A Marine veteran and a missionary tragically lost their lives during a robbery gone wrong, reportedly falling victim to a Facebook Marketplace scam allegedly orchestrated by local teenagers, who are facing multiple charges.
Michael Ryan Burke, from Columbia, Missouri, was killed in his home after he attempted to sell an iPhone Pro 15 for $585 earlier this month during a meetup arranged through the platform. According to court documents, Burke, 42, was set to meet Alexis Bauman, Kobe Aust, and Joseph Crane, all 18, along with another minor.
Documents reveal that at least one of the young men confessed to police that they had planned to meet Burke under the guise of purchasing his phone. Bauman informed the authorities that she drove the group to the meeting and that Crane and the juvenile entered Burke’s home to collect the iPhone.
She claimed to have heard gunshots while waiting in the vehicle, after which the group took off in her car, as stated in the probable cause affidavit.
Bauman reportedly admitted that Crane and the minor were armed and that they fired the shots. After the incident, the group sold Burke’s phone at an Eco ATM located in a Walmart.
Following their escape, Bauman said the shooters discarded their sweatshirts from the car window.
In the days leading up to Burke’s murder, authorities indicated that the group had allegedly committed multiple cellphone thefts, targeting others in Columbia through similar scams on Facebook Marketplace.
The day before Burke was killed, the minor is claimed to have threatened a previous victim, stating, “If you touch it, I’m going to shoot you.”
Additionally, the group is under suspicion for stealing iPhone 12s during another alleged Facebook Marketplace meet-up on January 16.
Using Flock’s license plate camera, law enforcement tracked down Bauman’s vehicle and apprehended her and Aust before they caught up with Crane and the minor soon after.
The three eighteen-year-olds are currently held without bail at the Boone County Jail, while the unnamed minor awaits in the Boone County Juvenile Department.
As reported by KOMU 8, the group is set to appear in court next week.
