The Yogurt Shop Murders finally winds down. It’s been a long legal fight, but the city of Austin agreed to pay $35 million to three men and the family of a fourth. If you dont know, They were all accused in a terrible murder case, but they were not the ones who committed the true crime in Texas. Read on for more details.
The Wrong Men Accused
The settlement hasn’t yet been approved, but it seems unlikely that it won’t play out. And when it happens, its not clear how the payment will end up being split.
The folks accused of the true crime were Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, Forrest Welborn, and Maurice Pierce. From the start, they claimed innocence, but life dished them a hard curveball.
Tragic Lives
Not all of them were convicted of murder, but they all spent significant time behind bars. For suspect Pierce, who sat in jail for three years awaiting trial, living with the association caused terrible mental health issues. And Welborn described his life as destroyed after his charges were exonerated.
However, in February a judge cleared their names. In fact, investigators tied the murders to a different suspect named Robert Eugene Brashers. He died after new tech identified him, and he took his own life.
The Update
This week, CNN quoted Austin’s city manager, T.C. Broadnax who discussed the settlement terms. He said:
This settlement closes the final chapter of a devastating story in Austin’s history. We are pleased to have reached an agreement with those who were wrongly accused and wrongly convicted in this case and hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to everyone affected by this horrific event
DNA Cracked The Case
True crime fans who followed the story about finding the real killer were shocked by the brutality of the crime in 1991. Four teen girls got tied up, shot, and burned inside an Austin yogurt shop. Their names were Eliza Thomas, 17, Jennifer Harbison, 17, Sarah Harbison, 17, and Amy Ayers, 13.
Investigators struggled to solve the crimes as the fire destroyed a lot of evidence. However, the cops were able to confirm at least one girl was sexually assaulted. While they checked out plenty of suspects, nothing ever matched the crime scene.
Then DNA changed everything. Investigators linked the yogurt shop murders to Robert Eugene Brashers. He was a serial killer tied to several murders in South Carolina and Missouri during the 1990s. Additionally, he also sexually assaulted victims in other attacks. But thanks to the latest technology, a bullet from the yogurt shop murders eventually matched his DNA.
Families Got Some Answers
An HBO documentary later looked at the case. It showed how deeply the murders hurt the victims’ families and the Austin community. Even with the FBI helping, it took decades before DNA pointed to the real killer.
A lot of people who saw the documentary trailer said they felt terrible for the families. However, others felt really bad for the four young men accused of the killings. One of them, Springsteen, even spent time on death row. But now, after waiting more than thirty years, the settlement might finally bring them and their families some peace.
But for Maurice Pierce, there won’t be any peace from the settlement because he died before this happened.
Viewers React
When KVUE reported about the settlement this week, plenty of true crime followers had something to say about The Yogurt Shop Murders.
One of them wrote in the comments section, “It doesn’t make sense that 4 guys would rob a yogurt shop. What are they going to do split $200 four ways, and share a half gallon. Then, after arrest, none of them flip…”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- One of these gentlemen was forced to endure ten years on Texas’ death row. Can anyone even imagine his despair sitting there in that cell awaiting death for a crime he did not commit? His portion of the $35 million does not even begin to compensate him for that horrific injustice. The police involved should be forced to live that.
- Innocent people had their lives ruined, causing record-setting settlements that the city might need help paying…but no word about consequences for the officers…
- Those detectives couldn’t have got it more wrong. Makes you wonder about death row.
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