CLEARWATER, Fla. (Court TV) — Video played in court on Tuesday showed a plastic surgeon sucking on his fingers after his arrest in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
Dr. Tomasz Kosowski sits in court on Sept. 15, 2026. (Court TV)
Tomasz Kosowski, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of attorney Steven Cozzi, 41. Cozzi, who was representing a group of people being sued by Kosowski, disappeared in 2023; his body has never been found.
Kosowski, who graduated from Dartmouth Medical School, was a plastic surgeon before his arrest. He is acting as his own attorney during his trial, refusing any assistance from lawyers—even as prosecutors seek the death penalty.
Prosecutors said that Kosowski methodically planned Cozzi’s murder before leaving the victim’s body in a dumpster and driving south toward Miami. Kosowski was arrested after he changed course and began driving back north toward his home in Pinellas County; when he was arrested, prosecutors said he had a “murder bag” in his car, which contained ski masks, a Taser, brass knuckles and a crowbar among other items.
On Tuesday, prosecutors played video in court showing Kosowski’s unusual behavior after his arrest. Largo police Detective Jerry Hunt testified that after he told the defendant that a warrant was forthcoming that would allow officers to swab Kosowski for DNA, Kosowski began contorting his body while handcuffed in the back of the police car.
Tomasz Kosowski is seen sucking on his fingers in the backseat of a police car, as shown in court. (Court TV)
The video showed Kosowski maneuvering his body to move his hands, which were cuffed behind his back, to the front. After getting his hands in front of him, the video showed Kosowski putting his fingers into his mouth. He “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,” Hunt said.
Hunt testified that Kosowski also asked to be taken to the bathroom; when he went inside, he washed his hands—despite clear instructions not to. “I had to stop him,” Hunt said.
Kosowski has not cross-examined any of the prosecution’s witnesses and has not raised any objections during testimony. He has sat and watched the proceedings, often with his head resting on his hand.
Kosowski waived his right to a jury trial, which means a judge alone will determine his guilt. He has also waived his right to a jury for the penalty phase, so Judge Joseph Bulone will also determine whether he faces the death penalty if he’s convicted.
