“I was in Austin”: The Yogurt Shop Murders director reveals how her own experience helped create the docuseries

The Yogurt Shop Murders follows the gruesome murders of four teenage girls that happened at a yogurt outlet in Austin, Texas, in 1991. Over three decades later, the cold case remains unsolved with no convictions.

The docuseries is set to feature interviews with the people directly linked to the case, including the victims’ families, lawyers, and detectives. The show has been directed by Margaret Brown, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker.

Brown has now talked about how she lived in Austin in the 1990s, where most people talked about the case. Her own experience of learning about the case in the city helped her create The Yogurt Shop Murders. She said in an interview with Deadline:

“I was in Austin in the late 90s, and the billboards were up everywhere, and you would go to parties, and people would talk about their theories about what happened. I have a lot of friends who are reporters, and they would all talk about it.”

Margaret Brown talks about creating The Yogurt Shop Murders

During the interview, Margaret Brown added that even her friends talked about the murder case all the time. Even when she was in early discussions to direct The Yogurt Shop Murders, her friends explained how it is a twisted case:

“I have a lot of friends who are reporters, and they would all talk about it. My best friend is a reporter, and when I told her I was considering doing this project, she was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the craziest unsolved crime in Texas, and there’s so many twists and turns…’”

Brown further revealed that she remembers seeing billboards about the murder mystery while living in Austin:

“In Austin, people talk about it and have for years. I just have this memory of seeing those billboards everywhere and just them being really haunting.”

The Yogurt Shop Murders will debut on HBO on August 3, 2025. Through four episodes, the docuseries will delve into what transpired on the fateful day of December 6, 1991, when four teen girls, Jennifer, Eliza, Sarah, and Amy, were shot dead at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop.

Jennifer and Eliza worked at the outlet, while Amy waited for a ride home along with Sarah, who was Jennifer's sister. While the shop closed at 11 PM, gunfire was reported around midnight, and all the girls were found dead later.

Despite extensive investigation and multiple suspects, the case was never solved and remains a mystery, while the victims’ families wait for justice. The family members will share their side of the story in the docuseries.

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Apart from The Yogurt Shop Murders, Margaret Brown has worked on The Great Invisible, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. She also directed the 2022 historical documentary Descendant, which tells the story of the descendants of the last generation of enslaved Africans.

The Yogurt Shop Murders airs new episodes on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays.

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