Davidsonville teen sentenced to life in prison for murder of local garden shop owner

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A Davidsonville teen was sentenced to life in prison on Friday afternoon for the first-degree murder of a local garden center owner, according to authorities.

Jonah Michael Poole, 19, of Davidsonville, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

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.

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Poole’s co-defendant, his girlfriend, 19-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, is charged with first-degree murder and is pending trial to begin Dec. 1.

Due to Poole’s age, the judge will refer him to the Patuxent Youth Facility’s Youthful Offender Program.

He will also forfeit approximately $215,000 stolen from Koza, and a $15,000 truck purchased with additional stolen funds to Koza’s estate.