In a tragic tale that underscores the potential dangers lurking in online transactions, a Missouri man, known for his service as a decorated U.S. Marine and missionary, fell victim to a fatal Facebook Marketplace scam orchestrated by a group of teenagers. The incident unfolded as part of a plot to steal his iPhone, according to law enforcement officials.

Ryan Burke, aged 42, arranged a meeting at his Columbia home with 18-year-olds Kobe Aust, Joseph Crane, Alexis Baumann, and an unnamed juvenile suspect. The pretense was that they intended to purchase his iPhone 15 Pro, a device valued at approximately $585, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit.

Upon arriving at Burke’s residence on the 1400 block of Ridgemont Court, the juvenile allegedly texted Burke, saying, “I’m here,” marking the beginning of the tragic encounter. The group, having coordinated the meeting through Facebook, showed up at around 8:10 p.m. on that fateful evening.

According to Baumann’s admission during police questioning, she transported the group to Burke’s home in her vehicle. Crane and the juvenile then entered the residence under the guise of collecting the phone. The affidavit reveals Baumann’s chilling account: “Alexis advised she heard three gunshots from inside.” She further recounted how Crane and the juvenile fled the scene, rejoining her in the car as she drove them away.

In her statement to the police, Baumann disclosed that both Crane and the juvenile were armed with pistols. After returning to her vehicle, they confessed to shooting Burke and subsequently stealing his phone. They then reportedly sold the stolen device at an ecoATM located at the Conley Rd. Walmart, immediately following the murder, as outlined in the affidavit.

Baumann told police that Crane and the juvenile “were both armed with pistols, and once back inside of her car” they admitted to shooting Burke and stealing his phone, “which they sold at the ecoATM at the Conley Rd. Walmart directly after the murder,” the affidavit says.

“Hey, I’m dying and I love you,” Burke texted his mom and sister after being shot, according to family friend and fraternity brother Jerry Reifeiss, who spoke to local CBS affiliate KRCG about Burke’s death.

“He texted them saying that,” Reifeiss recounted. “That was just Ryan. He always put people in front of him and wanted to make sure people knew how he felt. He didn’t want to go on to the next life and pass away without providing some information to us here that would bring justice to these people and let people know he always loves them.”

Police say Burke, who reportedly did missionary work in Uganda, also managed to call police after being shot and “reported someone came to buy a phone from him, and the suspect shot him,” per the affidavit.

While fleeing, Baumann said that Crane and the juvenile “threw their sweatshirts out of her car window,” which Aust corroborated in police interviews as well, according to police. He, too, allegedly said Crane and the juvenile were armed and went inside Burke’s home.

The group is accused of going on a robbery spree before killing Burke, during which they targeted at least two others for their phones.

“If you touch me I’ll shoot you,” the juvenile suspect told one of the victims after swiping her phone “when she showed it to him,” the affidavit alleges.

Surveillance footage obtained by police shows the teens allegedly selling the phones they stole at the same Walmart on Conley Road following all three robberies. Detectives were able to track down the group on Monday using Flock license plate cameras to locate Baumann’s car. She and Aust were taken into custody and interviewed about what happened, with Crane and the juvenile being arrested later in the day.

All four individuals are charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. They are being held without bond.