DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. — Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with murder after a man’s body was discovered in a burning vehicle last month outside a commercial business in Anne Arundel County.
Police say 18-year-old Jonah Michael Poole, of Davidsonville, and 18-year-old Kylee Alyssa Dakes, of Harwood, were taken into custody on May 31 in connection with the homicide of 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza, of Annapolis. Koza’s body was found inside a vehicle fully engulfed in flames on May 24 in the parking lot of a business located at 600 West Central Avenue.
Emergency crews responding to the scene around 9:25 p.m. extinguished the fire and discovered human remains in the passenger compartment. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later identified the remains as Koza and ruled his death a homicide. The cause of death is still pending.
Anne Arundel County Police detectives said they worked “tirelessly” over the following week to identify suspects. Investigative leads led to Poole and Dakes, who were arrested without incident in the unit block of Bethel Lane in Harwood.
Both suspects are charged with first- and second-degree murder, assault, conspiracy to commit murder, and arson.
Victim identified as 67-year-old Annapolis man
Authorities confirmed on June 2 that the victim was Edward Stephen Koza, a 67-year-old resident of Annapolis. No motive has been disclosed, and police say the investigation is still active.
The fire and explosives investigations unit responded initially to determine the origin of the vehicle fire, while homicide detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division took over the suspicious death case.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-4731 or leave anonymous tips through Metro Crime Stoppers.
