Teens Accused Of Killing Anne Arundel Business Owner To Be Tried Together: Report

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Two teenagers accused of killing an Anne Arundel County business owner will be tried together on charges related to his death, according to a report.

Jonah Michael Poole and his girlfriend, Kyle Alyssa Dakes, both 19, are charged with murder, arson and kidnapping in the death of May 24 death of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza of Annapolis. The couple is accused of kidnapping Koza, who owned Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville, before setting his truck on fire with him in the back seat.

Poole is also accused of spray-painting a swastika on an Edgewater school, as well as burglarizing a Galesville dock bar and stealing over $11,000 from the restaurant in the weeks before Koza's death.

According to a report by The Baltimore Banner, Dakes's attorney argued the couple should be tried separately after court documents suggested the Poole may have been involved in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from Koza's house.

If Dakes had a separate trial, evidence of Poole’s involvement in the burglary would be inadmissible, the Banner reported; however, Circuit Judge Cathleen M. Vitale rejected that argument.

Koza's body was found on May 24 in the backseat of his burning car, which was parked outside his shop, according to police. Court papers said his arms were bound, and his mouth was taped over.

Officers said Poole worked at Tropic Bay Water Gardens for about two weekends in 2024.

Poole, of Davidsonville, and Dakes, of Harwood, were both seniors at Southern High School, an Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesperson told Patch.

In August, Poole was ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation after he tried to fire his lawyers. He was later found mentally competent to stand trial.

RELATED:

• Murder Suspect Tries To Fire Lawyers, Judge Questions His Competency
• Murder Suspect Vandalized The Summit School Days Before Davidsonville Killing: Police
• Davidsonville Murder Suspect Burglarized Dock Bar Where His Girlfriend Worked: Police
• Davidsonville Murder Suspect Worked For Victim, Break-In Reported Before Death: Police
• Video Of Burning Truck Investigated In Business Owner's Homicide
• Man Found In Davidsonville Vehicle Fire Was Annapolis Resident: Police