Criminology - Breaking News: Robert Eugene Brashers identified as killer in Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

Episode Date: September 27, 2025

Major breaking news here as serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers has been identified as being responsible for the infamous quadruple Yogurt Shop murder in December, 1991 in Austin, TX.  Killed were Jennifer Harbison, and Eliza Thomas who were employees of the 'I Can't Believe it's Yogurt' shop in Austin, along with Jennifer's sister Sarah Harbison, and her friend Amy Ayers who were in the shop in order to get a ride home with Jennifer after closing. All four girls were shot in the head execution style and at least one of them was raped. After they were killed, the shop was set on fire to cover up the crime and destroy evidence.  Robert Eugene Brashers was a known rapist and serial killer who roamed from state to state. Among many twisted crimes, We know Brashers was responsible for the murders of Genevieve "Jenny" Zitricki in Greenville, SC in 1990, as well as that  of mother and daughter  Sherri and Megan Scherer in Portageville, Missouri in 1998. We did a full episode on Brashers way back in 2018; season 4 episode 5. You can listen to that full episode here.  This is a breaking news story and the investigation is ongoing. You can help support the show through Patreon. We'd love to connect with listeners on social media. We are available on the following platforms: Facebook - Facebook Discussion group - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - Blue Sky - Twitch - Tik Tok  Criminology is an Emash Digital production hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford. 

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Hey, everyone. it's Mike Morford here and I just wanted to tell you about some major breaking news. The infamous 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murder's case has been solved. We had planned on covering this case in an upcoming episode of criminology. One of the most shocking revelations in the case being solved is who the killer turned out to be, Robert Eugene Brasher's, a man that we covered in a full episode way back in season four of criminology in episode five. Robert Eugene Brasher was a predatory rapist and serial killer who seemed to drift from state to state in search of victims. He was identified using genetic forensic genealogy, and he was one of the earliest serial killers to be identified through this method.

He took his own life in a Kennet, Missouri hotel room in January 1999, after a standoff with police. Among many twisted crimes that Brasher's committed, we know he was responsible for the murders of Genevieve, Jenny Satriki, in Greenville, South Carolina. in 1990, as well as that of mother and daughter Sherry and Megan Scherer in Portageville, Missouri in 1998. Now we know that Brasher's is also responsible for the infamous yogurt shop murders in Austin, Texas in December 1991, that took four young lives. Killed were Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, who were employees of the I Can't Believe its yogurt shop in Austin, along with Jennifer's sister, Sarah Harbison, and her friend Amy Ayers, who were in the shop in order to get a ride home with Jennifer after closing.

All four girls were shot in the head execution style, and at least one of them was raped. After they were murdered, the shop was set on fire to cover up the crime and destroy evidence. For more than three decades, investigators worked the case as it made headlines, and it was a popular topic on websites like Reddit and WebSloose. Finally, a DNA profile was developed from a shell casing found in the yogurt shop, and that profile was linked to Robert Eugene Brasher's, and ballistics proved that the casing was fired from the same gun, that he used to end his own life in that Missouri hotel room.

This is an ongoing investigation, and details will be flooding in. For now, we can take comfort in knowing that the murders of these four young girls in Austin has been solved. While you wait for updates and news in the case, you can go back right now and listen to our full episode in Robert Eugene Brasher's, which probably contains some of the earliest coverage ever done of Brasher's on a podcast. We'll include a link to that episode in the show notes here.