Dr. Tomasz Roman Kosowski

May 12, 1981

• Steven Cozzi was born. The July 7, 2023 Detective Colin Bolton affidavit identifies his date of birth as May 12, 1981. Source

Law School

• Cozzi attended Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. Tampa attorney Hoyt Prindle later recalled meeting Cozzi when Cozzi served as his campus tour guide, describing him as friendly, helpful and straightforward. Source

2016

• Cozzi earned his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. He later worked as an attorney with Blanchard Law, P.A. in Largo, Florida. Source

Legal Career

• Cozzi practiced law at Blanchard Law and became active in the local legal community, including serving as a board member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association. Fellow attorneys later remembered him as kind, genuine and hardworking. Source
• Cozzi’s husband, Michael Montgomery, said Cozzi genuinely loved practicing law and particularly loved fighting for the little guy. Montgomery described him as brilliant, funny, kind and caring. Source
• As part of his work at Blanchard Law, Cozzi represented defendants in the civil lawsuit filed by plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski against his former medical practice and others. The litigation became increasingly contentious. Source

January 26, 2023

• Cozzi and Kosowski participated in a deposition at Blanchard Law. According to investigators, Kosowski confronted Cozzi, called him a “scumbag” and told him that he would “win in the end.” Source

March 21, 2023

• 8:37:26 a.m. Surveillance video showed Cozzi arriving for work at Blanchard Law, 1501-B S. Belcher Road, Unit 6, Largo. Investigators described him as wearing a long-sleeved red sweater. Source
• 9:50 a.m. Cozzi got up from his desk and walked toward the men’s bathroom before a scheduled 10:30 a.m. telephonic court hearing involving Kosowski’s civil lawsuit. This was the last time Cozzi was known to be present at the office. Source
• 10:30 a.m. Cozzi failed to participate in the scheduled court hearing. His keys, wallet, cellphone, work laptop and tablet were left unsecured at his desk, and his vehicle remained in the parking lot. Source
• Cozzi’s husband later told investigators that Cozzi regularly checked in with him throughout the day. Cozzi had put chicken out to thaw for dinner that evening, and the couple tracked one another’s physical activity through their iPhones. Investigators reported that Cozzi’s activity rings went blank at about 10:00 a.m. Source
• 11:46 a.m. Largo police were dispatched to Blanchard Law for a welfare check after Cozzi failed to return to his desk. Investigators subsequently documented blood and evidence of cleaning inside the men’s bathroom. Source
• 2:33 p.m. After officers searched the area and checked local hospitals without locating Cozzi, he was entered as a missing person in the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Source

March 29, 2023

• Cozzi’s husband, family, friends and members of the legal community gathered in downtown St. Petersburg for a vigil in his honor. Montgomery spoke about Cozzi’s personality and his dedication to helping others through his work as an attorney. Source

July 6, 2023

• Investigators reported that Cozzi’s remains had still not been recovered and there had been no traceable signs of life since his disappearance. Cozzi had made no active financial purchases and had not contacted his husband or parents despite regularly communicating with them before March 21. Detective Colin Bolton concluded that, based on the lack of activity and contact combined with the forensic evidence, Cozzi was dead as a result of Kosowski’s alleged criminal actions. Source

August 1, 2023

• Cozzi’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Kosowski and MH Belcher Property LLC, owner of the building where investigators allege Cozzi was killed. Source

1986

• When Tomasz Kosowski was about 7 years old, his parents immigrated with him to the United States. He spent his early childhood in the greater Kansas City area before the family later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Source⁠

1990s

• Kosowski spent the latter part of his childhood in Albuquerque and graduated from high school there. According to a later defense filing, he excelled academically. Source

College Years

• Kosowski attended the University of New Mexico, earning bachelor’s degrees in music and biochemistry and a master’s degree in a biomedical science field. His music studies focused on classical guitar, and he performed a senior recital with another guitar student. 

2007

• Kosowski graduated from Dartmouth with both a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). He attended Dartmouth’s medical school and the Tuck School of Business. Source
• Kosowski completed additional training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York before beginning his plastic-surgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. 

2008 – 2014

• Kosowski completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s alumni records list Kosowski among its 2014 plastic surgery residency graduates. Source

2014 – 2015

• After residency, Kosowski pursued additional plastic-surgery training, including fellowships at the Miami Breast Center and Mark Codner Plastic Surgery in Atlanta. His training also included the earlier fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. 

September 6, 2016

• Kosowski began working at the Laufer Institute of Plastic Surgery in Dunedin, Florida. Source

January 26, 2017

• The Laufer Institute publicly announced Kosowski as a new member of its plastic surgery practice, highlighting his Dartmouth training and experience in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Source

2018

• Kosowski left the Laufer Institute and established his own practice. Source⁠
• That year, Kosowski purchased a roughly 6,600-square-foot waterfront home in Tarpon Springs for close to $1 million. The property included a pool and a dock extending toward the Gulf. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Kosowski lived there alone with his dachshunds, Rigby and Gibson. Source

May 2, 2019

• Kosowski filed a civil lawsuit against the Laufer Institute and several people associated with the practice. His allegations included insurance-billing negligence, breach of contract, negligent supervision, negligent hiring, and fraudulent misrepresentation. Kosowski claimed billing problems damaged his reputation and caused significant financial losses. Source
• Attorney Steven Cozzi, who worked for Blanchard Law, became involved in representing defendants in the litigation. Prosecutors later alleged that the litigation became highly contentious and increasingly personal between Kosowski and Cozzi. Source

December 26, 2022

• Tomasz Kosowski acquired a gray Toyota Tundra for about $26,000 in cash. Investigators later said Kosowski did not register the vehicle or record the title, although the seller reported the sale to the State of Florida. Source
• Investigators later said the Tundra had a license-plate flipping device that allowed different plates to be displayed. Investigators reportedly found a collection of license plates at Kosowski’s residence. Source

December 28, 2022

• In the civil case, Kosowski filed a motion seeking to have Steven Cozzi removed from the case. Source

January 17, 2023

• Kosowski filed a motion for sanctions in the civil litigation and again sought to disqualify Cozzi as counsel for the defendants. Source

January 26, 2023

• Kosowski and Cozzi participated in a deposition at Blanchard Law.
• According to investigators, the deposition became verbally contentious. Afterward, Kosowski allegedly confronted Cozzi twice, including in the men’s restroom outside the office and again before leaving the building. Source

February 16, 2023

• Investigators said a review of Kosowski’s iCloud data showed that he photographed a vehicle belonging to Steven Cozzi’s husband at Cozzi’s home. Detectives cited the evidence as part of their investigation into alleged premeditation. Source

February 23, 2023

• Investigators said Kosowski recorded video of the parking lot at 1501-B S. Belcher Road, where Blanchard Law was located. The recording captured Cozzi’s vehicle. Source

March 2, 2023

• Investigators said Kosowski conducted internet searches for personal information related to Steven Cozzi. Source

March 14, 2023

• 9:34:03 a.m. Surveillance video showed a gray truck leaving the parking lot at 1501 S. Belcher Road and traveling north on S. Belcher Road. Investigators later reviewed the footage while determining whether a suspicious incident at the building that day was connected to Cozzi’s disappearance. Source
• 12:54 p.m. Tampa Bay Veterinary Clinic, located in the same building complex as Blanchard Law, reported a suspicious incident from earlier that day. An employee had entered a utility closet in Building B and discovered an unknown man hiding behind the door in the dark. The man was described as wearing jeans, a loose T-shirt, and a surgical mask. He said he was there because of a power outage and then left the room. Source
• The employee saw the man leave in what was believed to be a Toyota Tundra displaying a yellow New Jersey license plate. Investigators later identified Kosowski’s latent index fingerprint on the interior portion of the utility closet door. Source

March 17, 2023

• Investigators said Kosowski’s iPhone connected to the Wi-Fi network at Blanchard Law. Cellphone-location data also placed the device near 1501-B S. Belcher Road that day. Source

March 20, 2023

• Investigators said Kosowski conducted internet searches concerning the effects of succinylcholine and the amount required for a dose. Investigators later reported finding succinylcholine and syringes among items seized from Kosowski’s vehicle. Source

March 21, 2023

• 7:50 a.m. Cellphone-location records placed Kosowski’s phone near his Tarpon Springs residence until 7:50 a.m., when the device began traveling south toward Largo and Blanchard Law. Source
• 7:51 a.m. Motion-activated surveillance near Kosowski’s home showed the gray Toyota Tundra traveling south on Seaview Drive. Source
• 8:08:12 a.m. Investigators said Kosowski’s iPhone was powered off while he was traveling south toward Blanchard Law. Source
• 8:32:52 a.m. Surveillance video showed what appeared to be a gray Toyota Tundra entering the parking lot at 1501-B S. Belcher Road from Belcher Road. Source
• 8:34:24 a.m. Surveillance showed a man wearing jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt, a backpack, and what appeared to be dark gloves walking toward Blanchard Law. He was carrying a large box on his shoulder before entering the building hallway. Source
• 8:37:26 a.m. Steven Cozzi arrived at Blanchard Law wearing a long-sleeved red sweater. Source
• 9:50 a.m. Cozzi got up from his desk and walked to the bathroom before a scheduled teleconference hearing involving Kosowski. Source
• 10:22:18 a.m. Surveillance showed a man wearing jeans and a blue short-sleeved shirt leaving the law firm while pulling a small wheeled wagon. A large object that appeared to be a box or container was inside the wagon. Source
• Investigators said Kosowski’s phone remained powered off during this period. Source
• 10:27 a.m. Kosowski’s phone was powered back on minutes before the scheduled court hearing. Investigators also found email searches for information needed to log into the teleconference. Source
• 10:27:43 a.m. T-Mobile records showed Kosowski’s phone connecting to the telephonic court hearing. Investigators said the phone used a cellular tower located less than 500 feet from Blanchard Law and remained connected to that tower throughout the call. Source
• The call lasted 35 minutes and 45 seconds. Attorney Jake Pillsbury reportedly confirmed Kosowski’s participation after recognizing his voice. Source
• Investigators said Kosowski’s phone was powered off when the call ended. Surveillance then showed the man with the wagon begin moving again. Source
• 10:30 a.m. Cozzi missed a scheduled telephonic court hearing that was supposed to involve Kosowski. Source
• 11:05:15 a.m. Surveillance showed the man repositioning the wagon in the parking lot. Source
• 11:15:37 a.m. The man was seen wearing a different shirt, described as gray, and jeans. He walked toward the northwest corner of the building, looked toward the law firm’s main entrance, and then returned toward the parking lot. Source
• 11:16:04 a.m. The gray crew-cab truck pulled from the parking area and traveled north onto S. Belcher Road. Surveillance showed a large object covered with what appeared to be heavy-duty red cloth in the truck bed. Source
• 11:24:42 a.m. Video from a PSTA bus showed the suspect truck traveling north on S. Belcher Road near Gulf to Bay Boulevard. The bus camera captured a large bag or container in the truck bed. Source
• 11:46 a.m. Largo police were dispatched to 1501-B S. Belcher Road, Unit 6, for a welfare check after Jake Blanchard reported that Cozzi had gone to the bathroom and had not returned to his desk. Cozzi’s keys, wallet, cellphone, work laptop, and tablet remained at his desk. Source
• While searching for Cozzi, police entered the public bathroom and observed blood smeared on the bathroom door, stall wall, and bottom of the toilet. Source
• Investigators found Kosowski’s left index fingerprint in the building’s breaker room, an area they said the public does not normally access. Source
• 11:51:32 a.m. A Flock camera captured the Toyota Tundra with a wagon in the truck bed covered by red cloth. The Tundra was displaying New Jersey plate JGM84C, which investigators determined was not valid or registered to any vehicle. Source
• 11:58 a.m. Residential surveillance near Kosowski’s home showed the Tundra traveling toward 511 Seaview Drive with the wagon and red-orange covering still visible in the truck bed. Source
• 12:02 p.m. Cellphone records placed Kosowski’s phone back near his Tarpon Springs residence. Source
• 12:03:43 p.m. The first communication investigators identified from Kosowski’s phone after the teleconference was a text message sent at 12:03:43 p.m. Source
• 2:33 p.m. After officers checked the surrounding area and local hospitals without locating Cozzi, they entered him as a missing person in the Florida Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center. Source 
• Investigators observed what appeared to be blood smeared on the exterior of the men’s restroom door, drops of blood on the stall wall, and blood smeared on the exterior of the toilet bowl. A dark liquid on the floor appeared to have been smeared in a circular motion, and investigators reported a strong smell of cleaning products. Source
• Forensic processing found evidence that a large quantity of blood had been cleaned from the bathroom floor. Investigators found white fibers in the bathroom and in Cozzi’s vehicle. Source
• Investigators later reported that DNA recovered from the bathroom included evidence associated with Cozzi and Kosowski. Investigators also reportedly recovered Kosowski’s fingerprint from the building’s electrical or breaker-room area. Source
• 4:48 p.m. Residential surveillance showed a red sedan leaving the area of Kosowski’s residence.
• 4:51 p.m. The vehicle returned at 4:51 p.m. and left again at 4:58 p.m. Investigators identified Kosowski’s vehicle as a red 2020 Toyota Corolla bearing Florida plate EMFK38. Source
• 5:47 p.m. Cellphone data placed Kosowski’s device near Blanchard Law after investigators said he diverted from his southbound route to pass the law firm before continuing toward Miami. Source
• 6:27 p.m. Cellphone location data placed Kosowski’s device near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as it continued south. Source 
• 9:06 p.m. Cellphone data placed Kosowski’s device traveling south on Florida State Road 29 toward U.S. 41. Source
• 9:15 p.m. Cellphone data placed Kosowski’s device near the intersection of Florida State Road 29 and U.S. 41. The device then traveled east on U.S. 41. Source
• 9:33 p.m. Kosowski’s cellphone was placed in the area of U.S. 41 and Loop Road, near Monroe Station. Investigators later focused on this remote area while searching for evidence related to Cozzi’s disappearance. Source
•  9:36:51 p.m. A license-plate reader captured Kosowski’s red Toyota Corolla, Florida plate EMFK38, near 52195 Tamiami Trail East in Ochopee, Florida. Source
• 10:23 p.m. Cellphone data placed Kosowski’s device traveling south on Krome Avenue from U.S. 41. Source
• 10:40 p.m. Cellphone records showed Kosowski’s device arriving at his Miami residence at 12380 SW 95th Terrace. Source

March 23, 2023

• Investigators executing a search warrant at Kosowski’s Tarpon Springs residence found the gray 2016 Toyota Tundra inside the garage. A presumptive blood test was positive on the tailgate and bed of the truck. The wagon and red covering were no longer in the Tundra or residence, and Kosowski’s red Corolla was not present. Source
• The arrest affidavit states that blood was also found on the driver’s-side headrest, driver’s-side floorboard, and garage floor. Source
• Subsequent DNA testing identified Cozzi’s DNA in blood on the Tundra and a mixed DNA profile on the garage floor that investigators said strongly supported both Cozzi and Kosowski as contributors. Source
• During execution of the search warrant, Detective Colin Bolton observed multiple license plates near the rear northwest corner of the garage. The plates were mixed with decorative faux tags and included plates from New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont, Michigan, and Florida, along with a trailer tag and two motorcycle tags. Source
• Investigators reported that both Kosowski’s Toyota Tundra and Toyota Corolla had license-plate flipping devices. A button wired inside each vehicle’s cabin allegedly allowed the displayed license plate to change while the vehicle was in motion. Source
• Inside the garage, investigators found a soft-sided, open-top storage container holding disposable gloves, Toyota Corolla manuals, gun parts, tactical body-armor plates, Velcro patches embroidered with “EMS” and “SHERIFF,” and a flashing-light assembly for a vehicle. Source
• Investigators reported finding numerous firearms throughout the garage, including inside a closet under the stairs, in a folding wagon, on and inside a trailer parked in the garage, and inside four storage cases. Investigators also found numerous ammunition boxes and a large Bowie knife inside a sheath. Source
• Detective Bolton stated that investigators found more than 100 rifles inside Kosowski’s home, along with a room full of guitars. Bolton wrote that the firearms and guitars were worth tens of thousands of dollars. Source
• Investigators said no human remains were found at the residence. Investigators also did not locate the clothing worn by the suspect or the wagon with the red or orange covering seen on surveillance. Source
• Based on the evidence recovered at the residence, investigators believed crucial evidence related to Cozzi’s disappearance and suspected death might be inside Kosowski’s red Toyota Corolla. Investigators sent BOLO alerts to law-enforcement agencies in Pinellas County and Miami, instructing officers to seize the Corolla and notify Largo police if they located it. Source
• Investigators later learned that the dumpster at Monroe Station had been emptied earlier that day, before Kosowski returned to the intersection that evening. Source
• Video from inside the garbage truck showed a long, heavy object wrapped in trash bags falling from the dumpster into the truck. Detective Bobby Lance Moore wrote that the object fell in a manner inconsistent with regular trash. Source
• The garbage-truck driver told investigators the dumpster normally contained typical camp-related trash, but on March 23 it was very heavy and had an extremely foul odor. Source
• 7:07 p.m. Cellphone-location data showed Kosowski’s device leaving the area of his Miami residence. Source
• 8:04 p.m. Cellphone data placed Kosowski’s device traveling west on U.S. 41. A license-plate reader also captured his Corolla in the area of 52195 U.S. 41. Source
• 8:09 p.m. Cellphone data again placed Kosowski’s device near U.S. 41 and Loop Road. The device then reversed direction and traveled east toward Miami. Source

March 25, 2023

• Before returning to Tarpon Springs, investigators said Kosowski repeatedly searched online for “largo police warrant,” “largo police warrants,” and “largo police department.” Source
• 11:22 a.m. A license-plate reader captured Kosowski’s Toyota Corolla near U.S. Highway 27 and SW 1st Avenue in South Bay, Florida, as he traveled north. Source
• 12:44 p.m. Another license-plate reader captured the Corolla near 5682 Duncan Road in Punta Gorda, Florida. Source
• 3:19 p.m. Tarpon Springs police stopped Kosowski’s red Toyota Corolla at 34 West Orange Street. Kosowski was the driver and sole occupant. Investigators seized the vehicle and later searched and processed it for evidence. Investigators also seized Kosowski’s iPhone during the search of the vehicle and his person. Source
• Investigators reported finding more than $280,000 in cash inside the Corolla. Source
• The Corolla contained multiple masks, including ski masks, a black plastic face mask, and a Guy Fawkes mask, along with duct tape, plastic brass knuckles, a stun gun, a Tracfone, multiple firearms, industrial trash bags, and a crowbar. Source
• Investigators found a ballistic vest marked “EMS”, along with patches associated with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Clearwater Police Department. The earlier arrest affidavit also reported a substantial amount of blood on the ballistic vest and red and white fibers recovered from it. Source | Source
• Investigators also found a bag containing masks, duct tape, syringes, and intravenous sedatives, including succinylcholine. Detective Bolton’s later affidavit specifically identified a vial of succinylcholine as a paralytic agent and included a photograph of the vial as Exhibit E. Source | Source
• Investigators also found Kosowski’s Polish passport and United States passport inside the Corolla. Source
• Prosecutors later said blood on the ballistic vest and blood recovered from the Corolla matched Steven Cozzi’s DNA. Source

March 26, 2023

• 12:53 a.m. Kosowski was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder. The arrest affidavit states that he was ordered held with no bond. Source
• 4:15 a.m. Kosowski was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with Cozzi’s disappearance and presumed death. Source
• Detective Colin Bolton stated that investigators believed Cozzi was deceased based on the large quantity of blood found at the crime scene, Kosowski’s residence and vehicle, the removal of a container large enough to conceal a human body, and the fact that Cozzi was never seen leaving the business on surveillance. Investigators alleged that Kosowski intentionally caused Cozzi’s death with premeditation. Source

March 27, 2023

• A Complaint/Arrest Affidavit was filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court under case number 23-02935-CF-1, charging Tomasz Roman Kosowski with Murder in the First Degree. Source
• Kosowski appeared in court, pleaded not guilty, and the court found probable cause. He was ordered held without bond. Source

March 28, 2023

• A judge entered a temporary Risk Protection Order related to Kosowski’s firearms. Investigators reported locating an extensive gun collection at his residence. Source

March 30, 2023

• 10:00 p.m. Detective Moore and Sergeant Vegenski traveled to the Loop Road and U.S. 41 area to examine the location at approximately the same time of night Kosowski had traveled through it. Moore described the area as dark, remote, and without lighting or surveillance cameras. Source
• Investigators found a large green dumpster near a small restroom building at Monroe Station. Moore described the dumpster as being in a dark location partially concealed by brush, parked utility trucks, and a mound of dirt. Source
• Moore opened the dumpster and observed two or three trash bags that did not appear related to the investigation. Investigators then searched approximately half a mile along Loop Road without finding anything suspicious. Source

March 31, 2023

• 7:00 a.m. A multi-agency briefing was held at Monroe Station before investigators began an organized search of the Loop Road area for evidence related to Steven Cozzi. Source
• Investigators requested a cadaver dog to examine the Monroe Station dumpster. The cadaver dog later alerted on the dumpster. Source
• Investigators learned that waste from the dumpster had been transported to the Collier County Landfill at 3730 White Lake Boulevard. Detectives obtained the dumpster pickup schedule and video from cameras mounted on the garbage truck. Source

April 27, 2023

• A Pinellas County grand jury formally indicted Tomasz Roman Kosowski for first-degree murder. The indictment alleged that on March 21, 2023, Kosowski acted with a premeditated design to cause Steven Cozzi’s death. Source

April 28, 2023

• The State of Florida filed notice that prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty if Kosowski is convicted of first-degree murder. Source

July 7, 2023

• Largo Police Detective Bobby Lance Moore filed an Affidavit in Support of Arthur Hearing in State of Florida v. Tomasz Kosowski, Case No. 23-02935-CF. The 18-page affidavit detailed the crime-scene investigation, surveillance evidence, cellphone and iCloud evidence, alleged premeditation, Kosowski’s travel to South Florida, the Loop Road investigation, and evidence gathered before his arrest. Source
• Prosecutors filed an extensive account of the evidence supporting continued pretrial detention, including DNA evidence, vehicle evidence, cellphone tracking, the alleged Everglades disposal route, and evidence recovered from Kosowski’s vehicles and residence. Source

July 10, 2023

• Detective Colin Bolton filed an Affidavit in Support of the Second Phase of the Arthur Hearing in State of Florida v. Tomasz Kosowski, Case No. 23-02935-CF. The affidavit detailed evidence seized from Kosowski’s Corolla and Tarpon Springs residence, including cash, weapons, masks, law-enforcement-style equipment, passports, succinylcholine, multiple license plates, and tag-flipping devices installed in both vehicles. Source

July 11, 2023

• A lengthy bond hearing was held. Witnesses included lawyers associated with the civil case.
• Kosowski remained held without bond. Court records also show he waived his right to a speedy trial. Source

September 19, 2023

• Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal denied Kosowski’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his detention. Source

2024

• The criminal case remained in pretrial litigation, with depositions, discovery disputes, motions, and evidentiary proceedings continuing.
• In December 2024, the court granted the State’s request to compel Kosowski to provide fingerprints and palm prints. Source

April 17, 2025

• The court conducted hearings on defense motions seeking to suppress evidence. The court later filed transcripts of the proceedings in the court record. Source

May 1, 2025

• The court granted a defense attorney’s motion to withdraw as counsel, beginning another period of uncertainty over who would represent Kosowski. Source

May 9, 2025

• Judge Joseph Bulone conducted a Faretta hearing, which determines whether a defendant may knowingly and voluntarily waive the right to counsel.
• The court allowed Kosowski to represent himself for that day’s hearing. Source

May 14, 2025

• Kosowski formally waived his right to an attorney and successfully sought a continuance of the scheduled jury trial. The May 19 trial date was removed from the calendar. Source

May 28, 2025

• The Public Defender’s Office was provisionally appointed and entered another written not-guilty plea on Kosowski’s behalf. Source

July 14, 2025

• The court granted another attorney’s motion to withdraw and ordered appointment of a registry attorney. Source

July 18, 2025

• Attorneys Daniel Hernandez and Jane McNeill were appearing on Kosowski’s behalf. The case remained in pretrial proceedings while new counsel reviewed the substantial discovery record.

January 29, 2026

• Defense motions were filed seeking to preclude imposition of the death penalty, along with proposed jury instructions and other death-penalty litigation. Source

June 12, 2026

• The court granted another defense request to continue the case. Death-penalty motions and pretrial issues remained pending. Source

August 6, 2026

• The court held another Faretta proceeding and determined that Kosowski was competent to represent himself.
• The court also ordered a comprehensive presentence investigation in anticipation of a possible penalty phase in the capital case. Source

August 7, 2026

• Kosowski publicly confirmed that he intended to fire his lawyers and represent himself at trial.
• The trial remained scheduled to begin September 14, 2026. Source

August 21, 2026

• Another Faretta hearing was held. Judge Bulone again found Kosowski competent to waive counsel.
• The court allowed Kosowski to conduct a limited re-deposition of a witness and continued preparing the case for trial. Source

August 31, 2026

• Kosowski reaffirmed that he wanted to represent himself.
• He also waived his right to a jury trial, asking Judge Joseph Bulone to determine guilt or innocence.
• Kosowski separately waived a jury for any potential penalty phase.
• Hernandez and McNeill remained available as standby counsel, while John Nohlgren was identified in the docket as special counsel.
• Kosowski also withdrew motions to suppress evidence that had been filed by his previous attorneys. Source

September 2, 2026

• The court entered written waivers of jury trial for both the guilt and penalty phases. Source

September 9-10, 2026

• Additional pretrial motions, including a motion in limine/protective order, were filed.
• Multiple depositions were entered into the docket on September 10 as the parties completed final trial preparations. Source

September 14, 2026, Trial Day 1

• Kosowski’s first-degree murder trial began in Pinellas County. Source
• Because Kosowski waived a jury, Judge Joseph Bulone is serving as the fact-finder.
• Kosowski is representing himself, with standby counsel available. He continues to plead not guilty.
• Assistant State Attorney Alexandra Spadaro delivered the prosecution’s opening statement and alleged that Kosowski spent time planning Cozzi’s killing because of the increasingly bitter civil litigation.
• Prosecutors told the court that Cozzi was killed in the law-office bathroom, transported from the building in a wagon, loaded into Kosowski’s Toyota Tundra, and ultimately disposed of through the dumpster near U.S. 41 and Loop Road.
• The State also emphasized the alleged DNA evidence, surveillance footage, cellphone evidence, the Tundra and Corolla, and what prosecutors characterized as a “murder bag” containing items such as restraints, weapons, and medications.
• Prosecutors continue to seek the death penalty if Kosowski is convicted. Cozzi’s remains have never been recovered. Source

September 15, 2026, Trial Day 2

• Custodian Deborah Hendricks identified Kosowski as the masked man she encountered inside the building’s electrical closet on March 14, 2023. She testified that she saw him looking through windows and later watched him leave in a gray Toyota Tundra bearing a New Jersey plate.
• A box containing blue material and wagon components was found inside the electrical closet following the March 14 encounter.
• The Tundra’s former owner testified that Kosowski purchased the truck in December 2022 and attached a New Jersey plate that was not authorized for that vehicle.
• Officer Jennifer Burr testified that she found Cozzi’s office in an active state during the March 21 welfare check. She described blood, smearing, blue wall stains, and a strong chemical odor inside the restroom.
• Detective Jerry Hunt identified license-plate-reader imagery showing the Tundra transporting a cart or wagon covered by a red blanket.
• Hunt also narrated patrol-car video showing Kosowski moving his handcuffed hands to the front of his body and placing his fingers in his mouth after learning that officers were seeking authorization to examine his body.
• Amazon records showed purchases associated with Kosowski’s account, including folding Gorilla Carts and five rolls of heavy-duty silver duct tape.
• Investigators testified that the bag recovered from Kosowski’s Corolla contained masks, a stun gun, brass knuckles, a crowbar, duct tape, GPS trackers, needles, a vial of succinylcholine, law-enforcement patches, and other items.

September 16, 2026, Trial Day 3

• Investigators described processing the law-office restroom, Kosowski’s residence, his Toyota Tundra, and his Toyota Corolla.
• Nearly 400 paper towels were removed from the restroom trash. Investigators identified three bloody napkins among them.
• Luminol or chemiluminescent testing produced reactions in the Tundra, the Corolla’s trunk, and Kosowski’s garage.
• Investigators documented suspected blood in seven areas of the Tundra, including the bed, interior tailgate, center console, and driver’s floor mat.
• A black Gorilla Cart wagon was photographed in Kosowski’s garage.
• Two ballistic vests were recovered from the Corolla. One produced a positive presumptive test for blood.
• More than $282,000 in cash was recovered from the Corolla, much of it arranged in $10,000 bands.
• A vial labeled succinylcholine chloride and a syringe were taken into evidence.
• Investigators also documented red fibers and white hairs embedded in the Corolla’s trunk carpeting.
• Kosowski asked a prosecutor to step inside a trash bag while questioning whether it was large enough to hold a person.

September 17, 2026, Trial Day 4

Human-remains search

• Miami-Dade K9 handler William Simons testified that his dog, Connor, was trained to locate human remains.
• During a March 30 and March 31, 2023 search along State Road 41, Connor alerted to a green dumpster.
• Investigators subsequently searched the Collier County landfill that received material from the dumpster. Cozzi’s remains were not found.

Cellular-location evidence

• FBI Special Agent Kevin Corrigan mapped Kosowski’s device activity across five locations connected to the investigation.
• On March 21, 2023, the device was turned off for approximately two hours and sixteen minutes before appearing in the area of the Blanchard Law Firm. It was subsequently turned off for another 59 minutes.
• Corrigan testified that the device’s location records were consistent with license-plate-reader evidence showing Kosowski’s vehicle near the dumpster on Tamiami Trail.
• The records were consistent with the device remaining near that dumpster for roughly one minute.

Fingerprint evidence

• Latent-print examiner Nicole Hatley compared Kosowski’s known prints with prints collected during the investigation.
• One recovered print was positively identified as Kosowski’s left index fingerprint.

DNA and blood evidence

• Forensic DNA expert Chad Summerfield testified that blood from the Tundra’s tailgate matched the DNA standard obtained from Cozzi’s toothbrush.
• A sample from the middle of Kosowski’s garage floor contained a DNA mixture providing strong support for the inclusion of both Cozzi and Kosowski.
• Samples from the Corolla’s interior trunk lid and back trunk wall strongly supported a mixture containing DNA from Kosowski and Cozzi.
• Samples from the restroom floor drain, exterior door, and discarded paper towels matched or strongly supported DNA from Cozzi, Kosowski, or both, depending on the particular sample.
• The black ballistic vest found in the Corolla’s trunk tested positive for blood. The DNA profile matched Cozzi.

Bloodstain and cleanup testimony

• Forensic expert Anna Cox presented photographs, chemiluminescence results, and bloodstain classifications.
• Cox described evidence consistent with blood having been diluted or cleaned from the restroom. This included blood remaining in grout lines while the tile surfaces appeared clean, discolored paint, saturated tissue material, and extensive chemiluminescent reactions.
• She also connected blood-transfer stains in the Tundra’s bed and tailgate, and on the ballistic vest inside the Corolla, with Cozzi’s blood.
• Kosowski questioned the DNA analyst and objected to the prosecution’s bloodstain PowerPoint because he said he had not previously viewed it and could not access PowerPoint at the jail. The judge overruled the objection after prosecutors supplied him with a printed copy.
• Kosowski also requested a transcript of an earlier witness’s testimony, telling the court that something in it had struck him as important. Court TV Day 4 summary⁠ Court TV procedural report⁠

Commentary and Evidentiary Significance

These are interpretations of the testimony, not independently established facts:

• The cellular evidence is significant because it potentially connects Kosowski’s device, vehicle, and the dumpster within the same narrow period. The device shutdowns may support the prosecution’s planning or concealment theory, but turning off a phone does not, by itself, establish why it was turned off.
• The K9 alert supports the prosecution’s decision to focus on that dumpster and the associated landfill. It does not independently establish that Cozzi’s remains were inside the dumpster, particularly because no remains were recovered.
• Cozzi’s DNA on the Tundra’s tailgate, inside the Corolla’s trunk, and on the ballistic vest may be among the strongest new links presented on Day 4. The state still must establish how and when the biological material was deposited.
• The mixed DNA from the garage and Corolla is stronger when considered alongside the blood evidence and transfer patterns. A mixed profile alone does not determine the activity that deposited it.
• The cleanup testimony may help explain why investigators found blood in grout lines and drains despite visibly cleaner tile surfaces and a strong chemical odor. The conclusion that someone intentionally cleaned the scene remains an expert interpretation for the judge to weigh.
• Evidence from March 14, including the electrical-closet encounter and wagon components, may support the prosecution’s allegation of advance planning rather than a spontaneous confrontation.
• The exact location of Kosowski’s fingerprint matters. A print on a commonly accessible exterior door would generally carry less weight than one recovered from a location closely connected to the alleged attack or cleanup. The available Day 4 summary does not clearly specify where the positively identified print was found.
• Kosowski became more active in questioning witnesses on Day 4. His complaints about access to PowerPoint and requests for prior testimony may preserve procedural issues, but they do not automatically establish that his self-representation is inadequate or that the evidence should be excluded.
• Because this is a bench trial, Judge Bulone will determine both credibility and guilt. There is no jury whose reaction to Kosowski’s presentation or courtroom behavior must be considered.

September 18, 2026

• On Day 5 of Tomasz Kosowski’s bench trial, Judge Joseph Bulone denied Kosowski’s request to strike DNA analyst Chad Summerfield’s testimony. Kosowski argued that Summerfield relied on computer-generated results instead of providing an independent interpretation. The judge ruled that Kosowski could challenge the findings through witnesses or closing arguments but would not remove the testimony from evidence. Source⁠
• Waste Management driver George Villanti testified that on March 23, 2023, between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., he emptied the dumpster at Monroe Station near Tamiami Trail and Loop Road. Villanti described an overpowering odor that was unlike ordinary garbage or a dead animal and remained with him throughout the day. He said the dumpster contained large black construction-style bags instead of the white kitchen bags normally found there. After reviewing truck video, he testified that the black bags appeared heavy based on how they fell into the truck. Villanti also recalled seeing an unoccupied fire-engine-red Toyota Corolla blocking access to the dumpster one or two weeks earlier. Kosowski declined to cross-examine him. Source⁠
• Collier County Sheriff’s Office Senior Crime Scene Investigator Alicia Craig testified that she processed the Monroe Station dumpster after a cadaver dog alerted to it. Investigators removed and examined its contents and conducted presumptive blood testing. Craig said the remaining bags did not appear unusually heavy and that testing of a stain inside the dumpster did not indicate blood. She later participated in a three-day search of a 50-by-50-foot section of the Collier County landfill that extended 17 feet below the surface. Suspected bones and other material were taken to the medical examiner, but no human remains were identified. Kosowski did not cross-examine Craig. Source⁠
• Waste Management district manager Richard Kules explained that incoming garbage was spread in 12-inch layers and repeatedly crushed by a compactor weighing 90,000 pounds. Kules helped identify the section believed to contain material collected from Monroe Station and operated an excavator during the recovery search. Searchers separated and examined excavated material, giving additional attention to black bags and clothing, but Cozzi’s remains were not recovered. Source⁠
• Former Pinellas County forensic serologist Desiree Becher testified about blood testing performed on evidence from Kosowski’s garage, Toyota Corolla, and the law-office restroom. Blood was indicated on a swab from the middle of Kosowski’s garage, the men’s restroom floor drain, a restroom floor sample, one of the stained napkins recovered from the restroom trash, and another photographed stain. Blood was not indicated on several other submitted samples, including the Corolla’s driver-side floorboard, although those items could still be forwarded for DNA analysis. Kosowski declined to cross-examine Becher. Source⁠
• Largo Police cybercrimes detective Bobby Lance Moore testified that Kosowski’s digital records showed research involving Cozzi, Cozzi’s husband Michael Montgomery, their residence, a former residence, property records, wedding information, Gorilla Carts, and motorized license-plate-flipping devices. Moore testified that a photograph of Montgomery’s vehicle was taken with Kosowski’s iPhone on February 16, 2023, and that Kosowski’s device connected to the Blanchard Law guest Wi-Fi on March 7, 2023. Source⁠
• Moore testified that on March 21, 2023, Kosowski’s iPhone was powered off at 8:08 a.m., powered on at 10:24 a.m., used for the civil-court telephone hearing at 10:27 a.m., and powered off again at 11:03 a.m. The device was powered on near Kosowski’s Tarpon Springs residence at 12:02 p.m. and automatically connected to the home Wi-Fi at 12:03 p.m. The first identified communication was a text stating, “Hey Louis, how are you?” Source⁠
• Moore combined phone records, Wi-Fi data, surveillance footage, toll records, and license-plate-reader records to track Kosowski’s Toyota Corolla south toward Miami on the evening of March 21, 2023. The phone data placed the device near Tamiami Trail and Loop Road at 9:34 p.m., and a license-plate reader recorded the Corolla traveling eastbound on Tamiami Trail at 9:36 p.m. Moore testified that the records were consistent with a short stop in the dumpster area. During cross-examination, Kosowski challenged whether the available time allowed him to stop there. Moore acknowledged that the duration was an estimate but maintained that the device data placed Kosowski in the area. Source⁠
• Moore testified that on March 23, 2023, Kosowski drove west from his Miami-area rental residence toward Loop Road, turned around, and returned to the rental home instead of continuing toward Tarpon Springs. At 9:04 p.m., while traveling in the Loop Road area, Kosowski texted Dr. Teresa Bobo asking whether she was still awake. At 9:11 p.m., he answered a call from Bobo that lasted 20 minutes and 53 seconds. Source⁠
• Moore testified that on March 25, 2023, Kosowski’s device was used to search for the Largo Police Department at 12:17 p.m., followed at 12:18 p.m. by searches for “Largo Police warrent” and “Largo Police warrants.” Kosowski was stopped and arrested while driving the Corolla at 3:19 p.m. Source⁠
• Anesthesiologist Dr. Hector Vila Jr. testified that succinylcholine paralyzes voluntary muscles, including the muscles needed for breathing, but does not sedate the recipient. A person can remain conscious and aware while unable to move or breathe without assistance. Vila identified the unopened vial recovered from Kosowski’s bag as a standard 10-milliliter vial of succinylcholine chloride and identified an 18-gauge needle and three-milliliter syringe recovered with it. Source⁠
• Vila testified that administering the full vial to a person measuring 5 feet 10 inches and weighing between 190 and 195 pounds would likely be lethal without breathing assistance. He said a three-milliliter dose could cause significant muscle weakness, inability to resist, and breathing difficulty for five to ten minutes. Vila also reviewed web searches attributed to Kosowski’s devices and said they focused on succinylcholine’s onset, duration, and whether it could be administered intramuscularly. Source⁠

September 22, 2026

• Morning: Ashley Luth was recalled and identified a swab collected from possible blood on the north wall of the men’s restroom at Blanchard Law. Source⁠
• Morning: Steven Cozzi’s mother, Lois Cozzi, testified that she normally spoke with her son every few days and had not heard from him since March 21, 2023. His father, George Cozzi, testified that their last communication was on March 20, 2023. Source⁠
• Morning: Lead detective Colin Bolton described blood droplets, areas where paint appeared to have been chemically stripped, shredded paper towels and a cleaning-product odor inside the law office. He also reviewed surveillance evidence tracking Kosowski’s Toyota Tundra and a dark wagon, the searches of properties in Tarpon Springs and Miami, and the landfill search for Cozzi’s remains. Source⁠
• Morning: During cross-examination, Kosowski asked Bolton whether the evidence indicated that he had acted alone. Bolton answered that, based on the evidence, it appeared that he had. Source⁠
• Morning: Kosowski requested a courtroom demonstration in which Bolton would lift a Gorilla Cart containing a volunteer weighing between 190 and 195 pounds onto a desk about 30 inches high. Kosowski said this would test whether a person could lift the cart onto the Tundra’s roughly 28-inch rear platform. The prosecution objected, and the judge sustained the objection after concluding that Kosowski had already demonstrated his argument. Source⁠
• Afternoon: Forensic accountant Tiffany Gorman testified that the last point-of-sale purchases attributable to Cozzi were at Publix and Dunkin on March 20, 2023, with transactions posting on March 21. She found no later point-of-sale card activity or unexplained financial activity indicating that Cozzi continued personally using his accounts. Later charges were recurring or automated. Source⁠
• Afternoon: On cross-examination, Kosowski challenged whether Gorman had received every older or closed account. Gorman acknowledged that she analyzed the records supplied to her and that some older closed cards were not included. Source⁠
• Afternoon: Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin testified that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, Cozzi was dead and that the manner of death was homicide. Because no remains were recovered, his opinion relied on the video, blood evidence and surrounding circumstances rather than an autopsy. Source⁠
• Afternoon: Thogmartin testified that the object shown being moved in surveillance footage appeared to be a dead body. He explained that a body could remain flexible one and one-half hours after death because rigor mortis generally would not yet have developed in the larger muscles. He also testified that a pliable body could be placed into a compact container or vehicle trunk. Source⁠
• Afternoon: Thogmartin examined photographs of Kosowski’s injuries and testified that injuries older than three days could be consistent with lifting or handling a heavily loaded Gorilla Cart, while cautioning that the injuries were not specific to one activity. Source⁠
• Afternoon: The prosecution rested its case. Kosowski moved for a judgment of acquittal, arguing that the state had failed to prove its case. The judge denied the motion and explained that the ruling preserved the issue for appellate review. Source⁠
• Afternoon: Kosowski confirmed that he would continue representing himself, would call no defense witnesses and would not testify. The defense rested, and closing arguments were scheduled for 9:00 a.m. the following day. Source⁠

September 23, 2026

• Morning: Prosecutor Nathan Vonderheide argued that Kosowski’s searches concerning succinylcholine, his travel route, surveillance footage, DNA and blood evidence, cleanup activity, use of the Tundra and wagon, evidence found at his home and his possession of cash established a calculated and premeditated murder. Source⁠
• Morning: The state emphasized a surveillance timeline in which Kosowski’s Tundra arrived at 8:32 a.m., Kosowski entered the building at 8:34 a.m., Cozzi was last seen leaving his office at 9:50 a.m., and a man departed with the wagon at 10:22 a.m. Prosecutors argued that Cozzi’s body was concealed in the wagon and later transferred at Kosowski’s home. Source⁠
• Morning: The prosecution cited Cozzi’s blood in Kosowski’s garage, a DNA mixture recovered from the Corolla’s trunk and blood associated with Kosowski’s ballistic vest as corroborating evidence. Source⁠
• Morning: In his closing argument, Kosowski maintained that the state had not established how Cozzi died and could not prove murder or death from blood loss without recovering and examining Cozzi’s body. Source⁠
• Morning: Kosowski argued that lifting a cart containing a roughly 200-pound body onto the Tundra was physically implausible and that the prosecution’s proposed sequence could not have occurred within the available time. Source⁠
• Morning: Kosowski challenged the cellphone-location evidence near the dumpster, questioned evidence-collection procedures, suggested possible planting or tampering and cited later financial transactions as grounds for reasonable doubt. He apologized to Cozzi’s family for referring to Cozzi as a body during his argument. Source⁠
• Morning: In rebuttal, the prosecution said cellphone timing data represented estimates but that both experts identified a stop near the dumpster. Prosecutors argued that automated account charges did not show Cozzi was alive, especially because his wallet and cards remained at the law office. Source⁠
• After closing arguments: The judge recessed for 15 minutes before announcing the verdict. Source⁠
• Verdict: Sitting as the finder of fact in the bench trial, the court found Tomasz Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder as charged in the killing of Steven Cozzi. Source⁠