Who was Robert Eugene Brashers? 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders suspect identified
Robert Eugene Brashers killed 13-year-old Amy Ayers, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas and 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison at Texas yogurt shop
Robert Eugene Brashers has been identified as the man who killed four teenage girls at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt Shop in North Austin, Texas, on Dec. 6, 1991. Brashers died by suicide during a standoff with police in January 1999. The victims were 13-year-old Amy Ayers, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas and 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison.
In a statement, police said they had made a “significant breakthrough." Using advanced forensic genealogy and DNA evidence, investigators matched Brashers to the crime scene.
“Our team never gave up working this case,” Austin police said in a statement.
They have scheduled a Monday news conference to detail their findings.
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Who is Robert Eugene Brashers?
Born on March 13, 1958, in Newport News, Virginia, Robert Eugene Brashers' criminal history began in 1985 in Port St. Lucie, Florida, when he lured Michelle Wilkerson into his car and shot her in the head and neck. Miraculously, Wilkerson survived and identified Brashers, leading to his conviction for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and firearm violations. He was sentenced to 12 years. He, however, served only three before his parole release in 1989.
Following his release, Brashers committed a series of heinous crimes, later confirmed by DNA evidence. This includes the1990 rape and murder of Genevieve Zitricki in Greenville, 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Memphis, and 1998 rape and murder of Sherri Scherer, 38, and her daughter Megan, 12, in Portageville.
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At the time of his death, Brashers was living with his wife, stepdaughters, and one biological child. On January 13, 1999, authorities tracked him to a Missouri motel. During a tense standoff, he released his family unharmed before fatally shooting himself. He succumbed to his injuries on January 19.
Initially, Brashers was not widely recognized as a serial offender. However, in 2018, investigators exhumed his remains and used forensic genealogy to link his DNA to multiple unsolved cases, including the Yogurt Shop Murders.
(With inputs from AP)
