The shocking murders of four girls at a yoghurt shop are being revisited in a docuseries airing tonight. The four-part series The Yogurt Shop Murders originally aired on HBO last year and explored a cold case that had remained unsolved for 34 years.
The Crime
In 1991, a fire broke out at a branch of I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! in Austin, Texas. When firefighters responded, they discovered the bodies of four young girls aged between 13 and 17 inside the building. All four victims had been bound, gagged and shot, and it turned into a homicide case.
Breakthrough
However, just three weeks after HBO's documentary aired its fourth and final episode, there was a breakthrough. Police connected serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers — who died by suicide in 1999 — to the case last year via DNA and ballistics testing. The four men who had been accused previously were formally cleared by a Texas judge.
“After 34 years, the Austin Police have made a significant breakthrough in one of the most devastating cases in our city’s history. This unthinkable crime has weighed heavily on the hearts of our community, the families of the victims, and our detectives who have tirelessly pursued justice,” said Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis in the wake of their fresh findings.
A fifth episode was swiftly commissioned to conclude the HBO documentary's story featuring the update. Those initial four episodes will be shown back to back tonight (May 22) for UK viewers from 6pm on Sky Documentaries.
Viewer Reactions
“This documentary is excellent, focusing more on the aftermath and how it affected all of those involved. Not your typical true crime show which I found refreshing. Incredibly respectful,” penned one viewer.
A second remarked: “This is one of the more interesting docs I've seen as far as the path unsolved murder takes through time, and the different ways people deal (or don't deal) with their grief. Some of the families have some really crazy ways of coping that seem to make things worse.”
“Not your typical documentary, focusing more on the psychological effects of everyone involved,” said a third, while a fourth deemed it a “powerful” watch.
The Yogurt Shop Murders Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 4 air back to back from 6pm tonight (May 22) on Sky Documentaries.
