A Maryland teenager has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting to killing a 67-year-old garden center owner whose body was found bound inside a burning truck.
Jonah Poole, 19, pleaded guilty in March to one count of first-degree murder in the death of Edward Koza, a naturalist who ran Tropic Bay Water Gardens, a garden center and koi pond business in Davidsonville, Maryland.
On Friday, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Cathleen Vitale sentenced Poole to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
The horrifying case began in May 2025 at Tropic Bay Water Gardens, located in a small semi-rural community about 15 miles southwest of Annapolis.
But according to investigators, the trouble started weeks earlier.
Koza had previously reported that hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash had been stolen from his home. A current employee later told investigators that Koza suspected Poole, a former employee, of being involved in the burglary, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Then, on May 24, 2025, Koza’s body was found inside his burning truck in the parking lot of the business on West Central Avenue.
The discovery was horrific.
Koza’s arms, hands and mouth had been bound with duct tape inside his own vehicle. Investigators also found signs of a struggle inside the business, including broken and overturned items, according to local reports.
Police also noted a knife, a bloody koi rock and other evidence at the scene.
Surveillance footage from a nearby BP gas station showed a man and a woman pulling into the parking lot in Koza’s truck before it was engulfed in flames. Investigators also recovered video from Poole’s own cellphone that showed him pouring gas into the truck, tossing the empty gas can inside and lighting paper towels hanging from the driver’s side windows.
Prosecutors said Koza was beaten before he was burned alive.
Assistant State’s Attorney Marot Williamson said Koza suffered bruising around his eyes, a fractured nose and severe thermal injuries, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Poole’s girlfriend, 19-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, has also been implicated in the killing. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled to begin in December.
In January, Judge Vitale ruled that Poole and Dakes should be tried together. But after Poole accepted a plea deal, the cases were separated.
Authorities said the pair went back to Dakes’ home after the killing and exchanged messages on Snapchat. In one message, Poole allegedly wrote that “it went so well.”
During sentencing, Judge Vitale said she would have given Poole life without parole if not for the plea agreement. She also said she had searched for any reason not to impose a life sentence.
“Young man, I myself have had restless nights over this case,” Vitale told him in court.
Because of Poole’s young age, the judge said she would recommend that he be sent to a treatment-focused maximum security prison.
Poole was also ordered to forfeit about $215,000 stolen from Koza, along with a $15,000 truck purchased with additional stolen money, to the victim’s estate, according to the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office.
During the hearing, Poole addressed the court.
“I think I deserve whatever I get,” he said. “I hope God can forgive me, because I don’t think I deserve it from anyone else.”
Dakes remains scheduled for trial later this year.
Koza’s killing stunned the local community and left many grieving the loss of a man known for his garden center, koi ponds and love of the natural world.
