Edward Stephen Koza, 67, was found inside a burning vehicle in May 2025
Credit: Anne Arundel County Police; GoogleMaps
NEED TO KNOW
- Jonah Michael Poole pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after killing his former boss, Edward Stephen Koza, in 2025
- Investigators say Poole bound Koza, taped his mouth and drove him around before setting his truck on fire while the victim was still inside
- Investigators say Poole was accompanied by his girlfriend, Kylee Alyssa Dakes, who is set to face trial for first-degree murder in December
A Maryland teen has been sentenced for the brutal murder of his former boss, which took place last year.
The victim, 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, was found dead inside a burning vehicle engulfed in flames outside his business in Davidsonville, Md. on May 24, 2025, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said at the time.
Within days, police arrested then 18-year-old Jonah Michael Poole and his girlfriend, then 18-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, on several charges including first-degree murder, according to a police statement at the time.
Prosecutors said Poole, allegedly alongside Dakes, attacked Koza at the store before binding him, taping his mouth and driving him around in Koza's own red pickup truck, WTOP reported.
The couple then allegedly poured gasoline over the vehicle and set it on fire while Koza was still inside.
He was found inside the burning vehicle in the parking lot of his business, Tropic Bay Water Gardens, an aquatic garden center with experts in pond and water matters, Anne Arundel County police said at the time.
Inside the business, investigators found blood and a pair of shoes, indicating there had been a struggle, WTOP reported, citing prosecutors.
Poole had briefly worked for Koza, according to WTOP, but it's not clear if that was part of his motive.
Credit: Anne Arundel County Police
Koza was a beloved figure among his customers, according to notes left on the Facebook page for his business.
"Every year when spring came I would stop in and get something for the pond. He was such a kind soul. Every creature was loved," a customer shared in a comment soon after his killing. "Every creature there lived in harmony. Kindness and peacefulness radiated."
"He was always kind, informative, generous with advice to a newbie, and a delight," wrote another customer. "In his little corner shop he brought joy and beauty to the world."
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Poole and Dakes had been charged with first- and second-degree murder, arson, first- and second-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree murder, police said at the time.
Poole pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on March 18, and has been sentenced to life in prison, the Anne Arundel County Police Department announced on Friday, June 26.
"He was also ordered to forfeit approximately $215,000 stolen from the victim, and a $15,000 truck purchased with additional stolen funds to the victim's estate," read the statement. It wasn't immediately clear if the other charges against him and Dakes had been dropped.
Dakes' trial for first-degree murder is set for December.
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