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Yogurt Shop Two released from jail due to trial delayProsecutors promise retrial as they hunt for a new third mystery suspectBy Pierre BertrandDaily Texan StaffTwo men accused of raping and killing four teenage girls in an Austin yogurt shop more than 15 years ago were released from jail Wednesday.Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott were released on personal recognizance bonds when District Judge Mike Lynch decided to delay Scott's capital murder trial, initially scheduled for July 6.Springsteen and Scott were accused of the 1991 raping and murder of four teenage girls in a yogurt shop off of Anderson Lane. The two men allegedly set fire to the yogurt shop to cover their tracks and have been incarcerated since 1999.Springsteen was convicted and sentenced to death row in 2001, but was commuted life in prison when a Supreme Court ruling concluded that executing killers who were underage at the time they committed a crime was unconstitutional. Springsteen was 17 years old during the time of the murder.Rosemary Lehmberg, the Travis County District Attorney, expressed her reasoning in delaying Scott's trial in a written statement.Requesting a delay in the case was a difficult decision but one that I believe is the best course toward an ultimate successful prosecution of this important matter, Lehmberg saidSpringsteen and Scott were convicted in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Their convictions were overturned in an appellate court, and new DNA evidence discovered in 2008 prompted a new trial. The evidence collected from vaginal swabs of the four girls in March of that year suggested that another unknown male suspect was present at the murder. The unknown DNA sample forced prosecutors to delay Scott's trial.We sought this testing because we have an ongoing duty and responsibility to use the most up-to-date science available to seek the truth in this and all the cases we prosecute, Lehmberg said. The reliable scientific evidence in the case presents one, and one only, unknown male donor. Given that, I could not, in good conscience, allow this case to go to trial before the identity of this male donor is determined and the full truth is known.In her statement, Lehmberg stated she is convinced the two released men are responsible for the four deaths and remains committed to prosecuting all individuals responsible for the deaths.But Joe James Sawyer, Springsteen's attorney, claims prosecutors coerced confessions from both his client and Scott and used those confessions as grounds for conviction. He said prosecutors have no evidence that placed both men at the scene.The state never had any DNA evidence, Sawyer said. They had no hairs. They had no fingerprints. They had nothing.Sawyer said state prosecutors accused Springsteen of raping 13-year-old Amy Ayers, but the new DNA evidence suggests Springsteen did not rape the girl.What that proves is unless he was ejaculating someone else's sperm, he didn't rape her, Sawyer said. The good thing about DNA, and the terrible thing about DNA, is that you can't contest it.Carlos Garcia, Scott's attorney, said he was pleased with the court's decision to release the two men but said he would have rather held a trial to finally absolve his client.I am 100 percent convinced that my client is innocent, Garcia said. Those boys had nothing to do with this case.Garcia said, despite the evidence suggesting ScottYOGURT continues on page 2
Newspaper Details
Austin Daily Texan
Austin, Texas, US
Thu, Jun 25, 2009
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 14 Aug 2023
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