The widow and daughter of Maurice Pierce, one of four men wrongfully accused in the 1991 Texas yogurt shop murders that killed four teenage girls, have signed a multimillion-dollar settlement with the city of Austin — but they call it 'blood money.'
Background
On Dec. 6, 1991, four teenage girls were tied up, shot and left inside an Austin yogurt shop as it was set ablaze. Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison were killed in the attack that shocked the Texas capital.
Eight days after the killings, 16-year-old Maurice Pierce was arrested at a mall carrying a .22 caliber handgun — the same caliber connected to the crime. According to his family, police told Maurice his gun was the murder weapon. He mentioned his friend Forrest Welborn in response, and investigators wired him up to speak with Welborn — but ultimately determined that Welborn and others knew nothing about the murders.
Nearly eight years later, in 1999, all four men — Maurice Pierce, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen and Forrest Welborn — were arrested after Scott and Springsteen confessed. They later recanted, saying they had been coerced. Springsteen and Scott were tried and convicted, but those convictions were overturned on constitutional grounds. A subsequent DNA test excluded all four men.
Maurice Pierce was never convicted but spent three years in jail before his release in 2003. His daughter, Marisa Pierce, said there was no evidence when her father was questioned — only a detective with 'a narrative so completely false.'
"It feels evil," she told "48 Hours."
The Investigation
In February 2026, more than three decades after the murders, investigators linked another man — Robert Eugene Brashers — to the killings. The four men were officially exonerated.
The city of Austin subsequently offered a $35 million settlement to resolve civil claims. Because Maurice Pierce died in 2010, his share of $10 million will go to his widow Kimberli and daughter Marisa Pierce.
"It's blood money for us. He died for this money," Kimberli Pierce said. "It's about the reform and changes that need to happen — not only in Austin, but apparently across the country."
Maurice Pierce's death remains under scrutiny. In 2010, he was stopped for a routine traffic stop, fled on foot and was shot and killed by an Austin police officer who said Pierce had stabbed him with a knife. Marisa Pierce revealed she was on the phone with her father at the time of his death.
"And in those last moments, he had just said I'm sorry, I don't think you're gonna see me again, and I love you," Marisa Pierce recounted.
Kimberli Pierce believes police continued to harass Maurice and their family after his 2003 release. The Austin Police Department told "48 Hours" it had no additional comment regarding the family's allegations of harassment or questions about Maurice Pierce's death.
Key Takeaways
- Four teenage girls — Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison and Sarah Harbison — were killed in an Austin yogurt shop on Dec. 6, 1991
- Four men were wrongfully accused; all were exonerated in February 2026 when Robert Eugene Brashers was linked to the killings
- Maurice Pierce spent three years in jail but was never convicted; he died in 2010 after being shot by an Austin police officer
- The city of Austin offered a $35 million settlement; Maurice's share of $10 million goes to his widow Kimberli and daughter Marisa
- Family calls the settlement 'blood money' and says their priority is reform, not financial compensation
What's Next
Kimberli and Marisa Pierce told "48 Hours" they intend to review the circumstances surrounding Maurice Pierce's death in 2010. They have proposed seven reforms for the city of Austin, including appointing a child advocates whenever minors are questioned, prohibiting deceptive interrogation tactics, educating juveniles about their rights and establishing accountability measures to address tunnel vision in police investigations.
In a statement shared with "48 Hours," the family wrote: 'Real justice is not only about acknowledging harm after the fact but about creating safeguards that prevent future families from enduring the same pain.'