Austin Yogurt Shop murders: Previous suspects exonerated at hearing

AUSTIN, Texas - The four men previously accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders of four young girls, have been formally cleared. 

This comes after new evidence linked Robert Brashers to being the real suspect.

What happened during the hearing?

The backstory:

"The court can and does state, without qualification or hesitation, that you are cleared and that your innocence is affirmed," Travis County 167th District Judge Dayna Blazey said.

With those words, Judge Blazey officially erased decades of suspicion in one of Austin’s most haunting cases, the 1991 yogurt shop murders.

Michael Scott was in court Thursday. He’s now in his 50s.

"Every day I have carried the weight of a crime I did not commit. No court ruling can return the years and the love that were taken from me, but it can acknowledge the truth. I am not guilty," Scott said.

Forrest Welborn, who was 15 at the time of the murders, was also in court. His attorney read his statement for him.

"I have always maintained my innocence. I have never claimed or said I was involved in the murders in any way, because I wasn’t," Welborn’s attorney, Steve Goodson, said.

Through a letter, Robert Springsteen described living for decades with a label.

"I have lived every single day since October 6, 1999, being seen as a monster for something I did not do," Robert Springsteen’s attorney, Amber Farrelly said.

The daughter of Maurice Pierce, who was killed by Austin police in 2010, said her family has never recovered.

"This is not the work of a single monster, this is not one moment of evil, this is the result of a justice system that actively hunted my father, harassed him, twisted facts to fit a narrative, and tried to force a confession they had already decided to tell," Pierce’s daughter, Marisa Pierce, said.

The district attorney’s office said it was their turn to right their wrongs.

"Today, it’s our turn to accept responsibility and to use the truth to mitigate harm so we can help all involved to heal and move forward," Travis County District Attorney First Assistant Trudy Strassburger said.

The breakthrough came decades after the murder.

In 2025, investigators re-tested a spent cartridge casing found in the floor drain at the shop.

"They got a hit to an unsolved murder in Lexington, Kentucky of Linda Rutledge," Austin Police Detective Dan Jackson said.

That match led to another state, another lab, another murder. The suspect was Robert Eugene Brashers.

Detective Jackson said his conclusion was no forensic or physical evidence connected the four men to the murders and no evidence connected the four men to Robert Brashers in any way.

While the court cleared four men on Thursday, Detective Jackson reminded the court, this story didn’t start with them, it started with four young lives lost.

"Let’s not forget today why we’re here. Four lives were tragically lost that night, Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison and Sarah Harbison, were brutally killed, and their families have been frozen in time for 34 years," Detective Jackson said.

Brashers killed himself in 1999.

Amy Ayers' family released a statement following the hearing. You can read the full statement below:

What's next:

Defense attorneys told FOX 7 a civil lawsuit filed in federal court is likely coming.

Austin's 1991 yogurt shop murders

The backstory:

In September 2025, after more than three decades, Austin police investigators identified Robert Eugene Brashers as the man responsible for the unsolved 1991 quadruple murder at an Austin yogurt shop.

The crime happened shortly before midnight on Friday, Dec. 6, 1991.

An Austin police patrol officer saw a fire coming from the "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! (ICBY)" shop located at 2949 West Anderson Lane. After the Austin Fire Department extinguished the fire, firefighters found four dead bodies.

The victims were 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, and 13-year-old Amy Ayers. Jennifer and Eliza were employees at the shop, and Sarah and Amy were with them as they closed for the night.

All four girls were nude and had been shot, bound, and gagged. Due to fire and water damage from the sprinklers, evidence collection was challenging.