Prosecutors have completed their case against Dr Tomasz Kosowski, who is accused of murdering Largo lawyer Steven Cozzi, after the former plastic surgeon was refused permission to stage physical demonstrations in court.
Kosowski, 47, is conducting his own defence and has waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Judge Joseph Bulone to decide the verdict in the first-degree murder case. The state is seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors rest case in Tomasz Kosowski murder trial
During cross-examination on Tuesday, Kosowski asked Largo police detective Colin Bolton to lift a cart containing a volunteer weighing about 195lb on to a desk. He said the exercise would test the prosecution theory that Cozzi’s body had been moved in the cart and loaded into the back of a Toyota Tundra.
Judge Bulone rejected the request, saying the courtroom would not be used for that type of demonstration. Kosowski argued that the exercise was necessary to establish whether the alleged movements were physically possible.
He later asked medical examiner Dr Jon Thogmartin whether Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide could climb into a cart and be lifted on to a table. That request was also refused.
Thogmartin said he and Vonderheide had previously tested whether the scenario could be carried out. Kosowski also asked the medical examiner to get inside a large rubbish bag recovered from his vehicle, but Thogmartin declined, while saying he believed a person could fit inside one.
The prosecution alleges that Cozzi was attacked in a bathroom at the Blanchard Law offices in Largo on 21 March 2023. His phone, keys and wallet were left behind, and surveillance footage showed a man wheeling a heavy cart from the building to a truck.
Cozzi’s blood was later found in the bathroom, the truck, a car driven by Kosowski after his arrest and on the floor of his garage, according to evidence presented at trial. Investigators also traced Kosowski’s phone to the law office and later to an area near a dumpster on the Tamiami Trail.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that a witness had testified Kosowski hid in an electrical cupboard at the law firm about a week before Cozzi disappeared, leaving a cart and a cardboard box there. Prosecutors say the evidence points to a planned killing, although Cozzi’s body has never been found.
Detective Bolton told the court he believed Cozzi entered the bathroom before being followed inside, where “some kind of significant bloodletting event” took place. Thogmartin said he considered the case to be a homicide despite the absence of remains.
After the state called its 56th and final witness, Kosowski sought a judgment of acquittal. Judge Bulone denied the motion, preserving the issue for any later appeal.
Kosowski has chosen not to call witnesses or give evidence himself. Closing arguments are due to begin at 9am on Wednesday, when the judge will hear the final submissions before delivering his verdict.
