Crime House Daily — Night Watch: The Yogurt Shop Murders: Suspected Killer Named 34 Years Later

Podcast: Crime House Daily
Host: Katie Ring
Date: December 11, 2025
Episode Length: ~35 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode revisits one of Austin, Texas’s darkest chapters—the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders—where four teenage girls were brutally killed. After decades of false leads, wrongful convictions, and heartbreak, recent forensic breakthroughs finally unveiled the true perpetrator: serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers. Host Katie Ring weaves together a detailed account of the investigation’s tragic missteps, the evolution of forensic science, and how persistent detectives finally solved the case.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Crime and Immediate Aftermath

• The Victims:

  • 13-year-old Amy Ayers
  • 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison
  • 15-year-old Sarah Harbison (Jennifer’s sister)
  • 17-year-old Eliza Thomas (Jennifer’s coworker)

• Timeline of the Night ([03:16–07:20])

  • December 6, 1991: The girls were closing up the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt!” shop.
  • A man snuck in, locked the door, held them at gunpoint, and assaulted them—forcing the girls into the back room, binding them with their own clothes.
  • Amy was found separately, suggesting she tried to escape and fight back; all were killed with single gunshots (Amy was shot twice, with two different caliber weapons).
  • The suspect set the shop on fire; police arrived within minutes, but the crime scene suffered severe contamination from smoke and water, hindering evidence collection.

“For families, the days that followed blurred into a lifetime. Police briefings, media attention, false starts, high hopes and crushing disappointments.” — Katie Ring ([03:57])

Prolonged Investigation and False Confessions ([07:20–13:40])

• Initial Investigative Steps

  • Authorities struggled to find leads due to fire/water damage.
  • Witnesses described “two sketchy looking teen boys,” but physical evidence went nowhere.

• Maurice Pierce & Friends

  • Maurice, age 16, questioned for having a .22 handgun near the scene; implicated his friend Forrest Welburn, plus Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott.
  • No evidence tied the group to the shop; all released initially.

• Broken Interrogation

  • In 1997, new detective Paul Johnson revisits the original suspects.
  • Police use the Reid technique—a controversial interrogation method that can lead to false confessions.
    • Host details how police threatened suspects (“held a gun up to Michael Scott's head”), lied about evidence, and coerced confessions from Springsteen and Scott, who eventually implicated each other.

“It was absolutely wild seeing how the police gaslit and broke these guys down...from saying they were nowhere near the yogurt shop...to saying they ‘SA’d and killed these girls themselves.’” — Katie Ring ([11:02])

• Legal Fallout
  • Maurice and Forrest released; charges dropped for insufficient evidence.
  • Scott and Springsteen tried and convicted—life sentence and death penalty, despite zero physical evidence.
  • Supreme Court’s Crawford v. Washington decision (2004) rules their confessions inadmissible (can’t be used against each other unless open to cross-examination).
  • By 2008, DNA (Y-STR) evidence definitively excluded all four suspects; charges were dropped, men released after a decade in prison.

“All four original suspects were excluded from the YSTR profile. None of the DNA matched the male profile found in the evidence, which meant one thing: the perpetrator was still on the loose.” — Katie Ring ([18:43])

Modern Breakthroughs and Identifying the True Killer ([20:22–33:10])

• Cold Case Revived

  • Detective Daniel Jackson picks up the case in 2022.
  • 2025: Advances in ballistic and DNA technology. .380 casing from the scene matched to a cold case in Kentucky.
  • Nationwide DNA comparison links it to a 1990 Greenville, SC, assault/murder with known DNA: Robert Eugene Brashers.

• Robert Eugene Brashers: Serial Killer Timeline

  • 1985 (Florida): Shoots a woman in the head—she miraculously survives.
  • 1990 (South Carolina): Assaults and murders Jenny Zatricki.
  • 1991 (Texas): Yogurt Shop Murders.
  • 1997 & 1998 (Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas): Multiple sexual assaults, murders (including a mother and daughter in Missouri), failed home invasion.
  • 1999 (Missouri): Police standoff—Brashers commits suicide.
  • Decades later, his suicide bullet is forensically matched to the Yogurt Shop Murders’ .380 round, closing the circle.

“I just don’t understand why the justice system keeps failing to hold violent people behind bars.” — Katie Ring ([22:27])

• Connecting the Crimes
  • Multi-state police work and genetic genealogy in 2018–2019 confirm Brashers as the perpetrator in multiple unsolved murders.
  • August 2025: Brashers’ DNA from a South Carolina lab conclusively matches that from the Yogurt Shop Murders.
  • September 29, 2025: Detective John Jones fulfills a decades-old promise to wear his "green and white shirt" when the killer was finally named.

“Although Robert won’t ever go to jail for these crimes, the victims’ loved ones can finally get the closure they deserve.” — Katie Ring ([34:50])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Impact of Crime:

  “Austin lost its innocence. Today we have some closure.” — Unknown speaker ([01:55])

• On False Confessions:

  “False confessions are a complicated topic, and in this story, they matter. They shaped the investigation, influenced public opinion, and sent young men to prison for years.” — Katie Ring ([04:43])

• On Legal Rights and Police Tactics:

  “The police are legally allowed to lie to you. Don’t take their word for fact.” — Katie Ring ([12:50])

• On Perseverance:

  “Now a timeline for all of Robert’s murders is starting to unfold, thanks to detectives...who never gave up the search for answers.” — Katie Ring ([34:40])

Important Timestamps

• [03:16] — Setting the scene: background of the victims, summary of the crime
• [07:20] — Initial investigation and false starts
• [11:40] — Interrogation tactics and false confessions—how suspects were railroaded
• [18:43] — DNA evidence definitively excludes the original four suspects
• [20:22] — Breakthrough: Detective Jackson uses new forensic tools to crack the case
• [22:27 - 33:10] — Brashers’ multi-state crime spree and final identification
• [34:50] — Reflections on closure and persistent investigation

Conclusion

This episode offers a gripping, thorough, and critical exploration of the Yogurt Shop Murders—from the enduring trauma inflicted on the city and the families, to the dangerous consequences of false confessions and flawed investigations. Most importantly, it shows how justice, although often delayed, can eventually be served through advances in forensic science and the dedication of tenacious detectives.

“The yogurt shop murders and all of its connected cases are prime examples of why it’s important to keep revisiting cold cases... Although Robert won’t ever go to jail for these crimes, the victims’ loved ones can finally get the closure they deserve.” — Katie Ring ([34:50])

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• You’ll leave understanding not only the facts but the emotional and systemic toll of the Yogurt Shop Murders.
• The episode is a masterful blend of criminal detail, legal complexity, and deep empathy for victims and the wrongly accused.
• It’s a stark reminder of the perils of tunnel vision in law enforcement, the power of DNA technology, and the critical importance of never giving up on cold cases.

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