Yogurt Shop Murders - Austin TX

[lisalouver]

Yeah its so weird too see that area again....it looks so peacful its so scary to think something so horrible happended there within reach of the that busy road and not to mention I found out the guy who owned what use to be the party city next door was there the entire time...and he said he never heard a thing.

Lisalouver thanks babe...I would love to sit and talk with you one day the stories you could tell !! That helps alot..can I ask have you ever delt with a body in charred condition like these poor yougurt shop girls before??

You are welcome Lisa! We can have that chat one day for sure. Yes, I have dealt with a few bodies that were burned. The ones I have dealt with died in fires and not a homicide such as this one.

They smell. Very bad.

[lisalouver]

Lisa, what would we do without you? I love your insight to things like this.

Thanks SheBoss! I love helping out!

[itsintheeyes]

nice pics, Scotty. I'll try to pass by the next time I'm in Austin.

[Lisamarie]

Homeymoons are for losers! Lol!!! What a strong girl to pull herself that far...I cannot imagine the horror she must have felt...bless her soul...what a trooper.....from what I understand she was burned 25 to 30 % of her body.The rest of the girls were charred...I have heard stories about the smell Lisalouver from my grandpa in wwII and he told me its a smell you dont forget....by the way..its great to have someone like yourself on here with us lisalouver!! This just breaks my heart ya know...poor little girls....whats even sadder is the fact some of their parents stopped by that day to chat with them, can you imagine ?? I mean they had just been there! I dont think the cops had anything to do with this, they screwed up something awful ...but I dont for a second think thay had a hand in this...and I think the guy who said it was an insurance sceme is a piece of shit! The things he said about the familes of the victims were just beyond horrible...I bet anything they would galdly trade 12 mil for there baby girls back......

[Lisamarie]

cbs11tv.com - Yogurt Shop Defense Seeks Additional DNA Testing


Defense attorneys are requesting DNA testing of "alternative suspects" in the 1991 yogurt shop murders in which four teenagers were killed, officials said. The ...
cbs11tv.com/local/yougurt.shop.dna.2.800062.html - 58k - Cached

[Lisamarie]

Just an update....Im wodering why this DNA evidence is just now being discovered??

[Lisamarie]

Garcia and Sawyer said their clients' innocence was proved this year when previously undiscovered DNA taken from Ayers' body did not match either suspect.
"The state went out and told the public they knew whose DNA this was. They don't ... and we're entitled to rebut it," said Sawyer during the pretrial hearing, the Austin American-Statesman reported Thursday in its online edition.

[Miho]

Jesus this is just awful. I wonder how no other buildings burned? It sounds like the fire was bad.

[Miho]

Pics of the girls alive

http://www.keyetv.com/news/local/sto...3496B&gsa=true

[Miho]

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/29/Wo...cence_lo.shtml

[Seagorath]

Ultra-fascinating case...I couldn't get away from this thread. I never heard about this...now I want to visit the "check-cashing" store in Austin...to see if I can pick up any "weird vibes"...

[Miho]

I'd love to see some pics. Not of the girls, but to see the damage in the shop.

[Lisamarie]

I would love to see it all..like I said I wasent far from where this happened and my dad befriended the sisters father ...its always stuck a cord woth me because it could have been me..I was only a little younger than they were..In saying that I wish I coud get my hands on every scrape of evidence..autopsy pics..crime scene photos....police interviews....all of it....I always wonder anout the check cashing place too....like could it possible be haunted ? I called once and the lady answered and knew nothing and I told her to take a look at the memorial outside....but she told me she never had an eerie feeling....that was a few years ago....so maybe someone more sensitive might feel something....

[A-train]

Wow, I've never heard of this story! Very interesting, very sad. How sick, poor girls. I don't think I'd wanna be working at that check cashing place that is where the yogurt store used to be. Bad vibes!

[Seagorath]

Lisamarie -- Brilliant thread by the way. I've been thinking about this one all day. The girls...their happiness transformed into pure horror within a matter of seconds. Dreams destroyed by demons of the night. Bastards.

And the "yogurt parlor" just adds another layer...should be a safe public place. I even had a yogurt joint just like that in the early 90's (would meet my friends their and trade Skybox Basketball cards)...unbelievable.

[Lisamarie]

I know what you mean....for years this has haunted me....I just remeber it so clearly...and like I said it really was wrong place wrong time...I always wonder about the guy who was in the store next door he was in there the entire time and heard nothing!! Can you imagine the guilt?? Lord...Poor girls......I just remeber my father talking to a cop who was on the first on the scene and what he told my dad my dad later told us and I rember just being horrifed......Its such a public area you would think you are so safe there!!! There is a busy street right there! Its heartbreaking

[Miho]

Found this site. Pretty cool

http://www.news8austin.com/content/s..._shop_murders/

[Lisamarie]

Okay so Im confused now none of the DNA found inside the girls matches Sprinsteen or the other guy and there are multible DNA samples found inside the girls....so who the hell killed these girls??? This makes me so mad because I thought for sure these were the right guys!!! Dude WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miho]

In staying with my new recognition as the "Retail Shop Mass Murder DH" I have submitted this thread for your pursuing pleasure. I just ordered the book "Murdered Innocents" and got it last night. It is an incredible read! It has pictures of the crime scene.. and some details that I have never read about anywhere.


Yogurt Shop Murders

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The Yogurt Shop Murders was a case involving the murder of four teenage girls in a local yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. The murders occurred on December 6, 1991 where the shop was then set aflame. The bodies of Amy Ayres (13), Jennifer Harbison (17), Sarah Harbison (15) and Eliza Thomas (17) were subsequently discovered that night.


[edit] The Murders

A bit before midnight on December 6, 1991, an Austin patrolling officer noticed a fire coming from an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop and reported it to dispatch. After the fire was extinguished, the firefighters came upon four bodies, all of which were bound and gagged, with three stacked on top of one another. Each victim had been shot in the head, thus leading police to determine that they likely had died before the fire was started.[1]
Just before the murders, the girls had been seen alive at the yogurt shop as late as 10pm. They had planned a sleepover for that very night.[1]
At the time of the murders, a known serial killer, Kenneth Allen McDuff, was in the area and was later convicted of and executed for the abduction and murder of Colleen Reed from a South Austin car wash on December 29, 1991. McDuff had a history of multiple murders involving teenagers, but Austin Police said he had been ruled out of the Yogurt Shop Murders[2]

[edit] The Suspects

Despite extensive media coverage and leads, the case remained unsolved for nearly eight years. A confession in 1992 by two Mexican nationals, held by Mexican authorities, was soon disputed and finally ruled false.[3] On October 6, 1999, police in Texas and West Virginia arrested four suspects in connection with the murders.[4] Robert Burns Springsteen Jr., 24, was arrested in Charleston, West Virginia. Michael James Scott, 25, of Buda, Texas was arrested in the Austin area. Maurice Pierce, 24, was arrested in Lewisville, north of Dallas, and Forrest Wellborn, 23, was picked up in Lockhart, Texas, southeast of Austin.[5]
Charges against Forrest Wellborn were dropped when an Austin Grand Jury failed to indict him. Charges were later dropped against Maurice Pierce. Only the Scott/Springsteen cases went to trial.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Austin police admit that over fifty people, including Kenneth McDuff (on the day of his execution) have confessed to the Yogurt Shop Murders. This is further complicated by the fact that detective Hector Polanco was later fired from the department for allegedly coercing confessions. Karen Huntley in police data processing was transferred due to her relationship with Springsteen's father.
The prosecution stated at one hearing that DNA evidence in the case had been tested against more than seventy people (including Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Wellborn) and failed to match.[citations needed]

[edit] Current events

In 2006, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Robert Springsteen's conviction on the basis of an unfair trial.[6] The U.S. Supreme Court refused to reinstate the conviction in February 2007.[7]
On August 20, 2008, the defense lawyers for Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen requested DNA testing of alternative suspects.[8] No matches against evidence found earlier that year were able to be found.[9] Seven jurors from the trials have stated they would not have convicted the men had this evidence been available at the time.[10]

[RaRaRamona]

http://www.findadeath.com/forum/show...nifer+Harbison


This one?

[Miho]

DOH! Thanks Ra Ra. That was driving me mad. I thought we had a thread on this, but I searched for a few different things and I couldn't pull it up.

[Miho]

Bumpie! Since I'm reading the book and was an idiot in double posting.

[RaRaRamona]

Yeah it seems harder to find things than it used to be.

[Miho]

I don't understand how the fire "moved" Jennifer's body?

[Miho]

Mods can you just close this. No need to merge. The other thread is a lot better. Thanks :-)

[Grungegirl83]

It is confirmed that the police officer shot the girl that was still alive? If so, was he brought up on charges?

[RaRaRamona]

It is confirmed that the police officer shot the girl that was still alive? If so, was he brought up on charges?

I don't recall that being anything but rumor. I haven't read this thread in a while though.

[Lisamarie]

anything new ? I heard they had to let the guys go because of Dna evidence that didint match ???

[Miho]

anything new ? I heard they had to let the guys go because of Dna evidence that didint match ???

It is still being determined. I think a few are still in prison fighting the conviction.


As far as the cop theory goes there was some nut bar that came out after the murders and said that it was a set up by TCBY to have the murders happen so they could collect money. However, he also said that the step father of the sisters had it arranged and hired people to kill them. The theory about the shooting is that the cop showed up and knew about the plot and shot her so TCBY could get the money.

Personally I think it is a load of horse crap.

[Miho]

IF anyone is interested I can try to scan in the pics in the book.

[RaRaRamona]

IF anyone is interested I can try to scan in the pics in the book.

DUH!

[Miho]

Ok because my scanner only likes to output in huge PDF files it won't work for me. If anyone wants them PM me with your email addy and I'll send them over. Also if you can fix them feel free to do so.

[deathhagcutie]

i guess the killer was more of a ice cream person then huh??..lol

[Frazzzld Kat]

i guess the killer was more of a ice cream person then huh??..lol

Sorry, but that made me giggle!

Miho, how big of a PDF file are we talking? I might be able to help you with it... maybe later today.

[Miho]

Sorry, but that made me giggle!

Miho, how big of a PDF file are we talking? I might be able to help you with it... maybe later today.

Everything is at least 200 k. I can send them to ya if you would like.

[Lisamarie]

It still bothers me very much...

[The Lucky One]

When this happened, my principal in school was Mr. Harbison, two of the victims' dad. It was really hard on him and tore him up, you could not have asked for a nicer man. Very sad, I remember it like it was yesterday. Just to verify my story, it was in New Boston, TX. At Crestview School....

[DexterKitty]

Did I hear somebody say death scene pics? *Dex drools on her keyboard*

[Lisamarie]

I wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miho]

Did I hear somebody say death scene pics? *Dex drools on her keyboard*

PM Me love and I'll send them over.

I wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same to you love

[DexterKitty]

Wooooohoooooo !!! Miho...you've got mail!!!!

[Frazzzld Kat]

Miho, I hope you don't mind but I went ahead and posted the pics.

Okay I tried to extract the pics from the pdf. Now keep in mind that the pdf scans were a little rough... Miho said they were crap in the book too. There aren't any bodies sorry but here are the ones I was able to get.

This first one didn't have a description but it looks like it could be in the back after the fire was put out.

[Frazzzld Kat]

[Grungegirl83]

Why were these young girls in charge of the store alone? And was the store actually TCBY because I could have sworn the storefront was another name

[RaRaRamona]

Why were these young girls in charge of the store alone? And was the store actually TCBY because I could have sworn the storefront was another name

Young girls are often in charge of such places. I worked at a yogurt place in the mall when I was that age. We opened by ourselves & closed it by ourselves too. Young girls are just the type of employees those places attract. It's good way to learn responsibility. I can't see how it would have any difference if there had been an adult there anyway. There are adults present at robberies all the time & they are tied up with all the teenagers.

[Lisamarie]

and the area was a very public place next to a bust road a mall was right behind and there was even a man in the store right next door and he heard nothing at all. He was even considered a suspect because police couldent understand why he had not heard shots but after testing they themselves could not hear anything and he was let go ...but from what I understand very haunted by what happend next to his store that night......I mean can you imagine he was right next door as that carnage happend.....I still think there is so much more to this case....I remeber going to the memorial service and the place was all burt out and still smelled like fire and burt things and there was a lady singing amazing grace and there was a cop who was one of the first on the scene and he was crying .....and that image always stuck with me here he was this seasoned police officer who had seen carnage and violence before and he was so distraught ......what those poor girls went through ...poor things....so Im not understandingg there is more than one DNA sample on the sisters but it dosent match any of the suspects ???

[Miho]

Thanks for posting these for me!

The first picture is where Jennifer Harbinson's body was found. Somehow she was moved out of the pile and found a few feet away.

[Miho]

so Im not understandingg there is more than one DNA sample on the sisters but it dosent match any of the suspects ???

That is what the defense is claiming.

[Cat lady in training]

Why were these young girls in charge of the store alone? And was the store actually TCBY because I could have sworn the storefront was another name

It was a "I can't believe it's yogurt" or something, not a TCBY.

[pattykad]

Those poor kids....how terrifying their final hours were. How does a
parent ever deal with that?