In the early morning hours of September 30, 2017, the life of Michael Burns, a 53-year-old Caucasian male from Rochester, New Hampshire, came to a violent and unexpected end on the enclosed front porch of a duplex in Saco, Maine. A computer network repairman, Burns was in town for work, a routine that took him across northern New England. What led him to the residence on Nye Street after 1 a.m.
that Saturday was a mystery that would baffle his friends and family, who knew him as a devoted father and a well-respected Boy Scout troop leader.
The man who shot Burns was a tenant of the first-floor apartment and immediately called the police to report the incident. When authorities arrived, they found Burns fatally wounded. He was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Inside the home at the time of the shooting were the tenant and two other individuals, none of whom claimed to know Burns.
For nearly a year, the investigation into Michael Burns' death continued, leaving his loved ones grappling with unanswered questions. Friends and family described Burns as a harmless and non-confrontational man, making the violent circumstances of his death all the more shocking. He was a self-made businessman who, according to those close to him, was not involved in any unsavory activities. The man who fired the fatal shot was not immediately taken into custody and his name was not initially released to the public.
Ultimately, the Maine State Police concluded their investigation and announced that the shooting was an act of self-defense. Consequently, no charges were filed against the shooter, identified as Christopher Boure. According to the investigation, Burns had gone to the residence after responding to a Craigslist ad. An argument erupted, and Burns was shot. The case was then passed to the Saco police and the York County District Attorney's Office to consider any other potential charges related to the night's events, but the shooter was not prosecuted for Burns' death.
