AUSTIN, Texas – Investigators now say a serial killer acted alone in the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, a case long marred by flawed interrogations and wrongful convictions.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis announced that Robert Eugene Brashers, a convicted serial killer, has been identified as the sole suspect in the killings of four teenage girls: Amy Ayers, 13; sisters Sarah and Jennifer Harbison, 15 and 17; and Eliza Thomas, 17.
The Austin American-Statesman reports the case remained one of the city’s most haunting unsolved crimes for more than three decades.
In the late 1990s, detectives obtained confessions from Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, who were later convicted despite a lack of physical evidence linking them to the scene.
Their convictions were overturned in 2009 after new DNA testing excluded both men, confirming their innocence.
“The public didn’t see the horrific torment Michael went through all of these years,” said Tony Diaz, Scott’s attorney. “Michael and his family have been victims, too.”
Experts told the Statesman the case highlights a broader pattern of coercive police tactics in Austin during the 1980s and 1990s. Detectives at the time were known to use psychological pressure and intimidation to force confessions.
Steven Drizin, an emeritus law professor at Northwestern University, described the interrogations as “psychological torture.”
Amber Farrelly, a criminal defense attorney who reviewed the original files, said detectives “seeded information” and pushed suspects to recall “blocked memories” until they broke.
Chief Davis said the department has “undergone a remarkable transformation” since that era. She emphasized that modern detectives now use “evidence-based interviewing” focused on professionalism, empathy, and accuracy.
Former District Judge Charlie Baird, who represented Springsteen in an innocence claim, said the findings strengthen efforts to fully exonerate both men. “These men were wrongly accused, and we want to do everything we can to make them whole,” Baird said.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza expressed support for a judicial declaration of innocence. “If the conclusions of the APD investigation are confirmed,” Garza said, “I will say ‘I am sorry,’ though I know that will never be enough.”
Under Texas law, wrongfully convicted individuals can receive up to $80,000 for each year spent in prison, plus a lifetime annuity. Springsteen and Scott could qualify if they are formally declared innocent.
Attorney John Raley, who has worked on Texas exoneration cases, said that process depends on cooperation between the district attorney and the court.
Innocence Project of Texas director Mike Ware noted that few cases achieve full innocence findings, making restitution uncertain.
Despite that, attorneys for Springsteen and Scott remain hopeful. “We’ve been waiting 32 years for this moment,” Farrelly said. “Springsteen has got to have his name cleared. It is our duty to him.”
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
