Former Florida plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the disappearance and killing of attorney Steven Cozzi, bringing a dramatic courtroom trial to its next stage — a sentencing proceeding that could determine whether Kosowski receives life without parole or the death penalty.

Pinellas County Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone found Kosowski guilty on September 23 after a bench trial that lasted roughly a week.

Kosowski had waived his right to a jury and chose to represent himself. After closing arguments, Judge Bulone took approximately 15 minutes before returning to the courtroom with the guilty verdict.

The conviction came despite one of the most unusual aspects of the case: Cozzi’s body has never been recovered.

STEVEN COZZI DISAPPEARED FROM HIS LAW OFFICE
Steven Cozzi, 41, was working at the Blanchard Law firm in Largo, Florida, when he disappeared on March 21, 2023.

Cozzi had been involved in a contentious civil dispute connected to Kosowski and was representing people whom Kosowski had sued.

On the day Cozzi disappeared, the two men were scheduled to participate in a conference call concerning the legal dispute.

According to prosecutors, Kosowski secretly entered the law office before the meeting and waited in a men’s restroom.

Cozzi left his desk to use the restroom and never returned.

His cellphone, wallet and keys were left behind at his desk.

Colleagues later became concerned when he failed to return. When they checked the restroom, investigators eventually discovered blood evidence.

Prosecutors argued that the evidence showed Cozzi had been attacked inside the office before his body was removed from the building.

PROSECUTORS BUILT THE CASE WITHOUT A BODY
The prosecution’s case relied heavily on forensic evidence, surveillance footage, cellphone data and DNA evidence.

Investigators said blood connected to Cozzi was found in multiple locations.

Surveillance footage showed a man moving a utility wagon from the law office toward a vehicle.

Prosecutors argued that the footage showed Kosowski transporting Cozzi’s body from the building.

Additional evidence placed Kosowski’s vehicles and cellphone in locations investigators associated with the movement and disposal of the body.

According to prosecutors, Cozzi was eventually taken to an area in Collier County, where his remains were placed in a dumpster.

That dumpster was later transported to a landfill.

Investigators searched the landfill for several days but were unable to recover Cozzi’s remains.

THE DEFENSE ARGUED THE CASE HAD TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Kosowski represented himself throughout the trial.

His defense strategy focused heavily on what he described as weaknesses in the prosecution’s reconstruction of events.

He argued that prosecutors had not established exactly how Cozzi died.

Kosowski also challenged the physical feasibility of the state’s theory, arguing that it would have been extremely difficult for him to move Cozzi’s approximately 190-pound body alone.

He questioned DNA evidence, cellphone-location information and the timeline presented by prosecutors.

During his closing argument, Kosowski maintained that the state’s account did not make physical or chronological sense.

But Judge Bulone ultimately rejected that argument and found him guilty.

THE JUDGE FOUND TWO DEATH-PENALTY AGGRAVATORS
The case immediately moved into the penalty phase following the murder conviction.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

They argued that three aggravating circumstances applied:

the killing was committed for financial gain;
it was carried out in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner without legal or moral justification;
and it was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.
Judge Bulone found that prosecutors proved the first two factors beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, he did not find sufficient evidence to establish the third factor.

The lack of a recovered body was significant to that determination because the precise circumstances of Cozzi’s death could not be established to the required standard.

The ruling nevertheless leaves Kosowski eligible for the death penalty because Florida law requires only one qualifying aggravating circumstance for death-penalty eligibility.

COZZI’S FAMILY SPEAKS AFTER THE CONVICTION
The courtroom also heard emotional statements from Cozzi’s relatives and friends.

His husband, Michael Montgomery, described the inability to recover Cozzi’s remains as one of the most painful aspects of the case.

Cozzi’s parents also spoke about losing their son without being able to bring him home or hold a traditional funeral.

His mother described the grief as indescribable.

The absence of a body has remained a painful reality for the family since Cozzi disappeared more than three years ago.

KOSOWSKI CONTINUES TO REPRESENT HIMSELF
Even after being convicted, Kosowski told the judge that he wanted to continue representing himself during the sentencing proceedings.

He waived his right to have a jury determine the penalty.

Because the state is seeking the death penalty, however, the court appointed special counsel to help protect his legal interests during the penalty phase.

Kosowski has indicated that he intends to present arguments against a death sentence.

At one point following the verdict, he also apologized to Cozzi’s family for referring to Cozzi as a “body” during his courtroom arguments, but he did not apologize for the killing itself.

THE NEXT MAJOR HEARING IS OCTOBER 8
The next important date is October 8, 2026.

That hearing will serve as a Spencer hearing, a proceeding in Florida death-penalty cases that allows the defense to present additional evidence and arguments concerning the appropriate sentence.

The prosecution is expected to argue why Kosowski should receive the death penalty.

The defense can present mitigating evidence and arguments supporting a life sentence instead.

Judge Bulone will ultimately determine the sentence.

THE CASE HAS ALREADY REACHED A CRITICAL POINT
The September 23 conviction answered one major legal question: Judge Bulone found Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder.

But another major question remains unanswered.

Will he receive life in prison without parole, or will he be sentenced to death?

That decision has not yet been made.

The judge’s finding that two aggravating circumstances were proven means the death penalty remains legally available, but it does not mean a death sentence is automatic.

The October 8 hearing will give both sides another opportunity to address the appropriate punishment.

WHY THE MISSING BODY REMAINS IMPORTANT
Cozzi’s remains have never been found despite an extensive search.

That fact was central to both the defense and the sentencing phase.

For the prosecution, the physical and digital evidence presented at trial was sufficient for the judge to conclude that Cozzi was murdered.

For the defense, the absence of a body was used to challenge the state’s ability to establish precisely how Cozzi died.

Judge Bulone’s sentencing ruling could again be influenced by the limitations created by the missing remains, particularly when evaluating the circumstances surrounding the killing.

WHAT HAPPENED TO COZZI’S REMAINS?
According to the prosecution’s theory, Kosowski transported Cozzi from the law office to his home and later drove south toward a remote area of Collier County.

Investigators tracked parts of that journey through surveillance footage, license-plate readers and cellphone-location information.

Prosecutors said Cozzi’s body was eventually placed in a dumpster that was later transported to a landfill.

Search teams examined the landfill but were unable to recover the remains.

Consequently, there has still been no funeral or burial for Cozzi based on recovered remains.

LATEST UPDATE — SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
The original Tampa Bay Times article you supplied reported the September 23 guilty verdict. Since then, the case has moved into the sentencing stage.

As of September 30, 2026:

Tomasz Kosowski, 47, has been convicted of first-degree murder in Steven Cozzi’s death.

Judge Joseph Bulone found that prosecutors proved two aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt — that the killing was committed for financial gain and that it was cold, calculated and premeditated.

The judge did not find sufficient evidence to establish that the killing was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, citing the limitations created by the fact that Cozzi’s body was never recovered.

Kosowski remains eligible for the death penalty.

His next major court appearance is scheduled for October 8, 2026, when the court will hear further arguments and mitigation evidence before sentencing.

The two possible sentences are death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

For Cozzi’s family, however, one painful question remains regardless of the eventual sentence: where are Steven Cozzi’s remains?

That question has never been answered publicly, even after Kosowski’s murder conviction.

SOURCES
Tampa Bay Times — Original September 23 report