'I deserve whatever I get': Teenager beat up his former boss, bound him with duct tape, and burned him alive in his own truck after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars

A Maryland teen volition walk decades down bars for beating, kidnapping and brutally sidesplitting his erstwhile brag successful a motortruck fire.

In March, Jonah Poole, 19, pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of murder successful the archetypal degree for the decease of 67-year-old Edward Koza, a naturalist who ran a plot halfway and koi pond.

On Friday, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Cathleen Vitale sentenced the suspect to beingness successful situation with the anticipation of parole.

The underlying incidental occurred successful May 2025, astatine the Tropic Bay Water Gardens successful Davidsonville – a small, semi-rural, unincorporated assemblage located immoderate 15 miles southwest of Annapolis.

But the locus of the grim unit dates backmost weeks before.

The unfortunate antecedently reported hundreds of thousands of dollars successful currency had been stolen from his house. Soon enough, a then-current worker astatine the Water Gardens told investigators that Koza suspected Poole, a erstwhile employee, of being the burglar, according to The Baltimore Banner.

On May 24, 2025, Koza's assemblage was recovered wrong a burning motortruck successful the parking batch of the concern connected West Central Avenue. The victim's arms, hands, and rima were bound with duct portion successful his ain vehicle.

Inside, constabulary recovered evident signs of a struggle, similar items breached and knocked over, according to Baltimore-based ABC affiliate WMAR.

Investigators noted the beingness of a weapon and a bloody koi stone arsenic good arsenic different evidence, according to section NBC affiliate WBAL.

Surveillance footage from a adjacent BP state presumption showed a antheral and a pistillate pulling up to the parking batch successful Koza's motortruck earlier it was wholly engulfed successful flames. In different video, which was captured connected Poole's ain cellphone, the suspect is seen pouring state into the truck, tossing the bare state tin wrong the vehicle, past lighting insubstantial towels hanging from the driver's broadside windows.

The unfortunate was besides beaten earlier being burned alive.

Koza suffered bruises astir his eyes, a fractured nose, and "severe thermal injuries," Assistant State's Attorney Marot Williamson said successful comments reported by the Banner.

Also implicated successful the savage sidesplitting was Poole's girlfriend, Kylee Alyssa Dakes, 19. In January, Judge Vitale ruled the brace should beryllium tried unneurotic – contempt the woman's defence squad claiming the burglary had thing to bash with her, according to the Banner. Since Poole took a plea deal, however, the couple's cases were separated.

The brace went backmost to Dakes' location aft the sidesplitting and exchanged messages connected Snapchat, according to instrumentality enforcement. In 1 specified message, Poole wrote that "it went truthful well."

During his sentencing, the justice said she would person sentenced the convicted slayer to beingness without parole but for the plea deal; she besides said she looked for immoderate crushed not to contented a beingness sentence.

"Young man, I myself person had restless nights implicit this case," Vitale told the defendant.

The justice said she would urge a treatment-focused maximum information situation owed to Poole's comparatively young age.

"He was besides ordered to forfeit astir $215,000 stolen from the victim, and a $15,000 motortruck purchased with further stolen funds to the victim's estate," the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office said successful a statement.

Poole gave an allocution during Friday's hearing.

"I deliberation I merit immoderate I get," helium said. "I anticipation God tin forgive me, due to the fact that I don't deliberation I merit it from anyone else."

Dakes has pleaded not guilty. Her proceedings is slated to statesman successful December.