Former Florida plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski has been found guilty of murdering attorney Steven Cozzi in one of the state’s most disturbing no-body murder cases — a killing prosecutors say was meticulously planned, carried out inside a law office bathroom, and followed by a grim trip toward the Everglades.
Cozzi, 41, vanished from the Blanchard Law office in Largo on March 21, 2023.
He left behind his phone, wallet and keys.
He was never seen again.
Now, more than three years later, Pinellas County Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone has convicted Kosowski, 47, of first-degree murder after a bench trial in which the former surgeon represented himself.
The verdict came Sept. 23 after about seven days of testimony.
Kosowski had waived his right to a jury and chose to put both the verdict and, potentially, his life in the hands of the judge.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The state’s case painted a chilling picture of what allegedly happened after Cozzi walked into the men’s restroom at work.
Prosecutors said Kosowski had spent months stalking Cozzi, photographing his home and monitoring the law firm where he worked.
The two men were connected through a bitter civil lawsuit.
Cozzi represented people tied to the Laufer Institute for Plastic Surgery, Kosowski’s former employer, in a dispute involving medical billing and an online review.
Prosecutors said the lawsuit became deeply personal for Kosowski.
At one point, he reportedly called Cozzi a “scumbag” during a deposition.
Cozzi’s husband later testified that he had become so worried about the escalating tension that he bought Cozzi pepper spray and urged him to consider security.
On the morning Cozzi disappeared, prosecutors said Kosowski entered the law office carrying equipment and later left pushing a heavy collapsible wagon toward a Toyota Tundra.
Investigators believe Cozzi’s body was inside it.
Cozzi had been scheduled to take part in a court hearing that morning.
He never joined.
Kosowski did.
Cellphone evidence placed him near the law office at the time.
Inside the building, investigators found blood in and around the bathroom where Cozzi was last seen.
Kosowski’s fingerprint was also recovered in a part of the office not normally open to the public.
The evidence became even more disturbing when investigators searched Kosowski’s home.
Prosecutors said Cozzi’s blood was found there as well.
They argued the amount of blood proved the missing attorney could not have survived.
From there, investigators reconstructed what they believe was a horrifying disposal operation.
Cellphone records showed Kosowski traveling south toward a remote dumpster off the Tamiami Trail near the Everglades.
Authorities believe Cozzi’s remains were dumped there before the contents were hauled to a landfill in Collier County.
Investigators searched the landfill for days.
They never found his body.
One of the eeriest pieces of evidence surfaced during trial testimony about Kosowski’s drive away from the area.
A cybercrimes detective testified that shortly after leaving the remote dumpster location, Kosowski played The Beatles song “Free as a Bird” through his car speakers.
Prosecutors presented the digital evidence as part of the timeline surrounding Cozzi’s disappearance.
Kosowski denied killing Cozzi.
Representing himself in court, he attacked the prosecution’s timeline and argued that it would have been physically impossible for him to move Cozzi, who weighed around 190 pounds, in the manner prosecutors described.
He also suggested some of the blood evidence had innocent explanations and claimed a bloody paper towel containing his DNA may have been planted.
Judge Bulone rejected those arguments.
After closing statements, he deliberated for roughly 15 minutes before finding Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder.
The case is now moving into its most consequential phase.
Bulone has already found that prosecutors proved two statutory aggravating factors beyond a reasonable doubt.
However, he ruled the state had not proven that the killing was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel because Cozzi’s body was never recovered and the precise manner of death could not be established.
That means the judge must now decide between life in prison without parole and the death penalty.
Kosowski has said he intends to continue representing himself during the penalty proceedings.
Cozzi’s family has waited more than three years for a conviction while living without the chance to recover his remains.
His mother told the court that the absence of her son’s body had created a void that could never truly be filled.
The sentencing decision is expected next month.
