A decorated Marine veteran has been shot dead at his home during a Facebook Marketplace sale. Michael Ryan Burke, 42, was fatally shot during a sale-turned-robbery involving a cellphone at his home in Columbia, Missouri on Sunday, the Columbia Police Department said.
In his final moments, Burke described his attackers to police over the phone. He later texted his family goodbye.
Three 18-year-olds and a juvenile male have been arrested and charged with murder in Burke’s murder.
18-year-old locals Alexis Baumann, Kobe Aust and Joseph Crane, as well as an unidentified male juvenile, were charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and burglary. Crane is facing two extra charges for unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, while the juvenile is facing a single additional charge for unlawful use of a weapon, according to the Columbia Police Department.
While the juvenile is in custody at the Boone County Juvenile Office, Baumann, Aust and Crane are being held without bond at the Boone County Jail.
Who was Michael Ryan Burke?
{{/usCountry}}While the juvenile is in custody at the Boone County Juvenile Office, Baumann, Aust and Crane are being held without bond at the Boone County Jail.
Who was Michael Ryan Burke?
{{/usCountry}}Burke went to the University of Missouri, where he double majored in psychology and sociology, according to a 2016 Facebook post by Mizzou. “I am a prior service Amphibious Reconnaissance Marine who currently facilitates security for the U.S. Department of State in Baghdad, Iraq. In my spare time, I volunteer in the fight against human trafficking. I am thankful for the education I received at the University of Missouri because, in my experience, it’s not so much a weapon but the training of the mind that makes a man dangerous,” read the post.
Burke added, “My freshman year at Mizzou I joined a fraternity of men who were willing to invest in my personal and academic development and whose network helped direct me around the campus of 32,000 students. Through the Greek community I developed lasting friendships while participating in athletic intramurals, the Mizzou Production Dance team, philanthropies and community blood drives.”
Burke’s college friend and fraternity brother, Jerry Reifeiss, said that when Burke was not in active duty, he was completing missionary work in different parts of the world, including Uganda. Reifeiss described his pal’s final moments in an interview with KRCG13.
Reifeiss said that in a 911 call, Burke described his attackers. He even managed to text his mother and sister, “I’m dying and I love you.” He was later rushed to a local hospital, where he died.
“That was just Ryan. He always put people in front of him and wanted to make sure people know how he felt. He didn’t want to go on to the next life and pass away without providing some information to us that would bring justice to these people and let people know he always loves them,” Reifeiss said.