They're also pointing the finger at the prime suspect in her case, Brooks Hawke and his brother Nick.

How Crime Stories with Nancy Grace in the Last Days. An episode of Nancy Grace off h ol N has been entered into evidence in the murder case of Crystal Rogers. Her body has never been found. What happened to Crystal? Take a listen to this.

You had a little fire.

When was that after you dipped your walker?

Before you dip your walk?

I know we fed the cows first because I want to do that as quickly while we had still plenty of day. I don't know if I lift the fire before we walked back here right when I got back, I could have done it either or I don't remember.

After the fire and with their toddler in tow, Brooks says, he and Crystal take a walk to me, and I've.

Got a couple of kids, you know, but everybody parents a little differently.

To me, it seems a little late.

To be out on the farm with a two and a half year Where is he head at midnight?

Is he has he been asleep in the.

Car for a while?

Is he still he's wide opening for anybot he's used. So he used to sleeping so later in the morning his normal day, that's his seven eight o'clock in the evening, May eleven, because she sleeps much later in the morning, she stays up.

So yeah, it's always been that way at midnight and he's wild over.

You're hearing the boyfriend brooks hout and he's speaking to Detective Snow. Now, let me understand something. To Shay McCallister, investigative reporter with w h AS in Louisville. The boyfriend says he goes for a walk with Crystal and the little baby, the one year old, at midnight.

That's what he tells police.

He says they went down to feed the cows. But Sherry Ballard, Crystal's mom, has had a big problem with this since the beginning. She says that it was very rainy that night, and there's just no way Crystal would have wanted to be walking around the farm, much less with her baby.

Whose farm was it.

It was Hauke's mom's farm, So Brooks Houke's mom, Rosemary Hauke, has a huge farm on the outskirts of Bardstown, and that's where they say they were.

So did Brooks Houke's mother see Crystal there with the baby that night.

We don't have any kind of recordings of her police interviews, and she has never given us an interview.

I don't know.

Have you tried, have you tried to talk to her? Yeah, we have tried to talk to her.

We've seen her in court multiple times over the years. She's always there when Brooks is in court or at custody hearings for that little boy, and we have definitely tried to talk to her.

Interesting, very interesting. So she's on a date I guess you could call it with her boyfriend and he thinks it's a good thing to take her to fade the cows at midnight with the baby. Do I am I understanding this correctly, Jessica knowl.

That is correct, And I do want to point out we actually do go to the farm and try to speak to Rosemary there. But what's interesting about the clip that you just ran someone on Facebook because we've had a lot of chatter from folks that want to chime in with what they're hearing and their thoughts and theories, and someone pointed out that he actually says in that clip, I went home. He doesn't say we, which I thought was kind of interesting for someone to hear when they were listening to that, because I didn't pick that up. He says, we didn't get anything to eat. But then he says, I went home.

I noticed that. I noticed when he said I went home, and I just assumed that Crystal Rogers peeled off. But having a baby out at midnight, I just don't believe that for a minute. Take a listen to Brooks Howp and Detective Snow.

I probably I probably woke up around you know, in between that time May six or seven o'clock and then I left.

You know, I got did my normal thing, could you.

Know, change my clothes, put my clothes.

On, and and and headed out, you know shortly after that.

You know, So you get up between six and seven, and where's Eli at When you wake up, he's next to me.

He's in the bed with you.

Okay, so you get up, does he get up with you?

He's still he's still asleeps on ever I whenever I get up, but I go to uh, you know, the bathroom and all that kind of stuff, and he's still sleeping, uh, sleeping there.

On the bed.

But Crystal isn't there when he gets out.

Yes, I noticed, I mean I noticed that she wasn't there. I didn't know what was I didn't know exactly what to think. I don't know what time I called her. Yes, I called her that morning.

Gros takes his son to the farm, but his lack of concern.

For crystals whereabouts gives the detective pause, and he probes, if I woke.

Up on a Saturday morning and my wife wasn't with me in the bed as is normal.

If she were not, probably the first thing I would do would be to call her to find.

Out where she was.

You were hearing Brooks how the boyfriend of Crystal Rogers the father of their child, and Detective snow, could you play cut three one more time?

I probably I probably woke up around you know, in between that time May six or seven o'clock, and then I left. You know, I got did my normal thing, because you know, change my clothes, put my clothes on, and and and headed out, you know shortly after that.

You know, So you get up between six and seven, and where's Eli at.

When you wake up, he's next to me.

He's in the bed with you.

Okay, so you get up? Does he get up? With you.

He's still He's still asleep on every eye whenever I get up.

But I go to uh, you know, the bathroom and all that stuff, and he's still sleeping.

Sleeping there on the bed.

But Crystal isn't there when he gets out.

Yes, I mean I know she wasn't there.

I didn't know what was I didn't know exactly what to I don't know what time.

I called her. Yes, I called her that morning.

Brooks takes his son to the farm, but his lack of concern for Crystal's whereabouts gives the detective pause.

If I woke up on a Saturday morning and my wife wasn't with me in the bed as is normal, if she were not, probably the first thing I would do would be to.

Call her to find out where she was.

Seay, McAllister. I'm hearing them talking about the Hawk brothers. There's more than one of them.

Yes, there is. There are two Help brothers. There's Nick Help, the older of the two. He was a Bargetown police officer when Crystal went missing, and then his younger brother, Brooks Help was Crystal's boyfriend.

So is he is the brother still with the police force.

He is not. He was fired just a few months after Crystal went missing. Nick and her feared with the investigation, and he actually called his brother Brooks while he was in an interrogation room with police.

As a matter of fact, take a listen to this.

The interview is interrupted when Brooks gets a call from his older brother, Nick Hawk, the Bartstown police officer.

I get this, you have.

I'm up here. I know that you didn't know I'm up here in this interview with the detective.

Detective snow, I've been up here a good little while. I'm feeling out this this statement here and everything?

Is it?

Do you know you telling me that's you tell me that's what I need to do.

I know, I.

Know, don't I know, I'm not I know that. But what if I look at it is I'm innocent. I ain't done nothing wrong. Well you know, I know you told me innocent. People have got jammed up. If you're telling me to leave, I'll get up and leave if you if you omitted, I don't know. I'm going to do a lot, but I'm trying to get this guy to help me. I don't think. I don't think she's ran off with some other guy.

If I don't believe that.

You can't make me think that.

I'll do exactly what you're telling me to do.

You'll make it up and leave.

Well, that's exactly what he did. That's brooks Hout, the boyfriend, the lover of Crystal Rogers now missing with Detective Snow. And as a matter of fact, he did get up and leave. Well, long story short, the Bardstown Police Chief Rick McGavin hears that the officer officer how calls his brother and tells him to leave. Listen.

But news of that phone call eventually gets back to Bardstown Police Chief Rick mccobbn and goes against everything his owes of ethics stands for in his department.

Nick wasn't being questioned, no, but what really got my irish up was the fact that he called his brother and I guess, you know, kind of encouraging him to, you know, to leave, to get out of there. And sure you and again let me get let me use an example. You and your friend could call you and go, man, Jessica, you need to shut up and leave. Nothing I can do about it. Which friend's not a cop, your brother's not a cop. And I told him, I said, that's not how this profession rolls.

You don't get to do that.

I don't care if you're looking out for your brother or not.

You don't get to do that, you know, So that was, you know, part of it.

Well.

As a matter of fact, After that, Nick Hawk's boss, the police chief, orders him to talk to detectives, and according to an FBI polygraph examiner who tells Nick Howck in a police interrogation video, quote, it's pretty clear you haven't told me the complete truth, and the questions you're having problems with are questions about Crystal, in particular whether or not you know where she is is right now, Explain that to me, Jesskanal, what happened?

So the FBI polygraph examiner tells Nick how the police officer at that time, that he is not being truthful with him, and that whole interaction just really begins to escalate, and he at one point asks him as Nick is getting audibly frustrated with him because he's calling him a liar essentially, at one point, the FBI polygraph examiner says, is this how you acted towards Crystal? And and he obviously begins yelling at that point. So there is something and you know, better than us, that polygraph examinations aren't always one hundred percent, But there was something there was enough of not telling the truth that set off their radar, and that he was not being truthful when he was talking about Crystal, about her disappearance, about Brooks possibly telling him something about him having any involvement, he was not being truthful according to their examination.

Take a listen to this.

Well, Nick, I've had a chance to review in your charts on that test, that first test you it did not pass the test, and it's pretty clear to me that you have held me really truth is that.

The questions you're having a problem that there are.

Questions about Christall and in particular one about whether or not you know where she's.

Right now, And I don't know.

I treat police officers in these circumstances so like I would myself, So I'm not going to go through all.

The interview of terrogation nonsense. I think you and I are in the same page.

But at again, I'm also going to tell you the completely true. As we're sitting here and it's no longer matter I'm blundering.

Do you know anything about what happened? We're past that now. I mean now you have crystal clear with you. I give everybody a good fair test. I'm no longer asking you if you know you do Now what do you want to do with that is entirely up to you. I got yelling scream match you and get the sick Woods phone book and all that. I'm talking to your manage.

Man as a follow mforcenops or that the time has come for you to think real hard about the rest of your life.

This is you. I'm I talk about broke everybody else, and I'm telling you facts life. I'm an old guy and I'm trying to.

Be a father figure here.

But I'll tell you doing this for twenty five years the way that this fans out.

But the FBI that gets involved in this investigation, or you're listening one time, you don't have to say anything to me.

You do whatever you want to do.

As I said, he may never even be in an FBI agent, right, but once you get on the radar, we don't go away unless there's a reason too. I thought there would be the end past this, and there's some other information there as well, So I guarantee.

What I've got on all right, The f guy.

Has unlimited resources in terms of forensic information, electronic information. Many bodies want to pour attribute surveillance and look there everything that's ever nine on the flue fine crystals.

You heard that about that as a matter of what's.

Get On July fifteenth, twenty fifteen, detectives also revealed to Nick they found bodily fluids inside his police cruiser the day after he and Brooks leave the station together and drive to their mom's farm.

Have you ever heard of illuminol? You ever been any kind of veigations?

All right?

You know what luminol's used for? Its fine blood?

Okay, or other.

Fluid?

Ok So, we always create.

Bodily fluid, sweat, you know, vomit, anything, you know, salava.

All that is is what would fluoresce?

Would Why would your trunk look like a smurf if they spray it while it flores the minit.

He looked like Nobyl. There's gull spots in the trump in that blanket, I mean, just live like Chernobyl. Why would that? There's not one to be any blood in tronk?

Okay?

Well, and I say blood, I'm talking about other bodily fluids.

I don't have you there shouldn't there shouldn't be anybody bodily floods in the trunt.

WHOA, it's not going to be any blood. Well that tells me right there that there's a strong possibility she was asphyxiated. She's not going to be any blood. That's the first thing he said. And again everyone has said they're not guilty, that they're innocent in this case, and they have a right to a trial. By Jerry, when did he report her missing?

Brooks Hawk never reports her missing.

Actually, her mom reports her missing a few days later, when she's had trouble reaching her over the phone, and when she actually runs into Brooks how in town, she asks Brooks, hey, have you seen Crystal? Where do you think she is? And Brooks said, no, I haven't seen her. And Sherry says, well, then I'm going to go report her missing. And Brooks says, yeah, I think you should do that.

Take a listen to Brooks house speaking to Detective Snow on this very issue.

Brooks runs into Crystal's mom.

I met her mother at the gas station somewhere one of these days.

Her mother's Sherry, Crystal's mother, Sherry came up. Heurer my window and asked me if I had seen Crystal, and when.

You told her what, I haven't seen her, don't know where she is, and she just said okay and asked me.

That she thought that she thought that the wisest thing for us to do was she said she's going to go to the police station, and.

Then I went home.

Meanwhile, Crystal's mom files a missing person's report at the Nelson County Sheriff's office around three pm. Two hours later, her father, Tommy, gets a call Crystal's car has been found along the Bluegrass Parkway. Tommy goes and uncovers her keys, phone, and purse inside. Brooks tells detectives know that he wasn't concerned until Sunday because she'd quote done this before.

Friends and family tell me there's no way Crystal would ever have left her children, never ever ever. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Crystal Rogers's boyfriend, Brooks Hawk, came on to the NG Nancy Gray Show on HLM. I questioned him about his behavior immediately following Crystal's disappearance. I didn't like any of his answers, and apparently prosecutors agree that taped episode will be entered into evidence by the state joining me right now. In addition to her parents, saw Tom and Sherry Ballard, her boyfriend that she lived with. So Brooks, you go to bed and she's still playing games on her phone. The next morning, around eight o'clock, you notice that she's missing. Did you report her missing?

No, ma'am.

Why that is a great question and one that I definitely want to hear the other public in the media. I was not in the least little ditch along in any way, shape or form. We have had a stress relationship at times, and one of the ways that Crystal has always chose to the coper to deal with that is by going to a young woman's name Sabrina. That is her cousin, her dad brother's daughter, whom she's very close to.

That she spent the night.

There on several oc When you say several, do you mean one three twenty in.

The neighborhood of four to six Okay.

Thomas Sherry Ballard, were you aware of that? Do you know who Sabrina is?

Yes, ma'am, that's my niece.

Okay. Did you know that she doesn't spend the night over there when she's having an issue at home?

I'm not on probably one time.

Right, Okay, I want to go back to Brooks Houck. Let me ask you this. I know that you agreed to take a polygraph? Did you pass?

They because of the way that the lines or whatever wrong that they may determined it to be what's called inconclusive. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but they did tell me it does mean that I wasn't flying, or I didn't pass it, or I didn't fell it. They just ruled it inconclusive. And that's exactly the way that it stands. I've been one hundred percent completely honest with everyone. I've been one hundred percent a cooperative in everything that has been asked of me. I'm not asked for any kind of legal advice or assistance or an attorney of any nature. I'm one hundred percent completely innocent in this, and I have exhausted my efforts with the law enforcement agencies to gather all the facts necessary to allow me to have a clean name again. And that's very important to me.

You are hearing, oh, who has been called the number one suspect, Crystal Rogers lover Brooks help with me questioning him. I find it very interesting that either he's not telling me the truth or the FBI agent that truth. Polygraph is not telling the truth because I was looking right at the video when the agent that the poligrapher says, you did not pass. Okay, that's not inconclusive. That's you did not pass. But when I was questioning him, how it says that it was inconclusive, basically blaming the test. Also, I heard something very significant. Apparently. The first story was they were up playing games like video games, I guess, and then went to sleep. That's a far cry from fading the cows.

Jessica nol Brooks's story is that once they got home from the farm, he went to bed and his son stayed up with Crystal and Crystal played games on her phone and that was the last time he saw her.

It's an interest that has everyone's attention. Brooks.

How Crystal Roger's boyfriend and the main suspect in her disappearance, charged with her murder and tempering with physical evidence. According to the indictment, the charge of stem from an incident July fourth weekend of twenty fifteen, just days before Crystal's car was found abandoned on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside. He was named the main suspect within three months, but never charged until today.

Why so long?

You were just hearing our friends in whas for those of you just joining us in the last hours, finally unarrest in the murder of Crystal Rogers. And you know what's so irritating, You know, Cheryl mccoum is joining me, director of the Cold Case Research Institute and star of a hitnew series Zone seven. When I hear and I've heard it over and over, it's countless cases, Cheryl McCollum quote, everybody knew. I mean since day one, everyone said, Brooks, how is the killer? Why did it take so long? And to you, Cheryl McCollum, have you ever had those cases? And you have to tell every single witness it doesn't matter what everybody says, because very often what everybody says is not true. That's not the killer. It turns out to be someone completely different. But in this case, it's true. Since the whole thing went down, he has been suspect number one.

He's been suspect only one. There hasn't been anybody else. But it's one of those situations. What you know and what you could prove is not the same thing. So they had to be patient. They had to work this case from every angle, which is what they did. They got him once for theft, they got people that were close to him for perjury. They even pressed Grandma so hard she invoked her Fifth Amendment. So they have worked this thing beautifully. Yeah, as long as they possibly could.

Take.

Listen to whas eleven federal investigators accused Helk of intentionally causing the death of Crystal Runchers and destroying, concealing, mutilating, or removing physical evidence in connection to the crime, He was arrested without incident while on a job site outside of Bardstown.

This was the moment Brooks was put into handcuffs.

My fires reaction was just Sherry and her family getting the justice that they.

Have fought so much. For joining me right now, Anchor wd RB out of Louisville, Fallon Glick, thank you for being with us. Fallon, tell me about the arrest.

Well Brooks, how Kerr former boyfriend. He was arrested at a work site and then he was then taken to the Nelson County jail. We have video of him and handcuffed walking into the jail. It wasn't there very long, but we did get a booking photo of him, and then he was taken to another county jail. It's called the Harding County Jail, and that is where he is staying currently. And he's not going to get out unless you posts that ten million dollars cash only bond.

Okay, ten million dollars cash bond, James Shelknett. That's unlike a lot of bonds where you can put, for instance, your house down is collateral, you get one hundred thousand dollars bond. You got to come up with ten thousand dollars money or collateral like a home. But a ten million dollar bond that's not going to happen anytime soon.

No, it's not going to happen anytime soon. And you know a lot of times with severe cases you do see a cash boar. But even with a cash bond, that's a pretty high cash bond. They must feel pretty confident in the case that they've got against them, and so much the judge to set the bond that high, I mean, get real shell nut.

If the guy has managed to outsmart police for this many years and the disappearance and death of his girlfriend, Crystal Rogers. I wouldn't let him set one toe outside of that jail house because he could very likely slip away.

I wouldn't let him set outside the jail either. You know, this guy has sat and committed potentially a crime against the mother of five children. He's covered it up, He's played games. And this guy's shown he's dangerous and he's a danger to the community.

And danger to any potential witnesses. Is why I would let him out on bond. And you said the case is so severe it calls for a high cash bond. What do you mean by that? And what is a cash bond as supposed to a regular bond, Shell.

Nut, Well, it's severe because he's accused of murdering a mother of five, of potentially covering this murder up taking steps.

You know.

Additionally, you know, we've got some implications as to involvement in some other situations as well. And the cash bond is set so that the judge can ensure that. Yeah, I'm not giving him a no bond, So I'm going to meet the basic constitutional requirements of providing bail. But I will tell you this, if you're going to get out, we're going to be pretty sure that you're coming back.

Okay, let me Q and A with myself for just a moment. James shell Nutt was asked what's the difference in a cash bond and regular bond? Again, in regular bond you can put up collateral like the value of your home. You can put up for instance, real estatem. A cash bawn, you gotta have cold hard cash. Everything else shell Nutt said, was dead on joining me. James shell Nutt a high profile lawyer with the shell Nut Firm. He's based in Alabama, but travels all over twenty seven years on Metro major case at shell Nut Law Firm dot com. Guys, this has been one long drawn out investigation. I want you to take a listen to Monica Harkins WDRB.

We saw the car pull in through the fence. As he got out of the car, I asked, where is Crystal Rogers. He didn't say anything. As he entered the back of the jail, the Nelson County jailer was also on hand. You can see that clearly as this unmarked car goes through the gates. Around ten forty five Hawk showed up here, but it was around eight forty five this morning, the FBI of.

Louisville posted about Hawke's arrest.

Rogers was last seen in July of twenty fifteen. The FBI post saying FBI and KSP have been laser folks on their commitment to hold accountable those that were responsible for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, saying, quote, today we take a significant step in making good on that promise.

You know, Falling Glick joining me anchor wd RB. We all heard FB I, why did the FBI have to be brought in to solve this case? What about local law enforcement?

What's the problem, Falling Glick, Well, local law enforcement, the sheriff's office, they have been on this since day one, and I think they just didn't have enough resources to pull this case together. And we know Sherry Ballor, the mother of Crystal Rogers, she has been the true champion for her daughter's case, keeping it in the spotlight. And you know, very soon after her daughter disappeared, she asked the FBI to come in, please take over this case. And that didn't happen until five years later. So the FBI, they've been on the case now for three years, and when they come in that late they have more work to do because they weren't there from day one, and so it has taken a lot of time to pull all this evidence together because we know they've executed so many surge warrants at the Hawk family properties, the Hawk Family farm, you know, that's the three hundred acre farm, so they have been there several times. And then not too long ago, they were at a home that Brooks House has built and they dug up the driveway collected a ton of evidence there. So the evidence that the FBI has had to sort through is unimaginable. I know the prosecutor is saying that they have to turn over to terabytes worth of information in this case. So just a lot to go through here.

Crystal Rogers' boyfriend came on to the NG Nancy Gray Show on HLM. I didn't like any of his answers, and apparently Peters agree that taped episode will be entered into evidence by the state. Crystal Roger's body still not found. We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace signing off Goodbye Friend,