AUSTIN — The city of Austin approved a $35 million settlement with Kimberli and Marisa Pierce, the widow and daughter of Maurice Pierce. Maurice Pierce was wrongfully accused in the 1991 yogurt shop murders and later killed by police in 2010. The family is demanding police reforms as part of the resolution.

Maurice Pierce was one of four men wrongfully accused in the murders of four teenage girls on December 6, 1991. The victims were Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison, and Sarah Harbison. The other three men wrongfully accused were Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, and Forrest Welborn. All four men were exonerated in February 2026. Investigators linked Robert Eugene Brashers to the 1991 killings.

Police arrested 16-year-old Maurice Pierce eight days after the 1991 killings. He was carrying a .22 caliber handgun connected to the crime. Police informed him that his gun was the murder weapon. Maurice Pierce mentioned his friend Forrest Welborn during questioning. Police subsequently wired him and sent him to speak with Welborn. Investigators later determined that Welborn and the others knew nothing about the murders. No charges were filed against the four men at the time of the initial investigation.

Marisa Pierce stated, "There was no evidence when my father was questioned, only a detective and a narrative, a narrative so completely false." In 1999, Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen were arrested and confessed to the murders. They later recanted, stating they had been coerced. Scott and Springsteen were tried and convicted, but their convictions were overturned on constitutional grounds. A DNA test subsequently excluded all four men.

Maurice Pierce spent three years in jail before his release in 2003. In 2010, he was stopped for a traffic stop. He fled on foot, and an Austin police officer shot and killed him. The officer stated Pierce had stabbed him with a knife. Marisa Pierce was on the phone with her father at the time of his death. She recalled, "And in those last moments, he had just said I'm sorry, I don't think you're gonna see me again, and I love you." The Austin Police Department declined to comment on the allegations.

Kimberli Pierce described the settlement: "It's blood money for us. He died for this money." She said the focus is "about the reform and the changes that need to happen, not only in Austin, but apparently across the country." The Pierce family has proposed seven reforms for the city. These include appointing a child advocate when a minor is questioned, prohibiting deceptive interrogation tactics, educating juveniles about their rights, and establishing accountability measures to address tunnel vision in police investigations. The family stated, "Real justice is not only about acknowledging harm after the fact but about creating safeguards that prevent future families from enduring the same pain."