DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. — A teen has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, owner of Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville.
Jonah Michael Poole, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on March 18, 2026.
A judge ordered Poole to forfeit about $215,000 stolen from Koza and a $15,000 truck purchased with additional stolen funds to the victim's estate.
Poole has also been referred to the Patuxent Youth Facility's Youthful Offender Program.
This stems from an incident on May 24, 2025, when investigators discovered Koza's body inside a burning truck.
The pickup truck was found fully engulfed in flames in the parking lot of Tropic Bay Water Gardens on West Central Avenue.
The 67-year-old's arms, hands, and mouth were bound with tape, in what turned out to be his own vehicle.
As police went to check inside the store, they observed obvious signs of a struggle with various items broken and knocked over.
Surveillance footage at a neighboring BP gas station captured a man and woman pulling up in Koza's truck before it was set on fire.
The two were identified as Poole and Kylee Alyssa Dakes, who was known to be dating Poole.
Dakes is charged with first-degree murder and is pending trial to begin December 1, 2026.
