TX TX - Yogurt Shop Murders, Austin, 6 Dec 1991

[Dreamnine]

Thanks to all the recent posters with their valuable information.

This case is one of 4 that really sticks in my mind and won't let up.

 

[gia2]

I've have only come accross this crime for the first time today. What a terrible crime, I feel so sad for these poor girls and their families and indeed the 4 men and their families if they are infact innocent of the crimes.
I've read quite a number of articles about this crime and watched the 48 hours doc but I still feel that I know very little about what actually happened. I suppose that is through the sheer amount of speculation in this case.

 

[huxley72]

I saw this story last night and would like to say I have never heard about it until now. I was looking at some cold cases here in NC not to long ago and this case reminded me of the Be-Lo Murders in Eastern NC that happened exactly 1 and 1/2 years to the day after this one. I will post an article about what happened with the stacking of the people and shooting them. This case is cold as well but has a composite of the person. Anyway just wanted to throw that out there. The link to the news article http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/...f-The-Be-lo-Murders-In-Windsor-210371601.html.

 

[Buzzaround]

In addition to viewing the gravesite of "Orange Socks" up in Georgetown, I made my way by the site of the 1991 "Yogurt Shop Murders."

I thought some of you might want to see the memorial for the victims.

The current location is now a nail salon.

 

[kemo]

To understand the handling of the Yogurt Shop case by the APD and the Travis County DA's office, one needs to read up on the Pizza Hut murder case that happened in Austin in 1988.

Homicide investigators, some of whom turned up in the Yogurt Shop case demonstrated that "harsh" interrogation tactics could yield a full confession with details "only the perp would know" even without any evidence linking that suspect ot the crime.

Once the APD discovered that they had, in fact, made a mistake and sent the wrong guys to prison, they proceeded to conceal their findings and hope it would go away.

When the guy who really did the crime(who was serving a life sentence for other crimes) wrote a letter to Governor Bush confessing to the crime and claiming innocent men were doing time for the crime, the re-investigation took off to the point where the guys doing the time, their attorny's, the media and even the family of the victim got wind that there was a "problem" with the conviction. Finally the Travis County DA's office did what it should have done years before: checked the DNA obtained from the Virginal Swab. It matched the guy who wrote the letters. The two innocent convicts rotted in prison 6 years after Travis County Law Enforcement knew or should have know, they were innocent.

Heads rolled, careers were tarnished and the county made a $9 Million settlement in 2003, just before the Yogurt Shop S@#t-storm hit.

 

[December]

Kemo, so a guy in Texas confessed?

This really seemed like a Reid murder. But, he's in Tennessee.Also, he only writes to complain about his pillow from what I understand.

Is there any way to get more information on the one who confessed?

 

[JoeFromLB]

Paul Dennis Reid died today in a Tennessee hospital. He was moved there recently from death row. No cause of death has been announced.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/art...ey=mod|breaking|text|Frontpage&nclick_check=1

 

[December]

http://www.examiner.com/article/ser...eid-jr-pronounced-dead-examiner-com-exclusive

Pneumonia

The link from JoefromLB, Paul Reid said he was sorry for the murders. He did not try to blame the victims. This is a BIG deal for a murderer. I am really shocked. Well, well.

If he had anything to do with the Yogurt Shop, then I hope there is evidence since there is no talking to him now.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Watched the 48 hours show on this case last night.. well at 4 am when I could not sleep.

This case is haunting and horrible.

I hope there is a solution out there somewhere.

 

[Kell1]

Never mind, I found some news clips on the case,

 

[CanManEh]

Watched the 48 hours show on this case last night.. well at 4 am when I could not sleep.

This case is haunting and horrible.

I hope there is a solution out there somewhere.

Do you know the name of the episode that you watched .Theres not alot of info i could find as far as documentries and stuff on youtube and i had no idea there was a 48 hours episode devoted to this case .If you can remember the name hopefully i can watch it on youtube as i too find this case quite interesting.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Do you know the name of the episode that you watched .Theres not alot of info i could find as far as documentries and stuff on youtube and i had no idea there was a 48 hours episode devoted to this case .If you can remember the name hopefully i can watch it on youtube as i too find this case quite interesting.

Hmmm I will look and see if I can find it in the listings. It was devoted to the case but was mainly from a follow up point of view. Interviews with investigators from the beginning, and then follow up interviews with same investigators. It was really good.

I don't believe the ones they had in custody did it. I saw that one of them died in a police altercations.

I think that the 4 of them were innocent of this. I just don't see anything that links them.

 

[CanManEh]

Iam confused kemo says that the guy that wrote a letter to bush got enough people wondering that they checked the DNA from the vaginal swab and the dna was a match to the guy confessing to bush...If thats the case this case is Solved if you have a DNA match .

 

[CanManEh]

Hmmm I will look and see if I can find it in the listings. It was devoted to the case but was mainly from a follow up point of view. Interviews with investigators from the beginning, and then follow up interviews with same investigators. It was really good.

I don't believe the ones they had in custody did it. I saw that one of them died in a police altercations.

I think that the 4 of them were innocent of this. I just don't see anything that links them.

Thanks that would be great..And if we are to believe what KEMO wrote a few posts back this case is solved ,there has been a DNA MATCH from cemon collected from a vaginal swab to who ever the guy is that confessed to president bush . Does that not mean this is solved if they matched his dna to the swab ....

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

this was it,

https://www.facebook.com/48hours/posts/240009781450

I can not find it up and running but that was it.


I don't think they have found anyone that matched that DNA not from what I can find.

 

[CanManEh]

I wonder if kemo is still around maybe he can give more info on this and why he.she is saying there has been a DNA match...

 

[CanManEh]

I couldn't find it on utube but it is on the 48 hours website its called ... Innocence Lost

 

[Kell1]

I searched pretty extensively I couldn't find anything pertaining to a confession to George bush, or a DNA match in this case

The more I read on this case the more questions I have .

I cant see how the investigators, went from finding a kid with an illegal firearm, even if it was the same caliber, as one of the murder weapons, to bringing in these 4 kids, only 2 of which went to trial. I didn't see anything other than a possible description, of one of the defendants,

there was NO DNA match and of course,

The undoing in this case, is you have in investigator, who has supposedly coerced confessions before.

That taints EVERYTHING . However the evidence put forth by the defense does hold water against the prosecution in this case.

One article states how the confessions were off, but the state moved forward with them anyway ....

Ok

A lot of risk here for the offenders, strip mall possible witnesses, 4 victims in this case.

The presence of 2 weapons indicates, to me that this wasn't a random happening, this was planned. OR Possibly a chance opportunity with 2 criminals that were armed at the time, And Yes I know its Texas and everyone is armed in Texas, but not everyone uses those weapons to commit murder.

Nowhere does it list what the girls were bound with, which I would be interested to know , if it was brought along, or if it was procured at the scene.

Id also be interested in knowing if any money was taken from the store as well .

One of the things that bothers me, is If it was indeed, the work of 4-5 men, as originally indicated in the case, 2 of which may be armed, why were the girls then bound? there really is no need.

You basically have 1 for every teenage girl, now ill be the 1st to say I've seen teenage kids do some crazy $hit, but I cant see these girls offering much resistance to 4 possibly 5 guys, 2 of which are armed with guns.

The positioning of the bodies, is interesting as well, and I'm not referring to that they were "Stacked", which they weren't according to the illustration, one girl was on top of another, (Eliza Thomas was on top of Sarah Harbison) the other 2 girls were not as a matter of fact, If you look at the illustration where the bodies, were located, Amy Ayers, is separated from the bodies of the other 3 girls , her body is found in another room. Jennifer Harbison is in the back with the other 2 girls

Ayers is the youngest of the girls at 13, it also turns out she is the only one that was sexually assaulted.

That's interesting, in and of itself that with 4 victims they could choose to assault, the suspect(s), choose the youngest and smallest, to rape then murder

And yet she (Ayers) and Sarah Harbison were only there by chance. IF someone staked out the location, they couldn't have possibly anticipated, the 2extra girls coming to pick up Jennifer Harbison.

If it was commonplace for there to only be 2 girls there at closing, and this location was staked out prior to , then it would've been at least 2 assailants, to 2 girls. 4 if you believe the prosecutions 1st case.

So why is this significant?

Because if it was 2 on 2 or 4 on 2, with 2 armed, there would be no need to bind the victims.

Only 1 was sexually assaulted, the youngest smallest of the girls, yet all were nude.

Ayers is located away from the rest of the girls, most likely where she was raped, then killed,

Stripping of the victims, in this case, has no bearing on the commission of the crime, if you are only going to kill the victims.

Having victims strip has been done in robberies, before to take their attention off the perpetrator, however that's part of an MO

In this case, I feel the nude victims, were personation.

Therefore I feel this wasn't a robbery gone awry, depending on the nature and origination of the bindings, it seems waaaaay too organized, for a bunch of crazy teen boys, though it apparently cant be ruled out, and it sure as hell wasn't an attempt to collect insurance.

I feel that it was purely sexual attack, by 1-2 individuals, though I feel 1 who is sexual predator. Possibly by someone with an interest in younger girls.

NOW Robbery may've originally been a motive, but I didn't see any reports of anything being stolen.

Which leads me to believe if it was, at least one of the killers, was a sexual predator, once the girls were bound, the killer(s) now felt he was in total control of these girls, which may explain the rape of Ayers.

There was no NEED to kill any of the girls, if robbery was the only motive, even if it was out of control, the girls were all restrained.

So what you have is 4 murders, the youngest of the victims, is separated, from the others, they are all stripped nude, then shot with 2 different weapons

Its possible Ayers was raped and killed 1st, then the rest were killed. or the older girls were killed 1st, then Ayers was raped then killed, either way , I feel one was "guarding " the girls in the back room, while Amy Ayers was raped in the other.

Given the layout of the store, if the illustration was accurate. I feel the back door of the store provides the most likely point of escape, which executing the victims, prior to using the nearest exit makes sense.

Its also possible that one offender (ala Richard Speck) but had 2 guns, and did it all himself , but that's a stretch.

If I'm even close, on this this the one who raped Any Ayers, is your sociopath type, no regards, for anyone, selfish need is what fuels him (them). He most likely planned, on raping one of the other girls but Amy became his choice of victim, by sheer chance, of her being there.

What made her, a more preferable target? 4 girls, all nude, all bound, The only factor left is her age, or size. He preferred, her more than the other girls, because she was the youngest, or because she was the least threatening.

With the proliferation of DNA, id almost expect this individual to have committed other sexual crimes, but again, I feel this is more a sociopath type, who can go on committing other crimes, that is, until a similar opportunity presents itself again.

 

[Bullshark]

Iam confused kemo says that the guy that wrote a letter to bush got enough people wondering that they checked the DNA from the vaginal swab and the dna was a match to the guy confessing to bush...If thats the case this case is Solved if you have a DNA match .

I think kemo was talking about the Pizza Hut murders. Episode 154 innocence lost

 

[CanManEh]

To understand the handling of the Yogurt Shop case by the APD and the Travis County DA's office, one needs to read up on the Pizza Hut murder case that happened in Austin in 1988.

Homicide investigators, some of whom turned up in the Yogurt Shop case demonstrated that "harsh" interrogation tactics could yield a full confession with details "only the perp would know" even without any evidence linking that suspect ot the crime.

Once the APD discovered that they had, in fact, made a mistake and sent the wrong guys to prison, they proceeded to conceal their findings and hope it would go away.

When the guy who really did the crime(who was serving a life sentence for other crimes) wrote a letter to Governor Bush confessing to the crime and claiming innocent men were doing time for the crime, the re-investigation took off to the point where the guys doing the time, their attorny's, the media and even the family of the victim got wind that there was a "problem" with the conviction. Finally the Travis County DA's office did what it should have done years before: checked the DNA obtained from the Virginal Swab. It matched the guy who wrote the letters. The two innocent convicts rotted in prison 6 years after Travis County Law Enforcement knew or should have know, they were innocent.

Heads rolled, careers were tarnished and the county made a $9 Million settlement in 2003, just before the Yogurt Shop S@#t-storm hit.

Yes you could be right it does kind of go back and fourth between the too cases . I have added the post above so u can see what i was talking about at least....