Austin yogurt shop murders: Travis County DA files to start exoneration process for initial suspects

AUSTIN, Texas - The Travis County District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to start the process towards exonerating the four men previously accused of killing four teens at the ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt!’ shop in 1991.

This comes after the Austin Police Department announced evidence linking Robert Brashers to the murders.

What we know:

In 1999, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn were charged with capital murder in the 1991 high-profile quadruple murder, sexual assault, and arson case.

Welborn’s case was presented twice to a grand jury, but it was no-true billed.

Austin yogurt shop murders: APD identifies suspect

Now that a suspect has been named in the decades-old case of the yogurt shop murders, people across Austin are remembering the teen girls who lost their lives. City leaders, law enforcement, and the families of the victims gathered for a press conference on Monday.

Pierce was indicted but prosecutors later dismissed the case ‘pending further investigation.’ Pierce was later killed in a police shooting in 2010.

Springsteen and Scott were convicted, but their convictions were reversed in 2006 and 2007 because of ‘constitutional deficiencies during the course of their trials.’ Springsteen and Scott spent 10 years and 8 months in jail.

Austin yogurt shop murders: DA apologizes to prior suspects

Four men spent years accused of those murders, but were eventually exonerated. The Travis County District Attorney apologized for their prosecution.

In September 2025, the Austin Police Department announced that DNA and ballistic comparisons linked Robert Eugene Brashers to the case.

The state is asking the court to ensure Scott, Springsteen, and Welborn are represented by counsel so they can continue with proceedings.

Travis County DA responds

Travis County District Attorney José Garza released a statement:

"It has been 34 years since December 6, 1991, when the lives of four young girls were taken. During that time, four men were falsely accused and two were wrongfully convicted. We are grateful to APD for never giving up their search for the truth, and for identifying the real killer: Robert Brashers. Thirty-four years is too long for anyone to have to wait for the criminal legal process to be over, and it is our hope that having counsel appointed for those wrongfully accused will be the first step in finally closing this case so that all involved can move forward."

The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis

Crime and Public Safety Austin