Decades After Brutal Killings, Four Men Exonerated in Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
– A Texas judge formally exonerated four men Thursday who were wrongly accused in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop, a case that gripped the city for decades. State District Judge Dayna Blazey declared Michael Scott, Forrest Welborn, Robert Springsteen, and Maurice Pierce – the latter of whom is deceased – “actually innocent” during an emotional hearing at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center.
The declaration marks a pivotal moment in a case plagued by initial missteps and decades of uncertainty. “You are innocent,” Judge Blazey stated, describing her order as “an obligation to the rule of law and the obligation to the dignity of the individual.”
The exonerations follow last year’s announcement by cold case detectives that they had identified the actual perpetrator – an individual who died in a 1999 standoff with police in Missouri. This new evidence prompted prosecutors to seek the formal clearing of the four men.
Michael Scott and Forrest Welborn were present in the packed courtroom to hear the news, surrounded by family members. Robert Springsteen, who was previously sentenced to death row, did not attend the hearing. Maurice Pierce, who died in 2010, was represented by his widow, Kim Pierce, and their daughter, Marisa, who addressed the court, stating, “Daddy, you have your name back. The world knows what you were trying to say all along.”
Travis County First Assistant District Attorney Trudy Strassburger acknowledged the profound errors made in the original investigation. “Over 25 years ago, the state prosecuted four innocent men… (for) one of the worst crimes Austin has ever seen,” she said. “We could not have been more wrong.”
The case centered around the brutal murders of Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Walker, and Jennifer Harbison, who were attacked and the yogurt shop set ablaze on December 31, 1991. The initial investigation quickly focused on Scott, Welborn, Springsteen, and Pierce, leading to a highly publicized and controversial series of accusations, and trials.
Springsteen was initially convicted and spent several years on death row before his conviction was overturned. Scott received a life sentence. Welborn and Pierce, while never convicted, faced years of suspicion and social stigma. The exonerations offer a measure of closure for the men and their families, who have long maintained their innocence.
The declaration of “actual innocence” is a crucial step for the men and their families to pursue financial compensation for the years lost due to wrongful accusations and imprisonment. The long shadow of the yogurt shop murders had prevented them from living normal lives, according to prosecutors.
Austin Police Department Cold Case Detective Daniel Jackson was present at the hearing, representing the department’s commitment to revisiting and rectifying past investigative errors. The case serves as a stark reminder of the potential for wrongful convictions and the importance of thorough, unbiased investigations.
The exonerations bring an end to a dark chapter in Austin’s history, offering a measure of justice and peace to the families of both the victims and the wrongly accused.
