Surgeon Tomasz Kosowski defending himself at murder trial asks prosecutor: ‘Can you step into the trash bag for us?’

A Florida plastic surgeon is representing himself at trial while facing the death penalty for allegedly murdering an attorney inside an office restroom, prosecutors said.

Tomasz Kosowski, 47, is an Ivy League-educated plastic surgeon who graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and worked in Florida.

The Polish-born defendant is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old attorney Steven Cozzi, court records show.

He denies the first-degree murder charge. The defendant chose to represent himself pro-se after several attorneys and public defenders withdrew from the case, according to trial proceedings.

The accused doctor also waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for Judge Joseph Bulone to decide his fate, records show.

Prosecutors allege the surgeon methodically planned the killing due to resentment over prior litigation, according to the state.

Cozzi had represented defendants in a medical billing lawsuit the doctor filed against his former employer, court records show.

The killing allegedly occurred on the morning of March 21, 2023, at the Blanchard law office in Clearwater, Florida, according to prosecutors.

Surveillance footage shows an individual walking into the law firm carrying a large box shortly after 8:30 a.m., prosecutors said.

The state alleges the defendant executed the attorney inside the men’s toilet at the firm, according to court documents.

The attorney seemingly vanished into thin air. He left behind his phone, keys, and car at the office, according to investigators.

The victim’s body has never been found despite several major searches, police said.

Investigators discovered Cozzi’s blood on the men’s bathroom floor of the law office, police said.

Blood was also found on paper towels and inside the drain, according to investigators.

A mix of the defendant’s DNA and Cozzi’s blood was also allegedly found on the outside of the bathroom door, prosecutors said.

Surveillance cameras captured an individual wheeling a heavy wagon out of the building at approximately 10:22 a.m., according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said the person in the video appears to be Kosowski struggling to pull the wagon onto a gray Toyota Tundra truck.

The two men were scheduled to participate in a telephone court hearing at 10:30 a.m. that same morning, court records show.

Kosowski called in for the scheduled hearing. Cozzi did not call in, according to records.

Prosecutors allege the defendant transported the body away from the scene and disposed of it in a dumpster near the Alligator Alley highway, court documents state.

Police arrested the surgeon four days later on March 25, 2023, according to investigators.

When officers searched the vehicle, they allegedly located what prosecutors described as a murder bag, according to court filings.

The bag contained a Guy Fawkes mask, ski masks, a Taser, and brass knuckles, prosecutors said.

Investigators also recovered scissors, a crowbar, a syringe, and a vial containing succinylcholine, according to court records.

Succinylcholine is a paralyzing medication, prosecutors said.

Cruiser video recorded after the arrest was presented during the bench trial on Tuesday, according to court proceedings.

An officer in the video informed the suspect that a body warrant would be produced to swab him for DNA, according to court testimony.

The recording showed the defendant sucking on his fingers while handcuffed in the back of the police vehicle, according to testimony.

Largo Police Department detective Jerry Hunt testified about the defendant’s actions in the cruiser.

Hunt told the court 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 defendant engaged in multiple unusual courtroom exchanges during proceedings Wednesday at the Pinellas County Justice Center, trial records show.

Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide was questioning a forensic analyst about trash bags found inside the defendant’s vehicle, according to court transcripts.

The defendant interrupted the testimony to raise an objection regarding the bags, transcripts show.

“Before we move on, you mentioned something about capacity. How tall are you, Mr. Vonderheide?” Kosowkski asked.

The prosecutor replied, “I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” according to the trial transcript.

Judge Bulone then intervened and asked the defendant, “Do you have a legal issue you’d like to bring up?”

“Well, I mean, capacity,” the defendant replied. “They’re obviously hinting that you could probably hide a body in there, right? So, I mean, can you step into the trash bag for us?”

Judge Bulone denied the request for the prosecutor to climb into the trash bag, court records show.

The defendant did not cross-examine the analyst when given the opportunity. He waited until Thursday to begin asking his first questions after dozens of prosecution witnesses had taken the stand, according to court proceedings.

During another point in the trial, the judge asked the defendant if he had an objection, to which the doctor replied that he did, according to court records.

Judge Bulone overruled it and asked for a specific legal reason. Kosowski replied that he had only a general objection, court records show.

The prosecution alleges that the doctor’s blood and DNA link him directly to the scene outside the restroom door, according to the state.

The bench trial is expected to continue before Judge Bulone through early next week, according to court proceedings.