An 18-year-old Columbia man has been charged in connection with the January shooting death of Michael Ryan Burke, accused of stealing the gun that a co-defendant allegedly used to kill him and then trying to hide the weapon afterward. Kayden Brandkamp now faces four counts of stealing and one count of tampering with evidence in a felony prosecution filed Friday.
According to KOMU 8, Burke, 42, was shot and killed at his Columbia home on January 18 in a robbery that stemmed from his attempted sale of an iPhone on Facebook Marketplace. The Columbia Police Department has said Burke died from injuries sustained in the shooting. Court documents described by the station allege Brandkamp stole two pistols — one in May 2025 and another in October 2025 — and that one of those guns was allegedly used by Mikel Jones to shoot and kill Burke.
Accused Of Working The Marketplace Robbery Ring
Court documents, as described by the station's reporting, allege Brandkamp worked with Baumann, Aust and Jones to steal iPhones from Facebook Marketplace sellers in the two days before Burke's shooting. A probable cause statement cited by the outlet alleges Brandkamp was present for robberies on January 16 and January 17, then went with Baumann, Aust and Jones to a Walmart to sell the phones stolen in those two robberies.
Brandkamp told investigators he was not present for Burke's robbery and shooting. But per the probable cause statement, he allegedly admitted to providing Jones with the gun used during the shooting, as well as trying to hide the gun afterward. The same reporting states that Brandkamp, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, allegedly knew about it but did not report Baumann, Aust, Crane or Jones to police.
Co-Defendants Face Murder And Robbery Charges
Mikel Jones, who was also 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult in connection with Burke's killing and was accused of firing the shot that killed him. ABC17 News reported that a superseding indictment filed Friday added charges against Jones, who is now 18: first-degree robbery, second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of felony stealing and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Alexis Baumann, Kobe Aust and Joseph Crane were also charged in connection with Burke's death. KRCG reported that prosecutors charged all three with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. Court documents allege Baumann, Aust and Crane, all 18 at the time of the shooting, were in the vehicle that fled the scene.
Brandkamp is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond, and a court date has not been scheduled, according to ABC17 News.
A Broader Pattern Of Stolen Guns In Missouri
The case adds to a documented pattern of stolen firearms turning up in violent crime across the state. An ATF study cited by ABC17 News found that from 2017 through 2021, Missouri had the ninth-most guns reported stolen among the 50 states, and that 96% of those stolen guns were owned by private citizens. Of roughly 29,000 guns stolen from private citizens during that span, only 39% were recovered, the outlet reported.
A separate study cited by the station counted 365 lost or stolen firearms in Missouri in 2022, the 13th-highest total in the country. The Columbia Police Department said in August 2023 that stolen guns are frequently used in violent crimes — a warning echoed by another local case the same outlet reported, in which a stolen gun was found after a shots-fired incident that led to six juveniles being detained.
