Tomasz Kosowski trial: Prosecutors rest case after courtroom demonstration denied
Tomasz Kosowski murder trial continues
This afternoon, prosecutors wrapped up questioning their 56 witnesses and rested their case against Dr. Tomasz Kosowski. The former plastic surgeon is accused of killing Largo attorney Steven Cozzi in the law firm's bathroom in 2023. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
LARGO, Fla. - Dr. Tomasz Kosowski asked a lead detective and a prosecutor to perform physical courtroom demonstrations Tuesday to challenge state theories in his murder trial.
Courtroom wagon demonstration denied
What we know:
Kosowski waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Judge Joseph Bulone to decide his verdict in a bench trial. Kosowski also chose to represent himself against charges of first-degree murder in the 2023 death of Largo attorney Steven Cozzi.
During cross-examination Tuesday morning, Kosowski asked Detective Colin Bolton with the Largo Police Department to lift a cart onto a desk with a 195-pound volunteer inside. Kosowski argued that prosecutors needed to show it was physically possible to load that much weight into the back of a truck.
Bulone denied the request, stating the court would not hold that type of demonstration.
Medical examiner questioning rejected
What we don't know:
Later in the day, Kosowski asked if Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide could place District Six Medical Examiner Dr. Jon R. Thogmartin in the cart and physically lift him onto a table. Thogmartin testified that he and Vonderheide had previously tested the scenario to see if it was physically possible, but Bulone shut down the second request for a courtroom demonstration.
Kosowski also asked Thogmartin if he would get into a trash bag recovered from his car. Thogmartin declined, but stated he knew a human being could fit inside one.
Missing attorney timeline details
The backstory:
Cozzi disappeared from the Blanchard Law office on March 21, 2023, leaving his phone, keys and wallet at his desk. At the time, Kosowski was locked in a civil lawsuit with his former employer, where Cozzi represented some of the defendants.
Surveillance video from the law firm showed someone wheeling out a heavy wagon to a Toyota Tundra truck, which cameras later tracked to Kosowski's Tarpon Springs home. Detectives found Cozzi's blood in the law firm's bathroom, inside the truck, in the car Kosowski drove when arrested, and on his garage floor.
Cell phone records showed Kosowski's phone pinged at the law office during the disappearance and later near a dumpster off the Tamiami Trail. A garbage truck picked up the dumpster on March 23, 2023, and hauled the contents to the Collier County landfill.
Investigators have not located Cozzi's body despite searching the dumpster and the landfill for three days.
Medical testimony and trial status
What they're saying:
"I believe Steven Cozzi entered the bathroom at some point. He was followed in. There was some kind of significant bloodletting event that occurred," Bolton testified while walking through his theory of the case.
When Kosowski asked Bolton how he got the cart into the truck, Bolton noted that tree roots in the parking lot brought the ground level closer to the tailgate. Thogmartin testified that despite the missing body, he believes this is "a homicidal type case without any hesitation."
After the state rested its case Tuesday afternoon, Kosowski moved for a judgment of acquittal at the judge's suggestion, which Bulone denied to preserve the issue for appellate review. Kosowski declined to present witnesses or testify.
Closing arguments scheduled
What's next:
Closing arguments begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and Bulone will issue the verdict.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from information provided by investigators in the case, previous FOX 13 News reporting, legal proceedings involving Tomasz Kosowski and Pinellas County court records.