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Exclusive: Suspect ID'd in Texas yogurt shop murders case

2025-09-26 News & Politics
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48 Hours
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The Decades-Long Investigation and Evolving Leads in the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

Explore the 30-year quest for justice in the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders, tracking major breakthroughs and devastating setbacks, including shifting suspects and inconclusive DNA evidence that continues to haunt the community.

Short Summary

  • Investigators identified two distinct weapons (.380 and .22 caliber) used in the execution-style shooting of four teenage girls.
  • Four men were arrested in 1999 based on confessions that were later overturned on constitutional grounds in 2009.
  • Advanced DNA testing performed on evidence from one victim conclusively excluded a promising lead derived from an FBI database sample.
  • Victim families, including the Thomas family, continue to cope with profound, generational trauma from the unsolved crime.

This report details the evolution of the investigation into the December 6, 1991, massacre at a local yogurt shop. It covers retired detective John Jones’s initial, intensive search, the subsequent cycle of false confessions, the brief period of conviction for two suspects, and the current reliance on complex, partial DNA evidence to finally secure justice.

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Description

CASE UPDATE: In September 2025, one of the original investigators in the Austin, Texas, yogurt shop murders told "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty exclusively that Robert Eugene Brashers, a serial killer and rapist who is deceased, has been identified as a suspect in the case. Brashers committed at least three murders between 1990 and 1998 in the states of South Carolina and Missouri. He died in January 1999 by suicide during a standoff with police. The gun he used to shoot himself is believed to be consistent with a bullet casing found in a drain inside the yogurt shop, according to retired Austin detective John Jones. Watch "The Yogurt Shop Murders" -- Moriarty's reporting on the unsolved murders of four teenage girls which has haunted Austin for more than 30 years. This episode aired in August 2025. #48hours #crime #mystery True crime. Real justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives. Subscribe to the "48 Hours" YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/48hours Watch full episodes of "48 Hours": https://cbsnews.com/48-hours/full-episodes/ Listen to the "48 Hours" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/48-Hours Listen to the "My Life of Crime with Erin Moriarty" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/CBSNewsMLOC Follow "48 Hours" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/48hoursCBS/ Like "48 Hours" on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/48hours Follow "48 Hours" on Twitter: https://twitter.com/48hours Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cbsnews.com/newsletter/ Download the CBS News app: https://cbsnews.com/mobile/ Try Paramount+ free: https://paramountplus.com/?ftag=PPM-05-10aeh8h For video licensing inquiries, contact: [email protected]

Top Comments (10)

@anomarrr 2025-09-26

For those of you who have seen the original episode about this case, this is just a reupload. The new suspect is only named in the description.

1.1k 71 replies
@jldavis07 2025-09-27

What a remarkable man. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your community and those families, Detective Jones.

315 13 replies
@La0627 2025-09-26

Awful that innocent people spent like 10 years of their life in prison for this crime when they didn’t do it

285 7 replies
@AspieMoonWoman 2025-09-27

the ide of coercing innocent ppl into a false confession is terrifying to me, its pure evil .

268 3 replies
@lassebauer 2025-09-27

48 Hours often seems a bit dated compared to more modern truecrime shows and channels - but going back 35 years on the same case, showing the same journalist interviewing the same officer is one helluva flex that I don't think any others can match. Great episode!

223 10 replies
@Myopinionmattersthemost 2025-09-27

It always bugs me that when it’s obvious some one is being falsely accused the victims families will continue to insist the innocent accused is guilty.

195 4 replies
@colt45belle 2025-09-26

This case has always bothered me 😢

89 2 replies
@myra7730 2025-09-27

Jennifer & Sarah were our neighbors. And Amy was my niece’s friend. It’s just awful. Glad they have some closure.

89 1 replies
@patriciaseybold7396 2025-09-27

I am from Austin, and this case has haunted my community for decades. Heartbreaking.

56 2 replies
@hawajalloh9656 2025-09-26

If you are a true crime watcher you will know this case too well because it’s the one that stays in your mind forever 😢

38 2 replies

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