The Yogurt Shop Murders: True Crime Hits HBO Max

By The Big Magazine Staff

HBO Max’s latest true-crime docuseries The Yogurt Shop Murders dives into one of the most haunting unsolved murder cases in American history—four teenage girls brutally murdered in an Austin frozen yogurt shop in 1991.

The four-part series brings new attention and heartbreak to a case that has confounded investigators and devastated families for over three decades.

On December 6, 1991, Amy Ayers, 13, Eliza Thomas, 17, and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, 17 and 15, were found bound, gagged, and murdered inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop in North Austin. The building had been set on fire, adding a horrifying layer to a crime that shocked the public and captivated national media.

Directed by Emmy-winner Michelle Katharine Lee, the series takes a patient, investigative approach—unfolding a story of wrongful convictions, coerced confessions, questionable evidence, and the painful absence of justice. It includes interviews with family members, legal experts, former suspects, and journalists who have followed the case for years, painting a devastating portrait of a system that repeatedly failed.

The documentary revisits the trials and overturned convictions of Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott two men whose confessions were later discredited, and whose DNA did not match evidence at the scene. With no current suspects and no resolution in sight, the series leaves viewers with a gnawing sense of unease and heartbreak.

Unlike many entries in the true crime genre, The Yogurt Shop Murders centers the victims and their families over sensationalism. “We wanted to make a film that puts the girls and their loved ones at the center,” Lee told USA Today. “Not just what happened to them, but what’s happened to everyone left behind.”

The Yogurt Shop Murders’ Episode Guide and Release Schedule:

The Yogurt Shop Murders is a four-part documentary series, airing weekly on HBO:

• Episode 1: “Fire and Water” – August 3 at 10 p.m. ET

• Episode 2: “The Fifth Victim” – August 10 at 10 p.m. ET

• Episode 3: “Mental Evidence” – August 17 at 10 p.m. ET

• Episode 4: “In Your Own Time” – August 24 at 10 p.m. ET

The Yogurt Shop Murders airs Sundays on HBO and is streaming on Max.

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