Family of exonerated man in Texas yogurt shop murders speaks out after settlement #shorts | Forensic Files

The phrase most often associated with justice, the principle meant to anchor the system
is innocent until proven guilty. But for my father and three of his peers, that principle did not exist.
>> That's Marissa Pierce speaking about her late father, Maurice Pierce. Pierce was
one of four men originally suspected in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls, Eliza Thomas, Amy Heirs, and sisters
Jennifer and Sarah Harbison. The case has for years become known as the yogurt shop murders. Nearly 35 years later, all
four men were declared innocent and exonerated after the Austin Police Department tied another man to the
crimes. And now the city of Austin has made an offer of $35 million to be split amongst the wrongfully accused men,
including the family of Maurice Pierce, who died before this settlement was reached.
>> It's blood money for us. He he died for this money. So really, it was never about the money for us. It was about the
reform and the changes that need to happen, not only in Austin, but apparently across the country. This is a
story about eight victims. The four girls who were killed at the yogurt shop and the four boys who were wrongfully
accused of killing them.

Brief Summary

Marissa Pierce discusses her father's wrongful conviction in the yogurt shop murders and the recent settlement from Austin.

Key points

The Yogurt Shop Murders. A case of wrongful conviction that haunted a community for decades.
Settlement for Wrongfully Accused. Austin offers $35 million to the wrongfully accused men and their families.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's blood money for us.

Marissa Pierce on the settlement for her father.

1:04WatchJun 28, 2026

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.