Robert Eugene Brashers: The Serial Killer Forensic Science Finally Exposed

For decades, Robert Eugene Brashers lived in obscurity.

His name didn’t appear in headlines. He wasn’t the subject of nationwide manhunts. And for years, law enforcement agencies investigating violent crimes across multiple states had no idea they were all searching for the same person.

That would change — not because of a confession or a tip — but because forensic science finally caught up.

A Life That Raised Few Alarms

Born in 1958, Brashers moved frequently throughout his adult life, living in multiple states across the South and Midwest. On the surface, there was nothing about him that immediately marked him as a serial offender. He worked, formed relationships, and blended into the communities around him.

But behind that ordinary exterior was a pattern of extreme violence.

Early Warning Signs — And Missed Opportunities

In 1985, Brashers was arrested in Florida for the attempted murder of a young woman who survived after being shot twice. He was convicted and sentenced to prison — but under the laws at the time, he was released after serving just a few years.

Following his release, Brashers continued moving from state to state. He was arrested again in the 1990s for theft-related crimes and weapons offenses. Investigators recovered items that suggested surveillance and preparation — police scanners, lock-picking tools, and false identification.

Still, nothing tied him to the growing number of unsolved sexual assaults and murders investigators were grappling with elsewhere.

Crimes Connected Years Later

It wasn’t until advances in DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy that Brashers’ name resurfaced.

Beginning in 2018, genealogists working with law enforcement were able to identify Brashers as a suspect in multiple cold cases. Because he had died in 1999 following a police standoff, investigators sought court approval to exhume his remains and confirm the genetic match.

The results were conclusive.

DNA evidence linked Brashers to a series of violent crimes, including:

• The rape and murder of 28-year-old Genevieve “Jenny” Zitricki in South Carolina in 1990

• The 1998 murders of Sherri Scherer and her 12-year-old daughter Megan in Missouri

• A violent attempted sexual assault in Tennessee just hours after those murders

• The rape of a 14-year-old girl in Memphis in 1997

• Additional sexual assaults across multiple states

In total, investigators have attributed at least eight murders, one known attempted murder, and numerous sexual assaults to Brashers — with authorities acknowledging there may be more.

The Yogurt Shop Murders

Most people recognize Brashers’ name today because of one case: the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders.

Four teenage girls were killed inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop after closing time. The crime haunted Austin for decades and was marked by false confessions, overturned convictions, and unanswered questions.

In 2025, modern DNA testing identified Brashers as the only confirmed male contributor linked to the crime scene. Ballistics evidence also supported the conclusion.

While the brutality of the crime led many to believe multiple attackers were involved, investigators have stated that — based on the physical evidence — Brashers is the only individual conclusively connected through forensic testing.

A Serial Killer Hiding in Plain Sight

Robert Eugene Brashers was not caught because he left no evidence.

He was caught because the science to interpret that evidence didn’t yet exist.

His case is a powerful reminder of why evidence preservation matters — and how forensic science can uncover patterns that were once impossible to see. Long after Brashers’ death, DNA connected victims across states, gave families long-awaited answers, and revealed a serial killer who had lived under our noses for years.

Listen to the Full Episode

This week’s episode of Forensic Tales explores the full scope of Robert Eugene Brashers’ crimes — not just the Yogurt Shop Murders, but the many victims whose cases were only connected decades later.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.