Annapolis, MD – This afternoon in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Jonah Michael Poole, age 19, of Davidsonville, was sentenced to Life in Prison with the Possibility of Parole by the Honorable Judge Cathleen Vitale. Poole pleaded guilty to First-Degree Murder on March 18, 2026, in the May 2025 death of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, owner of Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville.
Due to the Defendant's age, the judge will refer him to the Patuxent Youth Facility's Youthful Offender Program. 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.
Poole's co-defendant, 19-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, is charged with First-Degree Murder and is pending trial to begin December 1, 2026.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Marot Williamson and Assistant State's Attorney Kelly Poma on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.