Plastic Surgeon Representing Himself in Death Penalty Trial Asks Prosecutor to 'Step into the Trash Bag'

Tomasz Kosowski, a 47-year-old Ivy League-educated plastic surgeon, is representing himself in a Florida death penalty trial for the murder of attorney Steven Cozzi, 41. The unusual decision has led to a series of bizarre exchanges in court, including Kosowski asking the prosecuting attorney to demonstrate the capacity of a trash bag.

Kosowski is accused of murdering Cozzi in March 2023 and disposing of his body, which has never been recovered. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. After several attorneys withdrew from his case, Kosowski opted to represent himself pro-se and waived his right to a jury trial, leaving his fate to Judge Joseph Bulone.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Kosowski objected when Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide questioned a forensic analyst about trash bags found in Kosowski's vehicle. Kosowski asked Vonderheide his height, then inquired, "Can you step into the trash bag for us?" The judge denied the request, and Kosowski did not cross-examine the witness when given the opportunity. He began questioning witnesses on Thursday, after dozens of prosecution witnesses had already testified.

Prosecutors allege that Kosowski harbored resentment towards Cozzi, who had represented defendants in a lawsuit Kosowski filed against his former employer. The state claims Kosowski meticulously planned and executed the murder on the morning of March 21, 2023. Surveillance footage reportedly shows an individual entering Cozzi's law office shortly after 8:30 a.m. carrying a large box. Later that morning, around 10:22 a.m., the same footage allegedly shows Kosowski wheeling a heavy wagon out of the building and loading it into a Toyota Tundra.

Investigators found Cozzi's blood inside the men's bathroom of the law office, as well as on paper towels and in the drain. A mixture of Kosowski's DNA and Cozzi's blood was reportedly found on the exterior of the bathroom door.

Kosowski was arrested on March 25, 2023. At the time of his arrest, prosecutors claim his car contained a "murder bag" with items including masks, a Taser, brass knuckles, scissors, a crowbar, a syringe, and a vial of succinylcholine, a paralyzing medication. Surveillance footage of his arrest showed Kosowski attempting to clean his fingernails and suck on his fingers while in the back of a police vehicle, shortly after an officer informed him of a warrant to be issued for a DNA swab. Detective Jerry Hunt testified that Kosowski "immediately started meticulously kind of scraping his fingernails on his teeth to clean them and to suck on his fingers and cuticles before the body warrant is able to be served."

The trial is expected to continue into the following week.