A Florida plastic surgeon, who is representing himself in his murder trial, asked the lead prosecutor in the case to step into a trash bag in court on Wednesday. Tomasz Kosowski, 47, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of attorney Steven Cozzi, who went missing in March 2023.
Plastic Surgeon Murder Trial
On March 21, 2023, Cozzi went into the men’s restroom at Blanchard Law in Largo, Florida, where he worked, and never came out. At the time of his disappearance, Kosowski represented himself against a group Cozzi represented in a civil case. Kosowski was arrested four days on March 25 during a traffic stop for the alleged murder.
The defendant now represents himself in his criminal trial, which began on Monday, September 14, 2026. The prosecution’s first witness was Cozzi’s husband, Michael Montgomery.
He described the last time he saw Cozzi alive: the morning of March 21, 2023, before he left for work. “He brought me coffee on the nightstand like he always did, gave me a kiss and was getting ready to leave,” Montgomery said.
Not long after, around 10 a.m. that morning, the victim left his office and headed toward the men’s room, where he was never seen again. His wallet, car keys, and cell phone were all still in his office, and his vehicle was in the parking lot. No one claimed to see him leave the building.
Evidence Found From Search Warrant
Kosowski has waived his right to a jury trial and allowed Judge Joseph Bulone to seal his fate, keeping in mind that the death penalty is on the table. The defendant has sat quietly for the majority of the trial while prosecutors presented their evidence until Wednesday, when they introduced evidence that investigators found inside Kosowski’s vehicle at the time of his arrest.
Authorities obtained a search warrant that allowed them access to comb through Kosowski’s Tarpon Springs home. Among the items recovered and presented in court were a Guy Fawkes mask, a blood-soaked ballistic vest, stun guns, brass knuckles, duct tape, trash bags, and sedatives with syringes.
Prosecutors claim that Kosowski killed Cozzi in the law firm’s bathroom and wheeled his body out in a wagon and drove it away in a pickup truck. Although investigators have not found the victim’s body, they said that the crime scene was covered in a “significant” amount of blood.
Prosecutors say that the evidence found at the scene, including Kosowski’s fingerprint in the office building’s break room and surveillance footage of him removing “a container large enough to conceal a human body,” led them to believe the body was stuffed into trash bags and taken to a dumpster before ending up in the Collier County landfill.
Sizing Up a Trash Bag
Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide asked forensic analyst Ashley Luth in court on Wednesday about the trash bags that investigators found in Kosowski’s vehicle, to which the defendant objected. “Before we move on, you mentioned something about capacity. How tall are you, Mr. Vonderheide?” Kosowski interrupted.
“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” Vonderheide responded just before the judge interjected.
“All right, well, I don’t know if he really has to answer that question. Do you have a legal issue you’d like to bring up?” Bulone asked the defendant, who was representing himself.
Kosowski interpreted that the prosecution was trying to determine whether a body could confidently fit in the bag. “Well, I mean, capacity. They’re obviously hinting that you could probably hide a body in there, right? So, I mean, can you step into the trash bag for us?” Kosowski asked, but the judge ultimately denied the request.
The defendant chose not to cross-examine the forensic analyst, and the proceedings continued. So far in the trial, Kosowski has offered no insight into his defense. He also did not give an opening statement at the beginning of trial.
