Who was Robert Eugene Brashers? The man behind Austin Yogurt Shop murders

The infamous “Austin Yogurt Shop Murders” case from 1991 has finally been solved after 34 years, thanks to DNA identification. Police confirmed that Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999, was the man behind the brutal killing of four teenage girls.

DNA Breakthrough After Decades

On Friday, September 26, 2025, Austin Police announced that new DNA evidence linked Brashers to the crime. He had a long history of violence and was described as a dangerous predator.

Brashers was already known to authorities. In 1985, he shot and killed a woman and was sentenced to 12 years in prison but served only three. DNA has now connected him to other violent crimes in Missouri and South Carolina, including rape and murder.

Victims of the Tragedy

The four teenage girls murdered in the yogurt shop fire were:

• Amy Ayers (13)

• Eliza Thomas (17)

• Jennifer Harbison (17)

• Sarah Harbison (15)

Their deaths shocked the community and made national headlines. The case was later known simply as the “Yogurt Shop Murders.”

Wrongful Convictions Overturned

In the years after the crime, two teenagers, Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However, their convictions were overturned because DNA evidence did not match, leaving the case unsolved for decades.

End of a Cold Case

The case remained open until DNA technology provided the final breakthrough. Police also revealed that Brashers died in 1999 after shooting himself during a standoff at a motel.

The Yogurt Shop Murders were the subject of an HBO docuseries and remained one of Texas’s most haunting cold cases. With DNA evidence finally providing answers, the families of the victims now have closure after more than three decades.