The Yogurt Shop murders has haunted Austin since 1991. For years, the case seemed only to run into investigative dead-ends. Finally, four men were charged and two of those were convicted of the murders. But questions about the reliability of those convictions have continued, and today the Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned the conviction of Robert Springsteen. The Austin American-Statesman article is here.
Springsteen's appeals lawyer contended that his conviction should be overturned because co-defendant Scott's confession was used illegally in the trial. Parts of Scott's confession that implicated Scott — but not Springsteen — were read to Springsteen's jury to show similarities in their statements to police.
Springsteen's lawyer, Mary Kay Sicola, argued to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2003 that because Scott was not called as a witness in the trial — and therefore couldn't be cross-examined by Springsteen's trial lawyers — Scott's confession should not have been allowed as evidence against Springsteen.
Springsteen had originally been sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life in prison following the Supreme Court's ruling in Simmons which barred a death sentence for juvenile offenders. Springsteen was 17 years old when the crime occurred. Both Springsteen and the other person convicted, Michael Scott, have continued to maintain their innocence of the crime.
The CCA opinion is here. A dissent is here.
The Austin Chronicle, Austin's independent Alt-Weekly ...
...has a covered the Yogurt Shop murders aggressively, and it has a number of archived stories for those who would like to know more about problems with the convictions.
Justice Delayed ... April 21, 2006 LINK
Scott Appeals ... June 18, 2004 LINK
Will Supremes ... March 19, 2004 LINK
P.I.'s Case ... February 14, 2003 LINK
You can find more articles by searching the Austin Chronicle Archives here.
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