High school seniors trap store owner in truck, set it on fire, Maryland cops say
Two 18-year-old high school seniors attacked a man inside his Maryland koi pond shop, then trapped him in his truck and set the vehicle on fire, killing him in late May, according to authorities, news outlets reported.
The remains of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza were located in the passenger seat after first responders extinguished his burning vehicle in the parking lot of his Davidsonville business the evening of May 24, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said June 2, identifying him as the victim.
Officers and firefighters found the vehicle “fully engulfed in flames,” police wrote in a news release updated with new information.
Jonah Michael Poole, of Davidsonville, and Kylee Alyssa Dakes, of Harwood, were arrested May 31 on charges of first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree murder and arson, according to police.
The 18-year-olds were students at Southern High School in Harwood, according to CBS News. The school held its graduation June 2.
Evidence from the crime scene suggests Poole and Dakes struggled with Koza inside his store, the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center, before they bound him in his truck and drove to buy gas, which was used to set fire to the vehicle, police said, CBS News reported.
Poole and Dakes are in a relationship, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Howard Walsh, a defense attorney for Dakes, who had her bail review on June 2, told the judge that there was “no direct evidence against” her and said Dakes “denies any involvement in this,” the newspaper reported.
Dakes’ family members said she was an honors student and planned to pursue a nursing degree at Notre Dame of Maryland University, according to the newspaper.
A public defender representing Poole defended him similarly, saying in court that “there is no tangible physical evidence” implicating Poole in Koza’s killing, arguing “nobody saw Mr. Poole commit murder,” according to WBAL-TV.
Poole and Dakes, according to charging documents, robbed Koza inside his business, the TV station reported. His autopsy revealed his head had blunt force trauma.
“The motive and cause of death remain under investigation,” police said June 2.
Koza was from Annapolis, according to police. His pond and garden store has been in business since 2001.
As authorities continue to investigate, the Anne Arundel County Police Department asks anyone with information relevant to the investigation to call detectives at 410-222-4731.
Anne Arundel County is about a 30-mile drive southeast of Baltimore.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 10:56 AM with the headline "High school seniors trap store owner in truck, set it on fire, Maryland cops say."
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