Judge finds plastic surgeon guilty of murdering lawyer whose body was never found

A judge found Tomasz Kosowski guilty of killing Steven Cozzi. A Florida plastic surgeon was found guilty of murdering a lawyer whose body was never found. Tomasz Kosowski was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 41-year-old Steven Cozzi, who disappeared in March 2023. Prosecutors said Kosowski had a "malicious and personal obsession" with Cozzi, who was representing defendants sued by Kosowski when he went missing from his law firm, and "methodically and systematically" planned the murder. Judge Joseph Bulone found Kosowski guilty following closing arguments Wednesday. Kosowski, who represented himself in the case, had waived his right to a jury trial. Kosowski also waived his right to counsel and a jury for the penalty phase. He faces a sentence of life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. The penalty phase of the trial began Wednesday afternoon, with prosecutors arguing in favor of three aggravating factors they alleged while seeking the death penalty -- that the murder was done for financial gain, that it was committed in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification," and that it was "especially heinous, atrocious and cruel." Bulone found that the state proved the first two factors beyond a reasonable doubt, but not the third due to the lack of evidence.

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