Men Wrongfully Accused of 1991 Austin Murders Seek Exoneration

A 2025 HBO documentary re-examined the crime, leading to a new suspect and potential exoneration for the four men.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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A Texas judge will consider a formal declaration of innocence for the four men who were wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, including one man who was initially convicted and sent to death row. The brutal killings of four teenage girls shocked the city for decades, until new evidence connected the crimes to a suspect who died in a standoff with police in 1999.

Why it matters

The exoneration would close a dark chapter for the men and their families, and for the city of Austin, which was shaken by the crime and investigators' inability to solve it for decades. A declaration of 'actual innocence' would also be a key step for the men to seek financial compensation for the years they spent in jail or prison.

The details

In 1991, Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, ages 17 and 15, were bound, gagged and shot in the head at the 'I Can't Believe It's Yogurt' store where two of them worked. The building was set on fire. Investigators chased thousands of leads and several false confessions before arresting four men in late 1999. Two of the men, Michael Scott and Forrest Welborn, were convicted based largely on confessions they insisted were coerced. Their convictions were later overturned. In 2025, new evidence linked the killings to Robert Eugene Brashers, who died in a standoff with police in 1999.

  • The murders took place in 1991.
  • The four men were arrested in late 1999.
  • Springsteen and Scott's convictions were overturned in the mid-2000s.
  • Charges against Welborn and Pierce were dismissed in the 2000s.
  • The case went cold until 2025, when an HBO documentary explored the unsolved crime.

The players

Michael Scott

One of the four men wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders.

Forrest Welborn

One of the four men wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders.

Robert Springsteen

One of the four men wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, who was initially convicted and spent several years on death row.

Maurice Pierce

One of the four men wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, who died in 2010.

Robert Eugene Brashers

The suspect who was connected to the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders through new DNA evidence in 2025, and who died in a standoff with police in 1999.

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What they’re saying

“It has been over twenty-five years since the four men wrongfully accused have been waiting for the criminal justice system to clear their names.”

— José Garza, Travis County District Attorney (chron.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will consider a formal declaration of innocence for the four men at a hearing on Thursday.

The takeaway

This case highlights the importance of continued investigation and the use of advanced forensic techniques to uncover the truth, even decades after a crime has been committed. The potential exoneration of the four wrongfully accused men is a testament to the power of persistence and the need for the criminal justice system to correct past mistakes.