Austin Yogurt Shop Murder Suspects to Be Exonerated After 34 Years

More than three decades after four teenage girls were killed inside a North Austin yogurt shop, four men once accused of the crime are expected to be formally declared “actually innocent” Thursday — a ruling that would clear their names after years of suspicion, overturned convictions and public scrutiny.

A state district judge is scheduled to hold a hearing at 9 a.m. in the auxiliary courtroom on the first floor of the Travis County Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center.

If granted, the ruling would officially exonerate Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn in the 1991 I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! murders — one of the most haunting and high-profile crimes in Austin history.

A case that shaped Austin for decades

On Dec. 6, 1991, four teenage girls — Amy Ayers, Sarah Harbison, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas — were found shot to death after a fire inside the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop on Anderson Lane.

The killings stunned Austin and became one of the city’s most notorious unsolved cases. For years, the investigation loomed over the community, fueling national headlines, documentaries and repeated calls for justice.

Investigators later focused on four young men: Springsteen, Scott, Pierce and Welborn.

Despite the reversals, none of the four were ever formally cleared — until now.

All four were subjected to aggressive interrogation tactics that critics say produced false confessions, a factor that later drew scrutiny from courts and legal experts.

DNA evidence identifies Robert Eugene Brashers as killer

In September 2025, advances in forensic testing led to new DNA analysis that identified Robert Eugene Brashers as the killer, according to cold case investigators.

Authorities described Brashers as a serial predator who operated across the southern United States. He died by suicide in 1999.

Detectives said they believe he acted alone.

What does it mean to be exonerated? What does 'actual innocence' mean?

In Texas, a finding of “actual innocence” goes beyond overturning a conviction.

A judge must determine that the person did not commit the crime — not simply that there was not enough evidence to sustain a guilty verdict.

Such a ruling allows those wrongfully accused to seek state compensation for time spent in prison and provides official recognition that they were wrongly blamed.

For the four men in the yogurt shop case, Thursday's hearing could mark the first time the justice system formally acknowledges they were not responsible for one of Austin’s most devastating crimes.