A Pinellas County jury convicted former plastic surgeon Dr. Tomasz Kosowski this week of murdering attorney Steven Cozzi inside a law office bathroom in March 2023. The case drew attention well beyond the Suncoast because of what investigators never found: Cozzi’s body. Prosecutors believe Kosowski disposed of it in a dumpster west of Miami along the Tamiami Trail, but the physical evidence told the story. Blood was found throughout the bathroom, in Kosowski’s truck, and at his home. Cadaver dogs, DNA analysis, and surveillance video from a garbage truck all played a role in building the state’s case without a corpse.
What made the trial even more unusual was Kosowski’s decision to represent himself. He called no witnesses and argued simply that he couldn’t have moved Cozzi’s 190-pound body alone. The jury deliberated and returned a guilty verdict. At the time of his arrest, Kosowski had $280,000 in cash, weapons, a vial of the paralyzing drug succinylcholine, and roughly 200 guns were found in his home. Prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty at sentencing, which means this case will continue to unfold in the weeks ahead.
For our Gulf Coast communities, this story raises hard questions about workplace safety in legal settings, the risks of self-representation in capital cases, and how forensic science can piece together a case when the most obvious piece of evidence is missing. It’s a tragedy that started with a routine conference call about a medical billing dispute and ended in a conviction that could carry the ultimate penalty.
What do you think about defendants representing themselves in cases this serious? Let us know in the comments.
