Plastic surgeon self-represents in murder trial over missing Florida lawyer

The trial of Dr. Tomasz Kosowski began with the surgeon appearing alone in an orange jumpsuit after firing his defense team just weeks before the first hearing. Charged with first-degree murder in the March 2023 disappearance of lawyer Steve Cozzi, Kosowski has entered a not-guilty plea and waived a jury trial. Prosecutors claim the killing occurred in a communal bathroom at Cozzi’s Largo office, citing blood spatter, a bleach odor, and mixed DNA evidence.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows Kosowski arriving in his truck, entering the building, and later dragging a wagon out of the premises. Police later stopped his vehicle, discovering a duffel bag containing a syringe, a paralytic drug, and other implements. Although the body has never been recovered, investigators say the remains were likely discarded in a dumpster later emptied at a Collier County landfill. The prosecution is pursuing the death penalty, which Kosowski has indicated he will not oppose.