A former Maryland koi pond employee who admitted murdering his boss before setting his body on fire was sentenced on Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole, telling the court he deserved whatever punishment he received.
Jonah Michael Poole, 19, was handed a life sentence by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Cathleen Vitale after pleading guilty in March to the first-degree murder of Edward Stephen Koza, 67, the owner of Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville.
The sentence closes one chapter in one of Maryland's most disturbing recent murder cases, in which prosecutors said Koza was beaten, restrained, placed inside his own pickup truck and burned after a violent attack at the garden center he owned.
Judge Vitale also ordered Poole to forfeit approximately $215,000 that prosecutors said had been stolen from Koza after burglarizing his home, along with a truck valued at about $15,000 that authorities said had been purchased using stolen money.
Because of Poole's age, the judge directed that he be referred to the Patuxent Youth Facility's Youthful Offender Program, a treatment-focused maximum-security rehabilitation program.
When given an opportunity to address the court, Poole apologized.
'I think I deserve whatever I get,' he said. 'I'm sorry because he didn't have to die and I have no excuses for what I did. I hope that God can forgive me. I don't expect anyone else to forgive me.'
He also said he had put others 'through hell' following Koza's death.
Jonah Michael Poole, 19, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of his former boss
Koza's burned-out pickup truck was discovered engulfed in flames in the parking lot of Tropic Bay Water Gardens on May 24, 2025. Pictured, the tarmac can be seen burned after the fire
Edward Stephen Koza, 67, owned Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville and described by colleagues as a generous businessman who created a 'magical place' for customers
His co-defendant and former girlfriend, Kylee Alyssa Dakes, also 19, remains charged with first-degree murder. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in December.
Surveillance footage from a neighboring BP gas station captured a man and woman arriving in Koza's pickup truck shortly before it erupted into flames, investigators said.
Prosecutors also relied on video recovered from Poole's own cellphone.
The footage showed Dakes beginning a recording while Poole poured gasoline into Koza's truck, threw the fuel container inside and then ignited paper towels hanging from the driver's side window with a lighter.
After the killing, prosecutors said the couple returned to Dakes' home, where they exchanged Snapchat messages later cited in court.
Assistant State's Attorney Marot Williamson told the court Poole wrote that 'it went so well.'
In another message referenced by prosecutors, Poole allegedly wrote he would have to 'skip town' and described Dakes as 'worth killing for.'
Poole's sentencing came more than a year after investigators discovered Koza's body inside his burning pickup truck outside Tropic Bay Water Gardens on West Central Avenue on May 24, 2025.
Tropic Bay Water Gardens, a garden center specializing in koi ponds and aquatic plants, became the scene of the fatal attack after Edward Stephen Koza was killed inside the business
The family-run business attracted pond enthusiasts from across the region and was regarded as a destination for koi, water garden supplies and landscaping advice
Crime scene tape surrounded Tropic Bay Water Gardens after investigators discovered evidence of a violent struggle inside the business and Koza's burned pickup truck outside
The remains of Edward Stephen Koza's pickup truck sat in the parking lot of Tropic Bay Water Gardens after investigators said it was deliberately set on fire with the victim's body inside
Authorities said the victim's arms, hands and mouth had been bound with duct tape.
When investigators entered the business, they found evidence of a violent struggle, including broken items, a knife and what prosecutors later described as a bloodied decorative koi pond rock.
Williamson told the court Koza suffered bruising around both eyes, a fractured nose and what she described as 'severe thermal injuries.'
During Friday's sentencing hearing, Judge Vitale made clear she found the crime extraordinarily brutal.
'Young man, I myself have had restless nights over this case,' she told Poole.
The judge said she carefully searched for any justification to impose a lesser punishment because of the defendant's youth but ultimately concluded none existed.
She added that, were it not for the negotiated plea agreement, she would have considered sentencing him to life without the possibility of parole.
Vitale also questioned why the killing escalated so dramatically, saying Poole had several opportunities to walk away before Koza was killed and his body set ablaze reports Law & Crime.
After Judge Vitale imposed the sentence, Poole briefly turned toward relatives seated in the courtroom and blew them a kiss before someone could be heard responding, 'We love you.'
Crime scene tape is seen outside the Tropic Bay Water Garden in June 2025
According to testimony during sentencing, owner Edward Stephen Koza created what one employee described as a 'magical place,' where he cared for customers' fish while away
Judge Cathleen Vitale said she had 'restless nights' over the case and indicated she would have considered life without parole if not for the plea agreement at Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, pictured
Defense attorney David Fischer sought a lesser sentence, citing Poole's troubled upbringing and mental health struggles, but said the crime was 'indefensible'
Kylee Alyssa Dakes, 19, who was dating Poole at the time, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is awaiting trial
Defense attorney David Fischer argued for a substantially lighter sentence, asking the court to impose life with all but 30 years suspended and to recommend placement in the Youthful Offender Program.
Fischer acknowledged the killing was 'indefensible' but urged the court to consider Poole's difficult upbringing and longstanding mental health struggles as mitigating factors.
Following the hearing, Fischer said he respected Judge Vitale's decision.
'I think the sentencing went well for us today. I think the judge had a very difficult decision to make and we respect her decision,' he said.
During emotional victim impact testimony, Candace Morrison, who worked alongside Koza at Tropic Bay Water Gardens, described him as a generous businessman whose kindness extended well beyond his customers, the Baltimore Banner reports.
She told the court Koza frequently cared for customers' fish while they traveled without charging them, allowed people to store tropical plants in his greenhouse during winter and even looked after turtles awaiting adoption from a local animal shelter.
'I believe we are put on Earth to serve others,' Morrison said, describing Koza as someone who created a 'magical place' through his work with exotic plants and animals.
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