Judge finds Tomasz Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder

A Florida judge found Tomasz Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder in the disappearance and presumed killing of attorney Steven Cozzi, leaving the former plastic surgeon facing either life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Cozzi’s body has not been recovered, and the sentence remains to be decided. Judge Joseph Bulone delivered the verdict Wednesday after a nonjury trial in Pinellas County. Kosowski, 47, waived his right to a jury and represented himself. Prosecutors presented their case over six days of testimony; Kosowski did not call witnesses or testify, and challenged the state’s account in closing arguments. Cozzi, 41, disappeared from his law office on March 21, 2023. Investigators found blood in a bathroom at the office, and prosecutors argued that Kosowski killed him there and removed his body in a cart. They cited surveillance footage, DNA findings, cellphone data and evidence of Kosowski’s research and preparations. Prosecutors also said the two men had been connected through a dispute over medical billing. The prosecution’s account of how Cozzi was killed and what happened to his body remains its theory; his remains have not been found.