Teen couple accused of trapping Maryland man inside his own car, lighting it on fire
The Brief
A teen couple has been charged with murder after 67-year-old Edward Koza was found bound and killed in a burning truck outside his Davidsonville garden store.
A Bass Pro Shops hat left at the scene and surveillance footage from a gas station and store helped police identify 18-year-olds Jonah Poole and Kylee Dakes.
Investigators believe the suspects attacked Koza, drove around in his truck to buy gas, then returned to set the vehicle on fire.
ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. - After police found a person dead in a burning car in front of a small business, investigators say a Bass Pro Shops baseball cap left at the scene led them to two suspects – a teen couple.
What we know
On Saturday, May 24, Anne Arundel County authorities responded to the Tropic Bay Water Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland, in response to a pickup truck on fire in the parking lot.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the remains of a person in the back seat of the vehicle. Officials believe the victim to be 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, owner of the Tropic Bay Water Gardens – and the car he was killed in. Investigators found that Koza's hands and arms were bound with tape and his mouth taped over.
Koza also suffered blunt force trauma to his head, according to the autopsy. His death has been ruled a homicide.
Officials say there was a smell of gasoline from the burning car and the victim, and the melted spout for a plastic fuel container was found in the backseat.
They also found a Bass Pro Shop baseball hat on the ground near Koza's car – which investigators say appeared to be new.
Inside the shop, which sells supplies for gardens and garden ponds, investigators found signs of a struggle, with things knocked over and broken.
Jonah Michael Poole and Kylee Alyssa Dakes — both 18 years old — are charged with first-degree murder, assault, and arson. Detectives say they are boyfriend and girlfriend.
Timeline
Investigators say that Koza would operate in the store from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., but would remain at the store after closing.
They believe that on the evening of May 24, Koza was alone in the store by himself from 5:00 p.m. until he was attacked in the store.
Police say this surveillance video from a Davidsonville gas station not far from the murder scene helped them track down the alleged killers.
Surveillance video from a BP Gas Station on West Central Avenue in Davidson captured Koza's vehicle around 9 p.m. The car was seen pulling into the lot, and a woman exited from the passenger seat and walked into the store. The driver appeared to be a man wearing a flannel shirt and a "Bass Pro" baseball hat, per officials.
Detectives were able to identify the man and woman in the video as Kylee Alyssa Dakes and her boyfriend, Jonah Michael Poole.
Investigators believe that Dakes and Poole attacked Koza around 5:30 p.m. before putting him into the backseat of his truck and drove around, likely to the BP Station to purchase gasoline which may have been used to start the fire.
The couple then returned to the Tropic Bay parking lot, set the vehicle on fire with Koza in the rear passenger seat and then fled the scene in their red Lincoln.
The red Lincoln was captured on surveillance video earlier in the day on May 24 near Arundel Mills Mall. Video from the mall surveillance captured the red Lincoln pulling up and parking in the Bass Pro parking lot. Poole and Dakes exited the car and walked into the Bass Pro Shop until around 2:30 p.m. Video from inside the store shows Poole selecting several flannel shirts and a Bass Pro Shop baseball cap and purchase the clothing.
Jonah Poole, 18, and Kylee Dakes, 18, are seniors at Southern High School in Anne Arundel County.
They have been charged with First and Second Degree Murder, First and Second Degree Assault, Conspiracy to Commit First and Second Degree Murder, and Arson.
Poole is also charged in the burglary of the popular Pirates Cove restaurant in Anne Arundel County — a week before the break-in and murder at Tropic Bay Water Gardens.
What we don't know
The cause of death and motive in Koza's death remain under investigation.
"We just don't know the motive right now, so we're still looking into that. We're trying to ascertain exactly what led up to this — why they were there in the area, there at this business. We know there was evidence of a struggle inside of the business and ultimately surveillance footage shows suspects in the area. Based on the totality of the circumstances of our investigation, we feel very strongly that they are responsible for the murder of the victim, Mr. Koza, in this case," said Justin Mulcahy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
The Source
Information in this story comes from court documents from Anne Arundel County..
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