The Texas Yogurt Shop Exonerations

The phrase most often is associated with justice, the principlement to anchor the system is innocent and to premium guilty.

So from my father and three of his peers, that principle that none exist. That's Marissa Pierce, speaking about her late father Maurice Pierce. Pierce was one of four men originally suspected in the 1991 murders of 14 age girls. Eliza Thomas, Amy Eres, and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison. You were at a "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt" shop in Austin, Texas.

“What did you see when you first walked into the Yogurt shop?”

This wholesale carnage.

Sergeant Jones was looking at the badly burned bodies of 14 age girls who had been bound and gagged and shot in the head.

The Yogurt Shop had been set on fire to cover the killer's tracks. The case has for years become known as the Yogurt Shop murders. Nearly 35 years later, all four men were declared innocent and exonerated after the awesome police department tied another man to the crimes. We now have evidence linking a specific individual to this case, Robert Eugene Bressers. And now the city of Austin has made an offer of $35 million to be split amongst the wrongfully accused men, including the family of Maurice Pierce,

who died before this settlement was reached. It's blood money for us. TV died for this money.

So, really it was never about the money for us.

It's about the reform and the changes that need to happen, not only in Austin, but apparently across the country. In the end, this is a story about eight victims. The four girls who were killed at the Yogurt Shop and the four boys who were wrongfully accused of killing them.

“What I think we need to remember is that over all these years as terrible as it was for Sarah, Jennifer, Amy, and Eliza's families.”

The four boys and their families were hounded and treated as pariahs. I'm 48 hours correspondent, Erin Moriarty, and this is case by case. I've been reported on this case since almost the beginning and nearly my entire career at CBS News. The signs of pain and outrage are everywhere around Austin, so the police have formed an elite unit. It's only mission is to catch whoever killed those girls.

The gunshot wounds show that actually two different kinds of guns have been used, a 380 and a 22. Back then, one of the early suspects was Mori's pierce, who was 16 years old at the time. Here's a clip from one of our 48 hours episodes on the case.

“You'll also hear from the first lead detective, John Jones.”

He was arrested eight days after the murders at a mall near the yogurt shop, carrying a 22-hullerburg gun. The type used in the murders. The 22's were un-matchable. So you can't say it wasn't his gun. No.

But there was no way to happen. The group that was his gun. He gave a statement. Jones says Mori's pierce claim that he was driving a getaway car and that three acquaintances for his well-born. Michael Scott and Robert Springstein were involved in the murders.

But Pierce's story began to fall apart. And started to crater when we were ready to go talk to Forest. And we were listening in on the wire and it was pretty obvious Forest didn't know what Mori's was talking about. And when well-born Scott and Springstein were brought in for questioning, they too denied any involvement. And with me today to discuss this case and the lasting impact on the wrongfully accused and their families is Mori's pierces widow, Kimberly Pierce,

I want to thank both of you for being here today.

“What is the first thing that comes to mind when you know you have to talk about this?”

Suffering? Just how it got. It was so unreal. In 1991, it seems like such a long time ago. Let's start at the beginning.

I mean, what did you think, Kimberly? I mean, I know that everybody in Austin had heard about this terrible, terrible murder of four young girls. And all of a sudden, your boyfriend is pulled in and questioned about this case. Was that scary? I mean, it was scary at the time.

It was very scary for him. I didn't see him until he got released. So I know when I saw him, you know, bit all of his nails, his lips were all bleeding because he bit his lips and just very nervous reaction. I know initially his mom and dad didn't know where he was because they didn't notify his parents. So they didn't.

They basically woke up and he wasn't home. And so they're calling, you know, like any other parent, we're calling the hospitals.

“Kimberly, how did he describe the question he made?”

He was just ready to get out of there. I mean, that's really he was just he was ready to go. He's like, I'm just glad it's over. And you didn't have to tell me anything because I was with him that night.

So I never questioned him as far as, you know, there wasn't a conversation like, did you do it?

Because I was with him and I knew he didn't do it. How did Maurice end up pointing the finger at his best friend forced? How did that come about? Why did they then wire Maurice and have him go in and talk to for us? Because detective Polanco told Maurice that the gun that he had was the murder weapon that killed the four girls at the over shop. Kimberly, what did you, what did you think when you heard that?

They'd already went down a rabbit hole with me and my questioning that I already knew that they were lying.

“So I didn't believe anything that they said.”

They were telling me he was in a coal. The him and forest were in a coal like the animal sacrifice is then they didn't work. That's when they tried to say that he was at the over shop visiting. One of the girls like trying to make me jealous and I was like they're lying. You know that they later on to Maurice confessed to being part of that.

That wasn't true, was it?

I mean, he never confessed.

He just, when they said that was the murder weapon he basically said, I didn't have it for this chunk of time. So I don't think he said forest did it, but he's like somebody that was with forest or forest. If he had, you know, gave the gun to somebody else at the mall or something. But he didn't have it at that time. So if I'm understanding, this is very helpful.

So it wasn't that Maurice pointed the finger at forest. He's saying, all right, if you're telling me the truth that this gun was involved in the murder, well, I didn't have it at this time. My friend Forest did. So that's then why they put a wire on Maurice and had him go talk to forest. I found it really interesting, Marissa, that at the exoneration hearing you talked about that.

And you said that in that room, it was no evidence. Only a detective and a narrative, a narrative that was so completely false. I'm using your words. It feels evil. What do you mean by that? Well, you know, there's the person that raised me, the person that I know,

the person that loves me and taught me all of life lessons. And then there's this fabrication, this creation of a mastermind and a ring leader on the news. And in articles. And so that's the narrative that I was referencing. That detective, doing the questioning of Maurice for hours,

was Hector Palango, lead detective John Jones, took his statement after that. But he had doubts and told me when I started that it was clear that forest, well, born new nothing and there was nothing to connect Maurice Pierce, none of the four guys were charged. And so did you feel that it was over at that point?

So there's a period of time. That's when Marissa was born and Marissa's growing up. But then almost eight years later in 1999, a new investigation and interrogations, pushed two of the four men Robert Springson and Michael Scott to seemingly confess.

Michael Scott's confession came first.

He was questioned over four days. Come on, Michael, you're doing good. Tell us what's doing this today. What's going to do at her same girl?

“I remember one girl screaming terrified.”

Scott told investigators that he and the others only intended a simple robbery. He said they case the yogurt shop earlier that day. And then after Darky said they came back armed with two guns. I didn't gun go off. I don't want to hurt you.

I hear another gun go off. Investigators claim that Springstein later corroborated much of what Scott said. But after intense questioning, he went further. You know how to make sure all of this is fake. Springstein told them he shot one girl and raped her.

Both men later recanted those confessions saying that they were coerced. But Springstein Scott, along with Maurice Pierce and Forest Wellborn, were arrested. How did you find that out? When did you find out that Robert Springstein and Michael Scott had suddenly confessed after all those years and implicated Maurice?

I mean, basically you're figuring out when he got picked up on October 6th of 1999.

And Marissa, do you remember how old were you? What was that like? I was seven and it was intense. It was devastating. It was confusing.

I was a lot of things. First seven year old to have to try to grasp.

“I think my mom and dad tried really hard to shield me.”

I was seven. It was it was a lot though. How did you explain it to Marissa Kimberly? I mean, all of a sudden, her dad that she's known for seven years is suddenly in jail. I didn't tell her why he was in jail.

I just told her he was in jail.

I mean, at first so that day, they came really early before work.

I mean, it was a whole swat team. And I heard all the commotion, like the dogs were barking. And I went out, I was still in my, you know, not gown. And they pointed all their guns at me, right? Because I'm coming out of the house.

They have him hogtied on the ground. Did you even know what it was about yet? Did you know what was happening? Oh, I knew what it was about.

“Because they had talked to him, not too long before he got arrested.”

But yeah, it was just, I sent her to school. Because I didn't, you know, you're in shock. And you're like, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do. And then the principal called me because the news was there at her school. And so then I figured out, well, I can't send her to school.

So, um, yeah, then everything just started happening. I had to quit my job. We moved. I wanted to be, I don't know. Somewhere where I felt like it would be less known.

I don't want her to be messed with it. School. I didn't work that whole first year because I was trying to be there for. Maurice. I don't think we ever thought it was going to last that lot when you're.

When there is no evidence and there's, uh, you know that you're innocent. You just, I don't know. You just think that it's all huge mistake misunderstanding. Back then, I interviewed for a small board. Um, and he clearly did not seem to know anything.

Were you there that night? No. Were you there as a lookout? No. I'll answer it.

You had nothing to do with this. Nothing at all. At the time, uh, I did a very long interview with him and the. D-A at the time, Ronnie Earl tried to get a hold of that interview because he. He won.

No, if there was anything incriminating in there. I mean, how difficult was that for the two of you when. These cases got so much attention. I mean, it's guilt by association. I feel like.

The media and the families was.

“You might as well have been the murderer yourself.”

Maurice never went on trial.

He never went on trial. The only two who went on trial were Michael Scott and Robert Springsting because they were the only. They were the only one who had put on quote confessed. There was no other evidence. And yet Maurice spent more than three years in prison. Is that correct?

Yes. Michael Scott and Robert Springsting were both convicted. Scott was given life in prison. Robert Springsting was put on death row. In 2003, the Maurice is finally released.

And he's released according to the DA who's still DA at that point Ronnie Earl. And he says there isn't enough evidence to quote, "convict him right now." So it wasn't really over. Even though he's released, wasn't.

No, it wasn't over. They continue to harass him, harass me.

“There was definitely times when he felt like he was clearly being followed.”

So... By police officers? Right. What kind of told did that take on Maurice? Um, I mean being in jail took the hardest toll on him.

In order to survive in there and to be locked up for 23 hours a day, he had to somehow shut off his feelings. And so it's hard, you don't just, you know, come out and your free man and your feelings turn on again. He was just a much harder, different person when he came out. And I want to make a clear that they, although he was in jail for over three years,

there was no physical evidence to tie them to the murderers. That correct? And no statement that tied him to the murder. All right. And yet, you believe he was targeted by police when he was released.

Absolutely.

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Visit carters.com to shop the latest styles or find a Carter's story near you. So now we go to 2006, 2007. I'm just going through the history here. And the convictions of Michael Scott and Robert Springstein are overturned. It's on constitutional basis.

This six amendment allows a defendant to be able to confront an accuser. But here you had these two quote-unquote professions that were used against these guys, but they were not allowed to question each other. So they are released. But that time there's a new day.

And she thinks, okay, I'm going to retry these guys. But I'm going to make sure I have more evidence. So I'm going to retest that DNA, that partial male DNA profile.

That by them we know exist, but had never been able to be tied to anyone.

And all of a sudden, she tested. In fact, it shows not only were those two guys excluded by that DNA, but so was Maurice and Forrest. All four guys. Did that make Maurice his life any better?

No.

“I mean, that's why perception is reality.”

He was still perceived to be a murderer, a mastermind, guilty. And again, I spy association. So, you know, I didn't get jobs because he was my husband. So it's, you know, been very difficult for all of us for a long, long time. Kimberly, how did you stay?

I know, I mean, I know you love Maurice, but that had to be hard. How do you not stay? Well. Tell me more. We were together since we were 13 and 14.

I think we grew up together. We made mistakes together. We had her young together. You know, I, he was my best friend.

It's hard to live with what they did to him.

Well, let's talk about that.

“I think is what I think I've been putting off going to.”

So in 2010, do you need something at all? Marissa, we can stop this tissue please. Of course, of course. Thank you. I mean, makes me a little theory right now.

What happened in 2010? Um, Maurice went through a stop sign. He did a rolling stop, a California stop, whatever. You want to call it. He parked his car at his sister's house.

Got out, went into the house.

And then they chased him.

So he, you know, went through her house and went through the backyard. And, and obviously started jumping fences and running, evading, um, and. Well, can I tell you, let me, let me read to you what the police say.

“I want you to tell me what's at your, what's not here.”

So this is how the awesome police department described what happened on that day in 2010 in December 2010. Maurice was stopped for traffic and fled on foot. The APD officer Frank Wilson caught Pierce and the two struggled. Pierce removed officer Wilson's knife from his belt and then stabbed him in the neck.

Officer Wilson shot and killed Pierce. Officer Wilson survived his injuries. Maurice says that how you would describe what happened. Um. I mean, I guess I don't, I don't know.

If my dad wanted to harm this officer Frank Wilson. He, my dad was a, you know, capable man. He, he. If he wanted to, he, he could have and he didn't want to. He was just trying to run, you know,

his mind went into survival. That was it. He just wanted to get away. And, and naturally so I wish people, you know, could understand that. I know that my father was not trying to harm.

Um. That officer. Maurice that was on the phone with him when he died. Oh, my God. Tell me about it, Maurice.

I was on the phone. I was on the phone when it happened. Um.

“And that's how I knew that he just wanted to get away because he had told me.”

Like, could hear it in his voice the fear that was taking over. He said, they're after me. They're after me. And um.

I heard him put his car. In park. I heard him open the door. I heard him run. And then um.

And then he let me go. He hung up. And I believe. I believe that he hung up when he knew that this officer was on him.

So that way, like I said, he's always.

He's always found a way to shield me. And I think that was intentional. And he let me go, but it was only moments later that he called me back. And um. At the at the time.

You whispered very quietly to me. And in my head, I believe that he was hiding, you know. And I had just promised him like, we're going to figure it out. It's okay, you're fine.

You're safe. I love you. We're going to find you. Um, but he was whispering. Because at that point, he was taking his last breath.

Um. And in those last moments, he had just said. I'm sorry. I don't think you're going to see me again. And I love you.

[laughs] How did you find out, Kimberly?

Um.

Marissa came to my house.

It's, you know, walking the morning. Yeah. And she's like, daddy. Daddy's gone. And uh.

Yeah. I just, I don't know. I, I didn't know how to. Like, is it real? We're not right there.

We can't see it. But it sounded pretty real.

I just felt like they, they finally got him.

It was hard to hear that an awesome police officer shot him. Um, I was angry. I was pissed off. You, you know, the, they also police department say that the officer was, it was a matter of defending his life.

But that he killed him in self defense. But you say it was murder. Why do you say that? Um, they've lied so much over the past 30 years in regards to the yogurt shop case. I certainly don't believe them about the night that Marissa was shot.

So in my mind, they murdered him.

“And that's how I will always remember it.”

Um, I personally, I feel like the timing of it was, uh, you know, Robin might get released in 2009. APD is mad that they don't have anybody in custody to blame. They're getting pressure. Still from everyone to solve the case.

And, uh, I think they were going to get Marissa no matter what. And, and make him pay for it. Because I don't see how he was shot over rolling through a stop sign. Um, I, I just don't see it. That's how I feel.

I, I don't think Marissa found his knife and stabbed him in the net. So you just have to see it. You have questions about that night. You definitely have some questions left. And then you're talking about, so this was 2000, December 2010.

And then it takes years. And we're talking about September 2025. The awesome police department identified a completely different man. Robert Eugene brochures as the man responsible for the murders of Amy Eliza Jennifer and Sarah. The only, the only physical evidence located at that scene has been matched to him.

Brash was died by suicide in 1999 after a standoff with police and Missouri. And his DNA has since been, and before this connection, he has been connected to murders and rafes across the country. How did you find out? Did you find out when we did?

“Or did at least the DA's office give you a call ahead's up?”

Nobody called me. My sister and law called me. Marissa's sister called me. She saw it on the news and she called me. It just all seems surreal.

I can tell you start seeing stuff on the news and start. Google on it, look at it up yourself. You're like, is it real? And it was. And then I contemplated coming to the press conference.

But I felt like, you know, I wanted to allow the victims families to have their time. So I didn't, I didn't come. We mean, Marissa came to my house and we watched it together. Obviously, this announcement was huge to the families of the girls. I mean, you know, so I wanted you to hear a little bit of of what Barbara Sarah and Jennifer's mom had to say about finding out that after almost 35 years the case of finally been solved.

There's a little bit from her. It has been so long. And all we ever wanted for this case was the truth.

We never wanted anyone to go to jail or be charged with anything that they did not do.

Vengeance was never yet. It was always the truth. I was there at that press conference. And we, and we asked as reporters, is there any connection to this guy and the four guys that have been always suspected of killing the girls? And they, we were told, no, is there going to be an apology to the, the man who had been accused?

And they said, well, when we do more investigation, if we were wrong, will apologize?

“That I'm paraphrasing, but that's what was said. Tell me what you were feeling at that moment.”

I mean, that's how I always treated us. So it wasn't any different.

The rest of went into action and started, you know, cold calling attorneys, you know, who will help us officially clear his name?

Even though he's dead. Because it means something.

“I think one of the hardest things to hear in that press conference.”

And, and if you were watching on television, you probably remember this too. Was to find out that there was a miss opportunity just two days after the girls were killed. There, the real killer brochures is stopped at a checkpoint. It was near El Paso and he had a 380 gum with him.

If fit the description of the gun that had been used by the murders, there was a 22 and a 380 that was used in the murders.

They know he's in a stolen car. They know he has a 380. That was hard to hear. The digital system failed us in multiple states. Florida, let him go early for who knows why. He should have still been in jail when he committed the overt shot murders.

Even in '99, he shot himself at the same gun. Like, how does he get the gun back? Like, if maybe Niveen would have been tested then, like, maybe they would have picked it up and figured it out.

“Like, I would like to know when when was the last time, you know?”

I think I should make it clear that Niveen is that data center that keeps track of ballistics and weapons used in crimes. Yeah, it felt like a series of unfortunate events that led to the arrest and murder of Marys as what it felt like. There were so many things that had to play out and went wrong that resulted in his death. Is it hard that he, I mean, hard for you to accept that he doesn't know his family knows everyone in Austin knows and Marys did not live long enough to find out. It's hard that they knew the truth and they just didn't care.

And that it didn't matter that they were ruining four boys lives. Still that today, like nobody really cares about the four boys or the harm that it caused them or our families. And it's still focused more on the serial killer and the victims families than the four boys. You don't think today that anybody is interested or cares about what you all went through in all of us. Well, not as much.

Yeah. You began working with the Innocence Project of Texas. Marys, it really was important for your father to be cleared and exonerated. That did center. Was there any question that was going to happen?

I mean, was it.

“It would be because we know that that hearing was held, but was there any question before it was held?”

Whether in fact there would be an apology and and there would be an exoneration of all four men including your dad. Not in my mind, it it came to pass and we were able to be there and experience it and see it for him. I I was not there. I watched it afterwards and when Mike Scott who was the only one of the four who actually testified at that hearing took the stand. I didn't even recognize him.

He looked like an old guy in my mind. He was still seeing the Michael Scott even from 1999 and I would when he went on trial. And it really showed me how much time it gone by and the weight that had been on these these individuals. Did that help?

To finally have this hearing where at least the state of Texas and most of America could see that your father's name had been cleared.

I was definitely grateful.

But in my mind it's a little too late. There's he's not here to experience the things that he should have been able to do to see that the people finally hear him and are listening to him and know his innocence. Because we've known all along families known all along. What about you, Kimberly? Um.

I mean I think it was a little cathartic to go through it right the statement. Say what I wanted to say.

I honestly thought it would never be solved in my lifetime.

So it was kind of a relief to finally just hear it all. I mean, the DA did apologize, you know, publicly. That that day was a good day for us. We're hoping that out of it. Um, all of the things that went wrong will be brought to light and some serious reform will.

We'll, you know, come out of it.

“All right, and that's what I want to get to because I know that is really the reason why you're sitting down with us.”

I know that you really want to talk about the changes. So the city of Austin has agreed to pay all four men. And in your case, the family of Maurice Pierce. 35 million dollars.

And it's been reported that your family will get 10 million.

Is that correct? Yes. I think some people will look and say, that's a lot of money to people. Other people will say it's not enough. What do you think?

Oh, it's definitely not enough for his life. It was very hard to try to say that that wasn't enough. So tell me about some of the changes you would really like to be. You'd really like to see. I would like a child advocate to be appointed to any juvenile being questioned as a witness or a suspect.

Especially in a murder case.

There should have been, I mean, they didn't, they violated our rights.

They didn't call our parents. They talked to us without them. Obviously, that shouldn't happen. Paul Johnson admits that, you know, the entire interrogation was not. Tate, right?

Only excerpts are parts of it. That should not be allowed to happen. That should be, you want the whole thing taped. And Paul Johnson became the lead detective. Correct.

I don't need excerpts. I don't need, you know, you feeding him information after you've shown him, you know, the graphic photos of the girls. You know, dead when he was 16 years old, right? That, that should not be what's happening. So in fact, Maurice early on, even at age 16, they're showing him pictures of the victims to try to get him to, to confess.

Yes. And you want to see that change. Well, they should not be allowed to lie to, I mean, anyone, but especially juveniles. You know, Maurice thought they're not allowed to lie to you.

“They're the cops, they're telling the truth, like he honestly thought it was the truth.”

He had no doubt in his mind. They were telling him the truth. They were the law. Even when, right, they were questioning Mike, like when that, the one detective puts the gun to the back of his head. You know, like, you did it like, that's, that should not be allowed.

Ever. Right. If you're getting a confession that way, that's problematic. That's clearly coerced. And then we also want all of Paul Johnson's cases reviewed.

And has the city of Austin or have has the APD, the Austin Police Department promised to, and some of these practices, or are you working towards that? We're working towards that. There were seven different reform requests. I know this is not part of this settlement with the city, but I have to ask as a reporter.

“Is there some changes you'd like to see in what, what we do, what I do?”

Really dig in, maybe, you know, like I said, the narrative in the beginning. I felt like not a lot of reporters were really, truly questioning the evidence and the alibi and the power we hear. You know, just ask some of those out of the box questions. So even maybe you as a reporter want to detective tells you, this is who we think it is.

But that's not the case.

And I think that's important for us to all realize, is that everyone should be questioned.

I mean, I think now, you know, in 2026, people are questioning authorities more. Then we did in the 90s.

“I think, you know, there is so much more on caught on camera, right?”

So it's harder for them to get away with it and hide what they're doing behind closed doors. I have to say, Kimberly, I also think that if this had happened today, there would be cameras in the yoga shop. And, you know, cameras outside and this might not have happened.

But what your family went through, it just should not happen to anyone.

I feel like I want to leave it with with the two of you describing, how do you want us to see Maurice Pierce? I mean, he was a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle. He, you know, loved to work on any type of car, motorcycling, like old muscle cars.

“You know, he just would go out of his way to help somebody if, you know, he thought something was wrong.”

And you stood by him all those years. What did you love about him? I don't know if I could point, I'm just, he was, he was mine. I guess I loved the way that he loved me. He was, he was home.

He was like a, you know, kind of like that anchor.

And he was tender and he was kind, he was always just so gentle.

He was our home and our safe space and our protection. But he was also love just so much love.

“And that's what gives me the courage to sit here is I know that”

life was heavy for him, but he still got up every morning and he still tried. Every day. I want to thank both of you for talking about this. And I want to know what happens. And I really appreciate that the two of you spoke with us today.

Thank you. We'll be back next week with another episode of Case by Case. Be sure to rate and review. And let us know which cases you are following and you want us to follow. 48 hours reached out to the Austin Police Department about the Pierce's allegations of harassment.

And there are questions about Maurice Pierce's death in 2010. The Police Department said they had no additional comment. Criminal minds evolution is back on Paramount Plus. We are going to go where the evidence takes us. This season, evil is contagious.

Once it starts, I can't be stopped. Criminal minds evolution. New season now streaming on Paramount Plus.