Full Breakdown
Austin Reaches $35 Million Settlement with Wrongfully Convicted Yogurt Shop Murder Suspects
5/13/2026, 5:30:13 AM
Settlement Overview
The City of Austin has reached a tentative $35 million settlement with three exonerated men—Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn—and the family of Maurice Pierce, who died in 2010. The agreement awaits City Council approval and resolves civil claims arising from the 1991 yogurt-shop murders.
1991 Murders, Convictions, and Exoneration
On Dec. 6, 1991, four teenage girls—Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas and Amy Ayers—were found gagged and shot inside the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop. Maurice Pierce, Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott and Forrest Welborn were convicted in 1999 on confessions later judged coerced. A 2004 Supreme Court ruling allowed new trials, and DNA testing in 2025 excluded them, leading to a February 2026 exoneration.
Key Figures and New DNA Evidence
The victims were Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas and Amy Ayers. The four men cleared in 2026—Springsteen, Scott, Welborn, Pierce—had no DNA link to the crime. In 2025, forensic analysis matched a .380 cartridge from the scene to serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers, whose DNA also matched evidence from murders in South Carolina (1990), Tennessee (1997) and Missouri (1998). Brashers died by suicide in 1999.
Official Responses and Reform Debate
City Manager T.C. Broadnax said the settlement closes the final chapter of a devastating story and reflects the police department’s dedication in delivering answers. District Attorney José Garza apologized to the exonerated men at the February hearing. Prosecutors had sought a retrial, but the judge dismissed the case after DNA results. Advocacy groups, including the Innocence Project of Texas, have urged reforms to prevent coerced teen interrogations.
Funding Discrepancies
Reports differ on how Austin will finance the $35 million payout. Some outlets indicate the city may need to take a loan, while others state a debt instrument will be used without borrowing. City Council Member Marc Duchan expressed uncertainty about equal distribution among the four parties.
Verbatim Quotes
> "This settlement closes the final chapter of a devastating story in Austin’s history. For 34 years, our community sought answers to this senseless and heartbreaking crime, and, thanks to the dedicated commitment of the Austin Police Department, we delivered those answers in September 2025. We are pleased to have reached an agreement with those who were wrongly accused and wrongly convicted in this case and hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to everyone affected by this horrific event." — T.C. Broadnax, Austin City Manager
> "I lost my family. I lost my youth. I lost my adulthood." — Michael Scott, exonerated defendant
> "This could be used as a catalyst to make things right and … hopefully do away with wrongful convictions. That would be the beautiful thing." — Tony Diaz, attorney for Michael Scott
> "I would be surprised if the settlement was divided equally among the four men and their families." — Marc Duchan, Austin City Council Member
Next Steps
The City Council must vote on the settlement within the next week. Officials plan to fund the payout via a debt instrument. Police reforms, including a ban on unsupervised interrogations of minors, will be drafted for board approval, aiming to prevent future wrongful convictions.
