Kriti Mehrotra
The December 6, 1991, quadruple homicide of teenagers Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Jennifer Harbison, and Jennifer’s younger sister, Sarah Harbison, is an undeniably infamous case. That’s not only because of the sheer heinousness of the offense but also because of the fact it sadly remains unsolved to this day, as explored in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Yogurt Shop Murders.’ There was a group of four young men who were arrested back in 1999, yet while the conviction of two was eventually overturned, two never even went to court due to a lack of evidence.
Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn Were First Questioned Within Days of the Incident
It was just before midnight on December 6, 1991, when officials responded to a fire at a local I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! store in Austin, Texas, with the flames having gone quite high. However, no one could have ever imagined that once it was all extinguished, the nude remains of four teen girls would be found inside – they had been shot in the head, execution style. As if that’s not enough, at least one of them had also been raped, leading authorities to immediately seal off the area and begin investigating in the hopes of bringing the matter to a swift close.
Thanks to witness statements as well as the evidence of two different pistols having been used – a .22 caliber and a .380 caliber – detectives were able to hone in on a few people of interest. Among them was then-15-year-old Maurice Pierce, who had been caught with a .22 revolver in a mall merely eight days after the shooting, resulting in his being taken into custody on suspicion. During his questioning, he actually admitted to being involved in the crime, asserting he was the getaway driver while three of his petty criminal friends robbed and burned the store down.
Maurice implicated Forrest Welborn, Robert Springsteen, and Michael Scott, all of whom were around 17 or below at the time, adding that the former primarily served as the lookout. He even agreed to wear a wire to inadvertently have his fellow suspects incriminate themselves when investigators asked if there was any way they could corroborate the details he’d provided. However, while listening in to his conversation with Forrest, it became evident to experts that the latter had no idea what his friend was talking about, so new leads started being looked at.
Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn Were Arrested in Late 1999
Officials had kind of moved on from the aforementioned 4 males in 1991 due to a complete lack of evidence, especially once it was ascertained that Maurice’s .22 was not the murder weapon. However, things changed in 1994 when the case changed hands in the hopes that new eyes would lead to a fresh perspective and possibly even a breakthrough, only for it to come in October 1999. That’s when Maurice, Forrest, Robert, and Michael – now in their early to mid-20s – were all arrested for the quadruple homicide inside the local yogurt shop nearly eight years prior.
According to reports, there was no new physical evidence against these men, yet detectives believed they were responsible owing to some previous statements and circumstantial situations. Then, after 4 days of questioning, Michael confessed to the heinous offense, which was followed by Robert’s confession – they later recanted, saying they had been coerced into making their statements. However, unlike the others, Forrest vehemently maintained his innocence at every step of the way, ultimately resulting in a grand jury failing to indict him not once but twice. He was subsequently let go, and so was Maurice a short while later, as every single one of the criminal charges against him was dismissed purely based on a lack of evidence.
While Maurice Pierce Passed Away in 2010, Forrest Welborn Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life
Although Maurice never faced a day in court for the harrowing yogurt shop murders, he actually remained a suspect in the unresolved case until the day he passed away – on December 23, 2010. As per records, police officers Frank Wilson and Bradley Smith conducted a routine traffic stop on the vehicle driven by him on that fateful day in the northern part of Austin, just for him to soon flee the scene. A foot pursuit is what followed, leading to Maurice and Frank engaging in a struggle until the former pulled out the knife he had kept in his belt to slash the officer in the neck. In response, the same officer pulled out his own weapon and shot him – while Maurice died from the gunshot wound, Frank survived his injuries. We should mention that, according to those close to the late 34-year-old, police-related trauma over his years as a suspect had led him to attack the officer.
Coming to Forrest Welborn, from what we can tell, ever since he was let go from police custody after not being indicted, he has preferred to remain well away from the limelight for privacy reasons. Therefore, all we know is that the 40-something-year-old currently resides in Manchaca, Texas, where he is surrounded by a family of his own as well as loved ones at every step of the way. In other words, it appears as if he has done his best to move on from the past and is currently proud to be a family man through and through.
Read More: Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott: Where Are The Alleged Killers Now?
