Home › Case Library › Florida v. Kosowski (death-penalty decision)
Awaiting decisionFlorida v. Kosowski (death-penalty decision)
Will Judge Bulone sentence Tomasz Kosowski to death?
Where the case stands
Guilt phase complete. Spencer (penalty) hearing held Oct. 8, 2026: Kosowski declined counsel, presented no mitigation of his own, refused a psychological evaluation, and withdrew earlier motions opposing the death penalty; a court-appointed special counsel presented limited mitigation. Judge Bulone alone will choose between death and life without parole.
Background
Former Tarpon Springs plastic surgeon, 47, convicted of the March 2023 murder of Steven Cozzi — a 31-year-old attorney at the Largo law firm that was litigating against Kosowski. Cozzi vanished from his office; his body has never been found. Kosowski fired his lawyers, represented himself, and waived his right to a jury for both guilt and penalty.
Charges
- Convicted Sept. 23, 2026 (bench verdict after ~15 minutes of deliberation): first-degree murder
The arguments
Prosecution/State: Kosowski planned the killing over his civil dispute with Cozzi''s firm, lay in wait at the office, killed Cozzi in the bathroom and removed the body in a cart; prosecutors seek death.
Defense: Pro se defense: the State''s theory is ''physically impossible,'' the evidence could have been planted, and no body means no proven murder.
The record
- Surveillance footage. Office-area surveillance video placing Kosowski at the scene, per trial coverage.
- DNA / blood. Significant amount of Cozzi''s blood in the office bathroom; DNA matching Cozzi''s blood found in Kosowski''s truck.
- Fingerprint. Kosowski''s fingerprint recovered from a utility closet at the law office.
- ''Murder bag''. Bag with sedative-related items recovered when Kosowski was arrested, per prosecutors.
The line-setting read at the time this market opened
Kosowski offered no mitigation and dropped his opposition to death, leaving only court-appointed special counsel''s limited presentation on the life side; Florida requires the judge to weigh aggravators against whatever mitigation exists. A judge-alone capital sentencing after a pro se bench trial has little precedent — genuinely uncertain.
Awaiting decision — Judge Bulone''s sentence — death or life without parole. Sentencing expected at a date after the Oct. 8, 2026 Spencer hearing; no date announced. The ruling is posted here, and on the board, the moment it's confirmed by two or more independent news organizations.
Sources
- Fox 13 Tampa Bay — verdict and Spencer hearing date
- CNN via KRDO — conviction and penalty-phase posture
- Tampa Bay Times — verdict coverage
- Court TV — case archive incl. Oct. 8 penalty hearing coverage
Public record
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