Teen wearing a Bass Pro Shops hat bound his ex-boss, stuffed him into his car, and lit it on fire, allegedly with his girlfriend's help

A Maryland teen accused of attacking his erstwhile brag and past sidesplitting him by mounting his car connected fire with him wrong pleaded blameworthy to the crime.

Jonah Michael Poole, 19, entered a blameworthy plea connected Wednesday months aft helium was charged with first-degree murder successful transportation with the decease of 67-year-old Edward Koza. Poole and his girlfriend, 19-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, were accused of ambushing Koza astatine his workplace, binding him and covering his rima with duct tape, and putting him successful a car that they allegedly lit connected occurrence portion helium was inactive inside.

Poole and Dakes were scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful June earlier Poole entered his plea.

As Law&Crime antecedently reported, constabulary responded to a telephone astir a conveyance occurrence astatine the Tropic Bay Water Gardens store successful Davidsonville, Maryland, connected the nighttime of May 24, 2025. Koza's bound assemblage was recovered wrong the car aft the occurrence was extinguished. A melted gasoline instrumentality was recovered nearby, on with a discarded Bass Pro Shops hat. Police believed the beingness of the instrumentality and the chapeau pointed to an intentionally acceptable fire.

According to transgression complaints obtained by Washington, D.C., quality outlets, Poole and Dakes went to Koza's store astir 5:30 p.m. that time and allegedly attacked him earlier tying him up and forcing him into his ain car. Surveillance cameras astatine a state presumption spotted Koza's car with a antheral subject, aboriginal identified arsenic Poole, successful the driver's spot wearing a Bass Pro Shops chapeau and a flannel shirt. A pistillate subject, allegedly Dakes, was seen getting retired of the rider broadside of the car and giving a clerk 2 $5 bills that constabulary believed were utilized to acquisition the instrumentality of gasoline.

Police said Poole and Dakes returned to Tropic Bay Water Gardens, the concern owned by Koza, wherever they parked the car and acceptable it connected occurrence with Koza inactive live inside.

More from Law&Crime: Stolen Bass Pro Shops chapeau leads to apprehension of teen, woman who bound ex-boss successful his ain car and lit it connected occurrence days earlier their precocious schoolhouse graduation: Cops

Further probe revealed that Poole worked astatine Koza's store for a mates of weekends the twelvemonth before. Police believed the information down the onslaught was robbery.

Poole entered his blameworthy plea connected Wednesday and is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected June 26. Dakes pleaded not blameworthy to first-degree execution and is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected April 28. She remains successful custody astatine the Anne Arundel County Jail.

David Harris contributed to this report.