Austin's yogurt shop murders: Who is Robert Eugene Brashers?

A 3-D model of the Yogurt Shop Murder is one of several pieces collected over the years investigating the cities infamous homicides in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, August 2, 2011.

For 34 years, the 1991 yogurt shop murders was known to be one of the most haunting unsolved cases in Austin’s history. Now, newly analyzed DNA evidence has linked the crime to a man already suspected of being a serial predator across the south: Robert Eugene Brashers.

Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999, left behind a violent trail that stretched from Florida to Missouri. Here’s what is known about his life and crimes.

Robert Eugene Brashers was born March 13, 1958, in Newport News, Va. Little is documented about his childhood, though he has been described as intelligent, manipulative and skilled with tools and weapons.

Robert Eugene Brashers had violent record

Brashers' violent record began in 1985 in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where he lured Michelle Wilkerson into his car under friendly pretenses. When she tried to leave, he shot her in the head and neck.

Wilkerson survived and identified him as her attacker. Brashers was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and firearm charges, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was released on parole in 1989, after serving only three years.

In the time after his release, Brashers committed a slew of other crimes, in addition to the yogurt shop murders, confirmed later by DNA evidence:

• 1990 rape and murder of Genevieve Zitricki in Greenville, S.C.
• 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Memphis, Tenn.
• 1998 rape and murder of Sherri Scherer, 38, and her daughter Megan, 12, in Portageville, Mo.

Brashers' death

Brashers hid his violent nature behind a family-man facade. He had three children — one biological.

On Jan. 13, 1999, police tracked Brashers to a Super 8 motel in Kennett, Mo., where he was hiding with his wife, daughter and two stepdaughters. After a tense standoff, he released his family before shooting himself in the head. He died six days later on Jan. 19.

At the time of his death, Brashers was not publicly identified as a serial killer, but advances in forensic genealogy changed that. In 2018, investigators exhumed his remains and matched his DNA to several unsolved cases.