HBO docuseries revisits brutal 1991 Austin yogurt store homicide chilly case

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Greater than 30 years after the brutal homicide of 4 teenage women in an Austin yogurt shop, a criminal offense that surprised the town and stays unsolved, a brand new HBO Max docuseries is shining contemporary mild on the chilly case.

On Dec. 6, 1991, firefighters responding to a blaze on the I Can’t Consider It’s Yogurt retailer made a horrifying discovery: the our bodies of Eliza Thomas, 17; sisters Jennifer, 17, and Sarah Harbison, 15; and Sarah’s finest pal Amy Ayers, 13.

All had been shot in the head. Authorities consider the ladies had been sure, some sexually assaulted, and that the fireplace was deliberately set to destroy proof.

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Officers on the scene of the Yogurt Store murders in Austin, Texas on Dec. 7, 1991. (Austin American-Statesman through AP)

The crime shocked Austin, a metropolis that "misplaced its innocence" that evening, a Texas lawmaker mentioned.

"I keep in mind on the time how stunning it was as a result of I believe Austin, at the moment, was nonetheless a comparatively small city in Texas that form of misplaced its innocence on that day," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas beforehand informed Fox Information.

McCaul, former Texas deputy lawyer common and former federal prosecutor, handed laws giving the households of chilly case victims the chance to petition the federal authorities to reexamine circumstances older than three years.

The laws, often called The Murder Sufferer Households' Rights Act, requires the federal authorities to tell members of the family of chilly case victims of their proper to take action, the congressman defined.

"This brutal homicide of 4 teenage women, and the best way it was accomplished … which will occur in different cities, however not Austin. It was very stunning, and a part of it's as a result of the households by no means acquired a decision to the case."

A case that went chilly The preliminary investigation led police to 17-year-old Maurice Pierce, who was discovered carrying a handgun related in caliber to the homicide weapon. Pierce’s arrest prompted questioning of three different teenagers, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, and Forrest Wellborn.

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Over the subsequent eight years, three of the younger males confessed at totally different occasions to involvement within the murders. Scott and Springsteen had been convicted in 2001 and 2002. Nevertheless, their convictions had been later overturned as a consequence of questionable interrogation strategies and a scarcity of bodily proof, and no DNA matches.

By 2009, each males had been launched, and all expenses had been dropped. Pierce and Wellborn had been by no means convicted. Nobody has ever been held accountable for the murders.

Missteps and missed probabilities Investigators say greater than 1,200 folks had been thought of potential suspects over the years, and false confessions had been widespread. In 1992, a biker gang chief in Mexico was briefly suspected however later cleared after revealing his confession had been extracted by way of torture.

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A billboard promoting a reward of $125,000 for leads within the Yogurt Store murders in Austin, Texas on Dec. 7, 1993. The billboard was at South Congress Avenue and Ben Whilte Boulevard. (Kevin Virobik-Adams/Austin American-Statesman through AP)

The main focus ultimately returned to the 4 authentic suspects, however with out bodily proof to tie them to the crime scene, the case unraveled in court docket.

Recent hope and new know-how A 2020 DNA check reportedly linked crime scene proof to an unknown male, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The FBI is claimed to have a pattern from the identical particular person, however authorized hurdles have up to now stored Austin police from accessing it.

Detective Dan Jackson, who took over the case in 2022, told USA Today earlier this yr that the fireplace and firefighting efforts destroyed key proof, however he stays optimistic.

"Yogurt Store Murders" suspects (Credit score: FOX 7 Austin) (FOX 7 Austin)

"If I didn’t consider this case may very well be solved, I wouldn’t be doing this," Jackson mentioned. "The know-how we've at present is way past what we had just some years in the past … I actually consider we’ll discover who did this."

A spokesperson for the Austin Police Division informed Fox Information Digital that they're unable to touch upon the small print because the case stays an energetic and ongoing investigation, including that there is no such thing as a further info obtainable for launch.

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A brand new look from Hollywood HBO Max’s four-part docuseries The Yogurt Store Murders , which debuted Aug. 3, revisits the case and shines a highlight on alleged investigative errors. The collection options interviews with detectives, victims’ members of the family, and never-before-seen footage from an deserted documentary, according to Variety.

For a lot of in Austin, and the households of Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah and Amy, the hope is that the renewed consideration, mixed with superior forensic instruments, will lastly deliver justice.

"The yogurt store murders left an simple mark on the Austin neighborhood. Greater than 30 years later, we nonetheless mourn the lack of these 4 teenage women and lengthy for solutions about their deaths," Congressman McCaul informed Fox Information Digital.

"I’m grateful a lightweight is being shone on the yogurt store murders once more and hope these accountable will in the end be dropped at justice."

Stepheny Worth covers crime, together with lacking individuals, homicides, and migrant crime. Story ideas: stepheny.worth@fox.com.

Stepheny Worth is a Author at Fox News with a give attention to West Coast and Midwest information, lacking individuals, nationwide and worldwide crime tales, murder circumstances, and border safety.