Murder Sheet – The Murder of Linda Rutledge

Episode Release Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: Áine Cain (Journalist), Kevin Greenlee (Attorney)

Overview

This episode draws a connection between the infamous 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop murders and a little-known, unsolved 1998 homicide in Lexington, Kentucky—the murder of Linda Rutledge. Prompted by a recent Austin police press conference that linked a Kentucky case to the Yogurt Shop murders via ballistics, hosts Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee profile the Rutledge case, examine its similarities to other crimes committed by serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers, and discuss investigative challenges. While noting their speculation, the hosts highlight Linda Rutledge’s tragic death, the cold case status, and the importance of public awareness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Developments Connecting Cases

• Catalyst: A new press conference (Sep 29, 2025) on the Yogurt Shop murders revealed a ballistics match between the .380-caliber weapon used in Austin and a 1998 Kentucky homicide.
• Speculation: Áine Cain identifies the Linda Rutledge murder as a likely candidate, exploring details and connections.
  • “I’m speculating – this could not be it, but I figured there’s no harm in at least talking about it… if I’m wrong, then we’re just spotlighting a cold case that happened that also deserves attention.” (03:23, Áine)

2. The Linda Rutledge Case – What Happened?

• Setting: Lexington, Kentucky—a generally safe and mid-sized city.

• Crime Details:

  • Date: Early morning, Nov 7, 1998
  • Location: Nixon Hearing Aid Center, 121 Malibu Drive (Linda’s family business; her parents, George and Velma Nixon, owned it)
  • Discovery: Firefighters find Linda’s body in the back of the burning store.
  • Cause of Death: Multiple gunshot wounds (not the fire); her car is found abandoned nearby that night.

• Victim Background:

  • Linda Marie Nixon Rutledge, 43 years old, divorced with a son, close to her family, church member.
  • Last seen 9 PM, Nov 6, at Mr. B’s Bar and Restaurant. Believed to have gone to the business around 9:30 PM.

• Investigation Challenges:

  • Lack of surveillance footage in 1998; key timeline gaps.
  • Speculation about when and why Linda returned to her workplace late at night.
  • Her car (1996 black Pontiac Grand Am) found abandoned at a nearby apartment complex.

  “Or perhaps there's witness sightings that we don't know about. There could be any number of things that put her there.” (11:06, Áine)

• Status: Remains Lexington’s only unsolved murder of 1998. $1,000 reward was offered; occasional renewed media attention, but few leads.

3. Crime Scene Parallels to Yogurt Shop Murders

• Both feature:

  • Female victims at place of work, killed by gunshot wounds, premises set on fire post-murder as possible cover-up.
  • Ballistics evidence (the .380 caliber gun) potentially links both cases.

  “There's a female victim at a place of business that is set on fire after she is killed by gunshot wounds. Multiple gunshot wounds.” (14:05, Kevin)

4. Possible Suspect: Robert Eugene Brashers’ Pattern

• Background:

  • Serial offender with a sprawling, violent trajectory across southern and midwestern states.
  • Known for attacking, sexually assaulting, killing women (and sometimes girls), often in businesses or during break-ins.

• Key Timeline of Crimes:

  • 1985 (Florida): Michelle Wilkerson survives brutal attack, shot multiple times.
  • 1990 (South Carolina): Genevieve Zatricky, beaten and murdered—DNA from this case links to Yogurt Shop evidence.
  • 1992 (Georgia): Arrested with weapons, police jacket, burglary tools.
  • 1998 (Missouri/Tennessee): Kills Sherry Scherer and her 12-year-old daughter Megan; attempts another violent home invasion the same day.
  • Repeatedly released after arrests, continues offenses until suicide in January 1999.

• End of Crime Spree:

  • January 13, 1999: Surrounded at a Missouri Super 8, takes family hostage, commits suicide with .380-caliber gun (now lost)—the same make used in the Yogurt Shop and Kentucky cases.

  “Robert Eugene Brashers is dead... he killed himself with a 380-caliber gun that was linked to the Yogurt Chop murders. And that gun has since been lost, unfortunately.” (24:26, Áine)

5. Brashers’ Modus Operandi (M.O.)

Outlined by Austin Police at the press conference, including:

• Carrying multiple weapons, sometimes using victims' clothing as ligatures.

• Particularly targeting younger female victims for sexual assault.

• Routinely overpowers multiple victims solo—a fact supported by survivor testimony.

  "He was alone, he did not have an accomplice, and he was in this Memphis case able to control four women." (27:19, Áine)

  • The hosts strongly counter the myth that single offenders can't control groups, stressing the psychological impact of violence and threats.

6. The Ballistics Link & Ongoing Investigation

• Technical Details:

  • NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network): Ballistics database similar to CODIS for DNA.
  • July 2025: APD and Kentucky investigators find a presumptive match between Yogurt Shop and Kentucky murder casings.
  • Definitive results are pending; at this point, city and victim details not officially released by authorities.

  “Preliminary NIBIN results indicate a presumptive positive correlation between the two case innings, indicating the same gun was used.” (30:46, Áine)

• The Kentucky case set the final stage for closing in on Brashers as the Yogurt Shop killer, even as details remain officially sealed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Nearly] everything that people assume about true crime are just coping mechanisms to deal with the horror, and they're not actually facts.” (28:07, Áine)
• “I want to do like an episode that's just like a case of like one killer controlling multiple large groups of people. Because it's really not that uncommon. It's not that surprising… it's just a safe story that some people tell themselves.” (28:24, Áine)
• “Whether this case you found proves to be the case that they were looking at or if it's just another case, I'm just glad we covered it because it is a case that I'd never heard of and obviously these cases deserve attention.” (32:49, Kevin)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 03:20 | Introduction to the Rutledge case & Austin-Kentucky ballistics link | | 05:33 | Description of Linda Rutledge’s murder | | 09:43 | Discovery of Rutledge’s car; discussion of investigation challenges | | 14:05 | Parallels to the Yogurt Shop murders | | 19:03 | Timeline of Brashers’ known crimes | | 24:17 | Brashers' death and the lost .380 gun | | 26:45 | Brashers’ M.O.: weapons, victimology, control methods | | 30:46 | NIBIN match and investigative outcomes | | 33:09 | Wrapping up, the significance of covering cold/obscure cases |

Conclusion & Call to Action

• The episode underscores the tragic and unresolved nature of Linda Rutledge’s killing while exploring possible links to a notorious serial killer. The hosts note ongoing uncertainty but advocate for shining light on underreported crimes, expressing hope for resolution and justice for Rutledge and her family.
• Sources include local Kentucky newspapers and recent TV news coverage, as well as official statements from law enforcement.

If you have information about this case, the hosts urge you to contact the appropriate authorities.

Original tone: Conversational, analytical, empathetic toward victims and survivors. The hosts emphasize facts over speculation, openly acknowledge unknowns, and stress the importance of both systemic change and public awareness in unpunished crimes.