Kosowski, who waived his right to a jury trial and is being tried before Judge Joseph Bulone, interrupted Vonderheide’s questioning of a forensic analyst about trash bags found in his vehicle, demanding, “Can you step into the trash bag for us?” The judge denied the request, and Kosowski postponed his cross‑examination until the following day.
The trial centers on the March 21, 2023 killing of attorney Steven Cozzi, 41, at his law office in Clearwater, Florida. Prosecutors allege Kosowski entered the office, murdered Cozzi in a bathroom, and disposed of the body in a dumpster near the Alligator Alley highway; Cozzi’s body has never been recovered despite multiple searches.
Surveillance footage captured a person identified by prosecutors as Kosowski bringing a large box into the office shortly after 8:30 a.m., then wheeling a heavy wagon out of the building and loading it onto a gray Toyota Tundra around 10:22 a.m.
Investigators found Cozzi’s blood on the bathroom floor, on paper towels, in the drain, and on the outside of the bathroom door, along with a mixture of Kosowski’s DNA.
When Kosowski was arrested on March 25, police discovered a “murder bag” in his car that contained a Guy Fawkes mask, ski masks, a Taser, brass knuckles, scissors, a crowbar, a syringe and a vial of the paralytic drug succinylcholine.
Video of his arrest, shown in court, captured Kosowski cleaning his fingernails and sucking on his fingers while handcuffed, a detail highlighted by Largo Police Department detective Jerry Hunt.
Kosowski has pleaded not guilty to first‑degree murder and is representing himself after several attorneys and public defenders withdrew. He has chosen a bench trial, leaving Judge Bulone to determine guilt and sentencing.
If convicted, Kosowski faces a possible death‑penalty sentence under Florida law. The trial is expected to continue into early next week.