Jonah Michael Poole pleaded guilty in the death of Edward Stephen Koza, who owned Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland teenager has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing his former boss, a garden store owner found dead last year inside a burning pickup truck outside his Davidsonville business.
Jonah Michael Poole, 19, of Davidsonville, was sentenced in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in the May 2025 death of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, the owner of Tropic Bay Water Gardens. Prosecutors said Poole attacked Koza, stole from him and helped set his truck on fire while Koza was inside. A co-defendant, Kylee Alyssa Dakes, also 19, remains charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting trial.
Poole pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on March 18, 2026. Judge Cathleen Vitale imposed the life sentence and ordered Poole to forfeit about $215,000 stolen from Koza, along with a $15,000 truck bought with additional stolen funds, to Koza’s estate. Because of Poole’s age, the judge also referred him to the Patuxent Youth Facility’s Youthful Offender Program.
Police and firefighters were called May 24, 2025, to the 600 block of West Central Avenue in Davidsonville after a report of a vehicle fire in the parking lot of a commercial business. After the flames were put out, authorities found human remains inside the passenger area of the truck. The remains were later identified as Koza.
Prosecutors said Poole and Dakes attacked Koza inside Tropic Bay Water Gardens, bound his arms and taped his mouth. They said the pair then drove Koza around in his own red pickup truck before pouring gasoline on the vehicle and setting it on fire. Investigators found signs of a struggle inside the business, including blood and a pair of shoes.
Koza’s business was known in the area as a place for pond, koi and water garden supplies. Customers described him as kind, helpful and generous with advice. In online tributes after his death, several people remembered visits to the shop each spring and said Koza had created a peaceful space for people who cared for ponds and gardens.
The case drew attention across Anne Arundel County because of the violence of the killing and Poole’s past connection to the victim. Poole had briefly worked for Koza, though authorities have not publicly said whether that employment was part of the motive. Prosecutors also said Poole faced separate allegations tied to earlier crimes, including vandalism at a school and theft from a dock bar.
Dakes is charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled for trial on Dec. 1, 2026. The charges against her remain allegations unless proven in court. Authorities have not announced a final motive in Koza’s killing, and court proceedings are expected to continue as her case moves toward trial.
Poole’s sentence was announced June 26, 2026. The next major step in the case is Dakes’ scheduled trial in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court later this year.