EP. 253 - TEXAS: AUSTIN YOGURT SHOP MURDERS PART 2: THE MONSTER IN PLAIN SIGHT
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In last week's episode, we told you the story of the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop murders, where four teenage girls were brutally raped, murdered, and set on fire inside a yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. Early on in the investigation, four men were suspected in the crime. Two were even convicted. But after serving nearly 10 years in prison, DNA evidence would exonerate them. And sadly, after that, the case went cold. The families of Jennifer, Sarah, Eliza, and Amy were devastated. Aside from having their daughters back, all they wanted were answers. And for 34 years, they had none. That is until the year 2025. With advancements in DNA technology, investigators in Austin, Texas finally found the man responsible.
A man who would drift through the United States, raping and killing women and girls any chance he got. So this is the story of serial killer Robert Brashers. I'm Courtney Browen.
And I'm Colin Browen.
And you're listening to Murder in America.
When Robert Eugene Brashers was born on March 13th, 1958, he was the answer to a lot of prayers made by his parents, Dulles and Nellie Brashers. The couple had married 10 years earlier in Newport News, Virginia, and in that decade, had had three children. Dulles Jr., Gary, and their only girl, a daughter named Debra. But tragically, in 1954, Deborah died of an illness at just 16 months old. Four years later, Robert came into the world as their miracle baby and their final child. By all accounts, the couple was successful and well-to-do, and they took good care of their children, at least from the outside. Robert's father was a design engineer, specializing in fluid dynamics. At the time of Robert's birth, he was working in the Newport News Naval Shipyard helping develop the USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The family wasn't struggling when it came to finances, and their patriarch was both intelligent and well-respected, so much so that in 1963, he was hired by NASA. The family then relocated from Newport News to Huntsville, Alabama, where Robert and his siblings spent the majority of their childhood. Now, we know the family was well off, but what we don't know exactly is what life was like inside the home. Both Dulles Sr. and Robert's mother, Nellie, seemed heavily involved in the kids' lives and activities. Dulles was frequently listed in the local paper as his son's little league and basketball coach, but that doesn't necessarily mean their home was absent of any issues. Whether Robert and his siblings' youth was riddled with abuse and neglect is unknown.
He could have had a perfectly normal upbringing. Both of his parents maintained jobs, his dad at NASA and his mother at a local department store, and neither of them was ever arrested or mentioned in local papers for any legal discrepancies of any kind. Looking at the evidence we have, there's really nothing that points to a deeply troubled upbringing. We also know that Robert had no juvenile record, And although he later admitted to experimenting with marijuana, there's no known history of severe substance abuse, documented mental health problems, or anything that would lead us to believe he'd one day be a murderer.
From everything we could find, Robert appeared to be a normal and intelligent young man. He attended SR Butler High School during his sophomore and junior years in Huntsville and participated in the JROTC, a military program that is supposed to instill discipline and leadership skills. And by all accounts, Robert seemed to have had that. Living in Alabama in his early teens, he managed three jobs. One was at a place called Manpower, the other was a local pizza restaurant, and then finally at a store that sold CB radios.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–8:51
2
What background and early life details shaped Robert Brashers?
8:51–27:29
3
How did Brashers' short Navy career and discharge influence his path?
27:29–55:52
4
What suspicious crimes from the 1980s might link to Brashers?
55:52–1:25:11
5
How did the 1985 Fort Pierce attack on Michelle Wilkerson unfold and impact sentencing?
1:25:11–1:42:40
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Murder In America
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EP. 256 - FLORIDA: THE FAMILY IN THE VAN: THE MURDER OF CASEI JONES
EP. 255 - VIRGINIA: A COLD CASE SOLVED AFTER 29 YEARS: THE MURDER OF ROBIN WARR LAWRENCE
EP. 254 - MICHIGAN: When Jealousy Kills: The Senseless Murder of Tara Lynn Grant