The Facebook Marketplace Scam That Cost His Life // Michael Ryan Burke

Military Murder

Mama Margot Productions LLC

True Crime, History

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When Michael Ryan Burke posted an iPhone on Facebook Marketplace, he was just trying to find an honest buyer, maybe haggle, and move on. But instead, he became the target of a Facebook marketplace scam that began a few days earlier. A buyer agreed to meet for the phone, and Ryan gave his home address. But when the buyer showed up, he came armed and with a posse. He intended to steal the iPhone, not pay for it. Within minutes, Ryan lay dying on the floor of his house, but he managed to dial 911 and text his mom and sister that he loved them. Sadly, he died from his injuries. Dig in with Margot, as she walks you through the probable cause affidavit and the investigation that lead to the arrest of 4 individuals who now stand charged with the murder of Michael Ryan Burke, a Marine veteran who was loved by all. Reminder: All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. —— Buy/Sell Group Safety Tips: #1. Meet In a Public Location - Consider a Safe Trade Station Near You - https://www.safetradestations.com/safetrade-station-list.html #2. Buddy System - Never Go Alone. #3. Share Location with a Trusted Person (if you can’t use the buddy system) #4. Consider Safe Payment Options (try not to travel with large amounts of cash) #5. Look at Buyer Profiles - Check for red flags. New Account? Fake Account? Rating? ⸻ Visit our sponsor: Quince.com/militarymama for free shipping and 365 day returns! ⸻ 🎧Did you know you could listen to this episode ad-free? Join the True Crime Army Club! Visit patreon.com/militarymurder to view the current membership options! ⸻ Military Murder is a military true crime podcast that focuses on murders committed by military members, veterans, and sometimes their family members. ⸻ Don’t miss out on all things Mama Margot & Military Murder Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mamamargot TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@militarymargot Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/militarymurderpodcast Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/militarytruecrime Want to advertise on the show? Email info@truenativemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back, True Crime Army. I am your host Margo, and this is military murder, a show where I discuss cases involving military members and veterans, all with one goal in mind to remind you to remain vigilant always.
0:13.1	And today's case is heavy on my heart, like the kind of heavy that just straps on and won't stop weighing you down. You know that kind of case?
0:20.7	I haven't been on social
0:21.6	media much in the last few months, and it's been amazing for my mental health. But occasionally,
0:26.8	I'll dabble and I'll scroll here and there. And when today's case popped up in my newsfeed
0:32.6	just last week, I clicked it. And immediately, there was a pit in the bottom of my stomach. The headline read,
0:40.2	Marine Vet fatally shot during Facebook Marketplace meetup. What? How? What happened? I was reading all the
0:48.9	articles that I could, but they all said the same exact thing. Now, my anxiety grew because I wanted to know more about
0:56.7	the Facebook scam. I wanted to know more about the arrest. I wanted to know more about the victim.
1:02.1	And so here we are today. This case is fresh. I want to remind everyone that even though I do cover
1:09.2	cases that don't have a final resolution,
1:12.7	all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court.
1:16.5	For this case, I was able to pull up a probable cause affidavit that really helped to answer a lot of my questions.
1:23.5	But remember, these are just allegations.
1:26.6	I'm bringing you this case today because it involves something that many of us do on a daily basis,
1:32.4	and that is to buy and sell online in our local marketplaces.
1:37.0	I think it's important for us to know what is alleged in this case to have happened,
1:41.6	and at the end, I will be giving you all some tips from the police
1:45.4	on how to stay safe during these routine activities. Join me today as I tell you the tragic
1:51.0	story of Michael Ryan Burke. Now, let's dig in.
1:58.4	Military murder is an independent project and is not endorsed by the Department of Defense or any military component.
2:04.6	The views expressed are those of the host.
	...

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