CLEARWATER, Fla. (Court TV) — Things took an unusual turn in court on Wednesday when a surgeon, acting as his own attorney, asked the prosecutor in his case to step into a trash bag.
Tomasz Kosowski appears in court on Sept. 16, 2026. (Court TV)
Tomasz Kosowski, 47, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the death of missing attorney Steven Cozzi. At the time of the victim’s disappearance in 2023, Kosowski had been representing himself in a civil lawsuit against a group of people Cozzi represented. Kosowski also chose to represent himself in his criminal trial, waiving his right to a jury, and largely sat silently as prosecutors presented their evidence to Judge Joseph Bulone.
On Wednesday, prosecutors began presenting evidence investigators found inside Kosowski’s vehicle when they arrested him. Those items included a Guy Fawkes mask, stun guns, brass knuckles, duct tape and trash bags.
Items found inside a duffel bag in Tomasz Kosowski’s vehicle. (Court TV)
Prosecutors have said in court that they believe Kosowski murdered Cozzi in the communal bathroom at the attorney’s law office before bringing the victim’s body out in a wagon and driving away in a pickup truck. While Cozzi’s body has never been found, prosecutors said evidence led them to believe that the body was placed into trash bags and left in a dumpster before it was taken to the Collier County landfill.
When Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide asked forensic analyst Ashley Luth about the trash bags that were found in Kosowski’s vehicle, the defendant objected.
Kosowski: “Before we move on, you mentioned something about capacity. How tall are you, Mr. Vonderheide?”
Vonderheide: “I don’t know what you’re suggesting.”
Bulone: “All right, well, I don’t know if he really has to answer that question. Do you have a legal issue you’d like to bring up?”
Kosowski: “Well, I mean, capacity. 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?”
Bulone denied the request; Kosowski did not cross-examine the witness when she was passed to him.
Kosowski offered no opening statement when his trial began Monday; it is unclear what, if any, defense he plans to mount once the prosecution rests.
