TX TX - Yogurt Shop Murders, Austin, 6 Dec 1991 - Robert Eugene Brashers (died by suicide in 1999)

[theonewithallthequestions]

Thank you. That's what I thought they were saying, but that sounded incredible to me, so I thought I may have misunderstood. I wonder if that's been known to happen before.

It does seem like a rare occurrence

 

[layer]

If Brasher was the only perp, how did he manage to subdue all four victims?
Maybe if he used a weapon, though !
Poor girls must have been so terrified.

These were innocent young girls. Even four strong men are no match against one skinny evil man with a good firearm. I always expected it would be a Tommy Lynn Sells type guy. It kind of reminds me of the Lane Bryant horror.
All JMO

 

[deadinthewater]

Thanks very much, @theonewithallthequestions. Absolutely sickening to think that he did all this in the span of 30 or whatever minutes.

 

[Friday Fan]

I decided to watch the HBO Documentary now.

OMG!

Those false confessions

Springsteen: "I was at Rocky Horror because I always go on Friday nights"

Detective: "What if I tell you that Rocky Horror wasn't shown that night?"

Fact: Rocky Horror was shown that night!

On and on it went. I haven't finished watching it yet, but I think that the detective is still absolutely convinced he had the right guys even though they were eventually released from prison. He sure seemed sure of himself in 2021, although Springsteen and Scott had been released in 2009.

Scott's defense attorney seemed to be good about understanding interrogation and false confessions.

I hope someone in law enforcement learned something from this....

 

[Brotherfudz]

Did anyone else's ears perk up when the detective said Brasher was stopped in Las Cruces, probably on the way to see his father in Arizona? Similar MO at the bowling alley in 1990. There was an eyewitness who gave a description of two Hispanic men, the younger one around 30 with a mustache. Brashers is fair-skinned, but maybe? IDK it tickled my brain when I heard that.

Immediately thought this when I heard he had a connection to Las Cruces. He also committed crimes with his brother, possibly other accomplices early on.

 

[Friday Fan]

@velez_tx


The big question: why was Brashers in Austin? What was his connection? Det. Jackson says he doesn’t know. He says law enforcement is still looking for that answer.

Det. Jackson says it’s likely there’s other victims of sexual assaults, possibly murders, connected to Brashers that still haven’t been identified. He says law enforcement is actively working to link Brashers to any outstanding cold cases in the state and beyond.

Det. Jackson says it’s likely a gun Brashers used in the Yogurt Shop Murders, was also the gun he used in his own suicide in 1999.

That's a good question!

I can understand why they focused on the "teens hanging out in the ditch". (Locals who know the comings and goings at the yogurt shop)

Obviously this guy picked the yogurt shop for a reason.

Was he in Austin for any length of time? Was staying near the yogurt shop?


Or was he just trolling Austin looking for victims and happened upon the yogurt shop?

I highly doubt that he had any personal knowledge of the victims prior to that night.

If it hadn't been Dec 6th, it would have been another night and possibly another shift of teens.


Small niche chains like that were popping up all over in the late 80's (Yogurt, pretzels, cookies) And those places provided jobs for teens. Almost all of them were female.


I don't know how many people these stores usually employee, but I know my MIL worked at one of those places and she often got her daughter and husband to help her close. I think they often left her to close alone.

And unlike convenient stores, the yogurt store did not have security cameras.

 

[deadinthewater]

Anyone theorize how he enteted? Did he come in earlier, scope the scene and then unlock the backdoor under the guise of using the bathroom (ie. the unknown man who asked to use the restroom and seemed to be in there for a prolonged period of time). Were the girls too busy to notice? Did he then wait in his car, in the dark of the parking lot, waiting for the girls to close shop?

So chilling to think about.

 

[bajaflash]

Anyone theorize how he enteted? Did he come in earlier, scope the scene and then unlock the backdoor under the guise of using the bathroom (ie. the unknown man who asked to use the restroom and seemed to be in there for a prolonged period of time). Were the girls too busy to notice? Did he then wait in his car, in the dark of the parking lot, waiting for the girls to close shop?

So chilling to think about.

I wonder if during closing duties he came knocking or just flat out opened the door.

 

[Friday Fan]

Anyone theorize how he enteted? Did he come in earlier, scope the scene and then unlock the backdoor under the guise of using the bathroom (ie. the unknown man who asked to use the restroom and seemed to be in there for a prolonged period of time). Were the girls too busy to notice? Did he then wait in his car, in the dark of the parking lot, waiting for the girls to close shop?

So chilling to think about.

Wasn't' there another couple in there around closing time?

My hunch: He's a predator. He came in like a regular customer. Likely opened the back door at one point and propped it with a rock.

Waited until rest of the customers were gone.

Likely told the young women that it was a robbery, since they are taught to comply.

They started to comply and that's how he was able to subdue them.

Totally just MOO