ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Davidsonville man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of a local business owner whose remains were found after a vehicle fire in May 2025.
Jonah Michael Poole, 19, of Davidsonville, was sentenced June 26, 2026, in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court by Judge Cathleen Vitale.
Poole pleaded guilty March 18 to first-degree murder in the death of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, of Annapolis. Koza owned Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville.
Photo courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police Department
Anne Arundel County Police began investigating after officers responded around 9:25 p.m. May 24, 2025, for a vehicle fire in the parking lot of a business in the 600 block of West Central Avenue in Davidsonville. After the fire was extinguished, human remains were found inside the passenger compartment.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled Koza’s death a homicide.
Poole and Kylee Alyssa Dakes were arrested May 31, 2025, at a residence on Bethel Lane in Harwood. Both were initially charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault, conspiracy to commit murder and arson.
As part of Poole’s sentence, he was ordered to forfeit approximately $215,000 stolen from Koza, along with a $15,000 truck purchased with additional stolen funds, to Koza’s estate.
Because of Poole’s age, the court will refer him to the Patuxent Youth Facility’s Youthful Offender Program.
Dakes, now 19, remains charged with first-degree murder, and her case is still pending. Her trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 1, 2026, in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Marot Williamson and Kelly Poma.
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