A Texas judge declared four men innocent on Feb. 19, 2026, in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop. The declaration followed the 2025 identification of a deceased serial killer as the suspect through DNA evidence. The City of Austin later agreed to a $35 million settlement for the men.
State District Judge Dayna Blazey issued the innocence declaration in a packed Austin courtroom, telling the men, “You are innocent.” The ruling formally cleared Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn, who were arrested in 1999 and convicted or charged based on disputed confessions later found unreliable. Two of the men attended the hearing with family members. Maurice Pierce died in 2010, and Robert Springsteen was absent.
