It was 2:00 AM on a Saturday. May 25, 2013. Officer Jason Ellis, a 33-year-old K-9 officer with the Bardstown Police Department, had just finished his shift. He was tired. Most of us know that feeling—the end of a long week, the drive home when the world feels empty. He was heading back to his wife, Amy, and their two young sons.
Then he saw the branches.
They were neatly piled on the Exit 34 ramp of the Bluegrass Parkway. Most people would have driven around them or complained. But Jason was a cop. He was a guy who took care of things. He pulled over, turned on his lights, and stepped out into the humid Kentucky night to clear the road. He didn’t even have time to unholster his Glock.
The shots came from the embankment.
Someone was waiting. They had cut those branches—specifically from a type of tree not immediately adjacent to the ramp—and laid a trap. They knew he would stop. They knew exactly who they were waiting for. Or, at the very least, they knew they wanted a cop.
The Mystery of the Bluegrass Parkway Ambush
What makes the case of Jason Ellis Bardstown Ky so deeply unsettling isn't just the violence. It’s the precision. The killer used a 12-gauge shotgun, firing multiple times from a position of cover. Investigators found the shooter had a clear line of sight from the hill overlooking the ramp.
It was an execution.
Twelve years later, the question remains: Why him? Jason was a K-9 officer. He worked drugs. In a small town like Bardstown, that means you're making enemies. People talk about "cartels" or "drug rings," but honestly, most crime in places like this is way more personal than that.
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The rumor mill in Nelson County has been spinning since 2013. You've probably heard the theories. Some people think it was "blue-on-blue"—basically, that a fellow officer was involved. It’s a heavy accusation. But when you look at how the investigation stalled, it’s easy to see why the community started looking inward.
The department didn't have dash cams or body cameras back then. There was no digital witness. Just a man on the side of the road and a pile of branches that didn't belong there.
Is the Jason Ellis Case Connected to Crystal Rogers?
You can't talk about Jason Ellis without talking about the rest of Bardstown's tragedies. It’s like this dark cloud settled over the town and refused to leave.
- April 2014: Kathy and Samantha Netherland are murdered in their home.
- July 2015: Crystal Rogers vanishes. Her car is found on the same parkway where Jason died.
- November 2016: Tommy Ballard, Crystal’s dad, is shot and killed while hunting.
In 2023, things finally started moving. Prosecutor Shane Young was appointed to handle all three cases. That was a big deal. For years, the FBI and Kentucky State Police had been working in parallel, but Young finally said out loud what everyone was thinking: the evidence in the Crystal Rogers case is tied to the deaths of Tommy Ballard and Jason Ellis.
Specifically, there's the issue of Nick Houck. He was a Bardstown police officer. He’s also the brother of Brooks Houck, who was recently found guilty in the murder of Crystal Rogers. Nick was fired from the force because he interfered with the investigation into his brother.
Here's a weird detail from the interrogation files: When investigators asked Nick who he worked with on his shifts, he could only remember one name.
Jason Ellis.
They worked the same shift for seven years. If anyone knew Jason’s routine—the way he drove home, the time he signed off, the fact that he was the kind of guy who would stop to move a branch—it was someone on that force.
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Where the Investigation Stands in 2026
As of early 2026, the air in Bardstown feels different. The conviction of Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson for the murder of Crystal Rogers was a massive turning point. It broke the seal of silence. For a long time, people were terrified to speak. They thought the people responsible were untouchable.
They weren't.
Special prosecutors have explicitly stated that "evidence connects" the cases. While no one has been formally charged for Jason's murder yet, the focus has shifted heavily toward the "unindicted co-conspirators" named in the Rogers trial. We’re talking about a web of people who protected each other for over a decade.
The FBI still has a $50,000 reward out. That money is sitting there, waiting for one person to get nervous enough or guilty enough to talk.
Why This Case Still Matters
Jason wasn't just a uniform. He was a father who brought home flowers for his wife and his mother-in-law on the same day. He was a guy who loved his K-9 partner, Figo. If you’ve seen the photos of Figo at Jason’s funeral—paws on the casket—you know it breaks your heart.
The community of Bardstown deserves the full truth. Not just half-truths or "person of interest" labels.
Solving the murder of Jason Ellis Bardstown Ky isn't just about catching a killer anymore. It’s about cleaning up the legacy of a town that was held hostage by its own secrets.
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Actionable Steps for Those Following the Case
If you’re looking to stay updated or help move the needle on this investigation, here is what actually helps:
1. Watch the Court Proceedings
The trials related to the Rogers and Ballard cases are the "backdoor" to the Ellis case. Pay attention to the testimony of Joseph Lawson and Steve Lawson. Their cooperation with the state is often contingent on providing information about other "local events."
2. Support the Jason Ellis Memorial Foundation
The family has worked tirelessly to keep his name in the news. Supporting their efforts keeps pressure on the Kentucky State Police and the FBI to prioritize the 2013 files.
3. Use the FBI Tip Line
Even in 2026, small details matter. If you lived in Bardstown in 2013 and saw a vehicle near Exit 34 that night—specifically a black Chevy Impala that was mentioned early in the probe—call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
4. Follow Local Investigative Journalism
Reporters like Shay McAlister have been on this for years. They often have access to documents and "off the record" sources that don't make it into the official police press releases until much later.
The silence is finally breaking in Nelson County. The "ambush at Exit 34" is no longer a cold mystery; it’s an active chapter in a much larger story of justice finally catching up.