Overview
- Jonah Poole, 19, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on June 26, 2026, after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the 2025 killing.
- Investigators say 67-year-old Stephen Koza was attacked around closing, tied up, placed in his pickup and found burned on the Tropic Bay property on May 24, 2025.
- Police allege Poole and his then-girlfriend drove Koza in the truck before returning and setting the vehicle on fire, and evidence at the scene showed signs of a struggle inside the store.
- The judge ordered Poole to forfeit about $215,000 taken from the victim and a $15,000 truck to the victim’s estate, and referred him to the state’s Youthful Offender Program for possible placement.
- Poole worked for Koza in 2024 and his co-defendant, 19-year-old Kylee Dakes, remains charged and pleaded not guilty with a trial set for December, leaving the case unresolved for the victim’s family and the community.