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Murder trial for plastic surgeon begins
The trial for a plastic surgeon who's accused of murdering a Pinellas County attorney starts on Monday. FOX 13's Kellie Cowan reports.
LARGO, Fla. - The trial for a plastic surgeon who's accused of murdering a Pinellas County attorney starts on Monday.
Tomasz Koswski waived his right to a jury trial, so he will have a bench trial where the judge decides the outcome.
Tomasz Kosowski Pinellas murder trial
What we know:
Former plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski is charged with first-degree murder in the 2023 death of Pinellas County attorney Steven Cozzi.
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Kosowski is expected to represent himself in court after going through several defense attorneys over the last three and a half years. According to court records, he parted ways with his most recent attorney a few months ago.
If convicted, Kosowski could face the death penalty.
Kosowski also waived his right to a jury trial for the guilt and penalty phases, meaning the judge will decide the verdict and determine his sentence if he is convicted, instead of a jury.
Defense strategy and evidence
What we don't know:
It's not clear what specific evidence Kosowski plans to present while acting as his own attorney during the trial.
Steven Cozzi law firm disappearance
The backstory:
In March 2023, Cozzi disappeared from his law firm in Largo.
According to court records, at the time, Koswoski was suing his former employer and Cozzi was representing some of the defendants.
Investigators say Kosowski was volatile and that he hatched a plot to murder Cozzi.
A week before the disappearance, an employee of a different business allegedly found a man hiding in a utility closet in the shared office building.
After Cozzi disappeared, police say security footage showed a man wearing gloves and carrying a large box and backpack into the building. He was later seen leaving the building, pulling a cart and appearing to struggle while loading it onto the bed of a truck.
Courtesy: St. Pete Bar Association
Detectives believe Koswoski then drove to the Everglades and disposed of Cozzi's body in a dumpster.
Police also found large amounts of blood in the bathroom of the office building. Investigators discovered the same truck that was seen at the office building, in Kosowski's garage.
Verdict and sentencing timeline
What's next:
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Since Kosowski waived the jury trial for the guilt and penalty phases, the judge will decide a verdict and Kosowski's sentence if he's convicted.
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.