A Florida judge has found a plastic surgeon guilty of killing an attorney he’d faced in a dispute over payments for medical procedures.
asserted
he → find → procedures
The body of Steven Cozzi was never found.
asserted
body → find → Cozzi
But prosecutors presented six days of testimony with dozens of witnesses that painted gruesome images of violent revenge.
asserted
that → present → revenge
Dr. Tomasz Kosowski, 47, represented himself in the case.
asserted
Kosowski → represent → case
He waived his right to a jury trial and, instead, put his fate in the hands of Judge Joseph Bulone.
asserted
He → waive → Bulone
The trial began on Sept. 14, more than three years since Cozzi disappeared.
asserted
Cozzi → begin → Sept.
On Wednesday, Bulone found Kosowski guilty of killing of Cozzi.
asserted
Kosowski → find → Cozzi
Kosowski, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit, showed almost no reaction.
asserted
Kosowski → clothe → reaction
He now faces the possibility of life in prison without the chance of parole or the death penalty.
asserted
He → face → parole
On Wednesday, Bulone reminded Kosowski there were "disadvantages" in representing himself in court.
asserted
Bulone → remind → court
He asked if Kosowski would like an attorney for the penalty phase of the trial.
asserted
Kosowski → ask → trial
WATCH: Florida plastic surgeon asks for courtroom demonstration in murder trial
"Question No. 1: You still want to represent yourself?" Bulone questioned.
asserted
Bulone → watch → yourself
Kosowski answered without delay: "Yes, Your Honor."
asserted
Kosowski → answer → delay
"Question No. 2: Do you still want to go non-jury?" Bulone asked.
asserted
Bulone → want → non
"Yes, Your Honor," Kosowski said.
asserted
Kosowski → say → ?
It was not immediately clear when Bulone would hand down Kosowski’s sentence.
asserted
Bulone → hand → sentence
Before resting their case, prosecutors said evidence showed that Kosowski had become obsessed with Cozzi.
asserted
Kosowski → rest → Cozzi
Angry about a years-long lawsuit, the doctor had threatened Cozzi in a restroom and stalked him outside his home, prosecutors said.
asserted
prosecutors → threaten → home
Cozzi’s husband testified that he’d been alarmed by the interactions.
asserted
he → testify → interactions
He’d suggested arranging for security if the two were to meet in person again.
uncertain
two → suggest → person
In March 2023, Cozzi and Kosowski arranged to meet in a teleconference.
asserted
Cozzi → arrange → teleconference
A little before the scheduled meeting, Kosowski secretly slipped into the law firm, attacked Cozzi in a restroom and hauled him outside unnoticed in a wagon covered with a blanket, prosecutors said.
asserted
prosecutors → schedule → blanket
Kosowski showed up late for the meeting.
asserted
Kosowski → show → meeting
Cozzi didn’t show up, at all.
asserted
Cozzi → show → ?
His colleagues didn’t understand why.
asserted
colleagues → understand → ?
Then they found a bathroom in the building spattered with blood.
asserted
they → find → blood
Investigators later found that the blood was Cozzi’s.
asserted
blood → find → ?
But Cozzi had vanished.
asserted
Cozzi → vanish → ?
Surveillance video, pieced together later using Flock cameras, showed a man pulling a wagon from the law firm, struggling to load its contents into the bed, and traveling to Kosowski’s multi-million-dollar, Tarpon Springs home.
asserted
man → piece → home
There, prosecutors said, Kosowski transferred Cozzi to another vehicle and headed south toward the Everglades.
asserted
Kosowski → say → Everglades
DNA evidence found later in the garage was a match for Cozzi.
asserted
evidence → find → Cozzi
Kosowski eventually made a stop in a remote area of Florida at a dumpster, pings from his cellphone showed.
asserted
pings → make → cellphone
There, he hoisted Cozzi into the trash container and left, prosecutors and witnesses said.
asserted
prosecutors → hoist → container
The contents were hauled to a local landfill and soon were buried under thousands of tons of garbage.
asserted
contents → haul → garbage
Though they felt certain of Cozzi’s location and combed through trash for days, searchers couldn’t recover a body.
asserted
searchers → feel → body
Police arrested Kosowski in March 2023, and he’s been held in jail ever since.
asserted
he → arrest → jail
Throughout the trial, Kosowski sat quietly, watching witnesses and prosecutors with a bland expression.
asserted
Kosowski → sit → expression
Rarely, he cross-examined witnesses.
asserted
he → cros → witnesses
He called into question evidence related to DNA evidence, cellphone pings, and whether he’d really had the time and physical strength to complete the crime in the way prosecutors had testified.
asserted
prosecutors → call → way
The trial wrapped up for the week on Friday and resumed on Tuesday.
asserted
trial → wrap → Tuesday
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
