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Four Teens Charged in Missouri Marine’s Killing During Facebook Marketplace Sale

Investigators say digital evidence ties the group to a phone-robbery pattern that culminated in the shooting.

Overview

  • Michael Ryan Burke, 42, was shot at his Columbia home during an iPhone sale arranged through Facebook Marketplace around 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 18.
  • After being wounded, Burke called 911 to describe his assailants and texted his mother and sister a final goodbye before dying at a hospital.
  • Police arrested Alexis Baumann, 18, Kobe Aust, 18, Joseph Crane, 18, and a male juvenile on Jan. 20, charging each with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.
  • Crane faces additional counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, and the juvenile faces an extra unlawful weapon charge; the three adults are held without bond, with the juvenile in juvenile custody.
  • A probable cause statement cites Burke’s Facebook messages, surveillance video and an ecoATM record, and alleges the group committed at least two prior iPhone robberies of Marketplace sellers.