Maryland Teen Gets Life Sentence for Burning Boss Alive

When a brief job at Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland turned deadly, it left behind a crime so brutal that a teenager will now spend the rest of his life in prison.

Jonah Poole, a Maryland teenager, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the May 2025 killing of Edward Koza, his former boss at the garden store. The crime itself reads like a nightmare scenario: Poole and his girlfriend, Kylee Dakes, allegedly attacked Koza at the business, bound him, taped his mouth shut, and forced him into his own truck. Authorities say they then poured gasoline over the vehicle and set it ablaze with Koza still trapped inside. Police discovered Koza’s body when they arrived at the burning scene.

Last week, the Anne Arundel County Police Department announced Poole’s sentence: life in prison, along with a court order to forfeit approximately $215,000 he had stolen from Koza. The question of what drove Poole to such violence—whether his brief employment somehow sparked the rage, or if theft and desperation played a role—remains murky. Prosecutors haven’t publicly detailed a clear motive, leaving observers to wonder what circumstances could push a teenager toward such a horrific act.

What’s especially striking is that Poole’s alleged accomplice, Kylee Dakes, is still awaiting trial. Her first-degree murder trial is scheduled for December, meaning the legal reckoning for this crime is far from over. For now, one person has been held accountable. Whether Dakes faces the same fate remains to be seen.