Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Major Break in 1991 ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt’ Murders | Crime Alert 6AM 11.18.2025

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Austin police say new investigative work has advanced the long-unsolved 1991 “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” murder case, one of the city’s most enduring cold cases. A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Sonya Massey after she called 911 seeking help. In Nebraska, a man has pleaded guilty to murder and related charges for killing a Catholic priest during a 2023 break-in at the priest’s home. A Cuyahoga County, Ohio jury has found Bionca Ellis guilty on all counts in the stabbing death of 3-year-old Julian Wood outside a North Olmsted grocery store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert, I'm John Lemley. We begin with a major breakthrough in a case that has haunted Austin, Texas, for more than three decades. Austin police say DNA testing has identified a new suspect in the 1991 killings of four teenage girls at the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt Shop, a case that shocked the city and remained unsolved for years. Authorities say DNA evidence now links the killings to Robert Eugene Brasher's, a man who died in 1999 and who investigators believe was responsible for other violent crimes in several states. Austin police described the development as a significant breakthrough. In 1994, four teens were found bound, shot, and the building set on fire after the attack.

Two men were once charged and later cleared, and the case remained open as new forensic technology evolved. The latest match came after samples. from the scene were re-examined using modern DNA methods, producing a profile that investigators matched to brashers. Police say the case remains open as they continue to review evidence and explore possible connections to crimes elsewhere. For the victim's families, the news is bittersweet. There will be no prosecution because the suspect is deceased, but the identification brings long-sought answers. Officials plan to release more details in the the days to come. Thanks, John. For the latest crime and justice news, go to

crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley. In Illinois, a jury has convicted former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson of second-degree murder in the death of Sonia Massey, a Springfield woman, who called 911 to report a possible prowler. Prosecutor said Grayson fired three shots, killing Massey inside her own home after she pleaded for help. The jury rejected a first-degree murder charge,

instead finding him guilty of the lesser count, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Body camera footage showed Massey holding a pot of hot water just moments before she was shot. The defense argued that Grayson believed he was in danger, but jurors concluded the use of deadly force was unjustified. The case prompted changes in Illinois law requiring greater transparency in the hiring and background checks of law enforcement officers. Sentencing is set for early next year, and legal experts expect a prison term rather than

probation. In Nebraska, a man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a parish priest in a small town north of Omaha. Kierre Williams admitted to killing Reverend Stephen Gutzel inside the rectory of St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun last December. Authorities say the priest called 911 to report an intruder armed with a knife. Deputies arrived within minutes and found Gutsal fatally wounded near his kitchen. Investigators later recovered a broken knife with a serrated blade at the scene. Williams, who had prior felony convictions and was working at a meatpacking plant in Iowa faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced later this month. Prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty. The murder deeply affected for Calhoun's small community of just over a thousand residents

who had already been shaken by another unsolved killing earlier that year. In Northeast Ohio, a Cleveland woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal stabbing of a three-year-old boy outside a grocery store. 34-year-old Bianca Ellis was convicted in October of aggravated murder and several related charges in the death of Julian Wood. Prosecutors say Ellis stole two knives from a nearby thrift store, then followed Julian and his mother, Margot Wood, into the parking lot of a giant Eagle supermarket in North Olmstead. There, she attacked without warning. There, she attacked without warning, stabbing the child twice as his mother tried to shield him. The boy died at the

hospital and his mother was treated for a shoulder wound. Defense attorneys had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but jurors rejected that argument. Cuyahoga County prosecutors described the crime as one of the most disturbing acts of violence they have encountered, and the judge imposed the maximum penalty allowed by law. Thanks, John. For the The latest crime injustice news go to crimeonline.com and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an IHeart podcast.