ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New details have emerged in the alleged murder of Largo attorney Steve Cozzi, who was first reported missing on March 21.

Investigators quickly linked the case to a suspect, plastic surgeon Tomasz Kosowski, who has since been accused of the crime.


What You Need To Know

  • Police allege that Tomasz Kosowski transported Steve Cozzi's body in his red Toyota Corolla to a secluded area in the Florida Everglades

  • New documents also provide a timeline of Cozzi's disappearance

  • The details of the alleged murder have sent shockwaves throughout the Tampa Bay legal community

Law enforcement agencies from Largo to Miami are appealing for information from the public.

Police allege that Kosowski transported Cozzi's body in his red Toyota Corolla to a secluded area in the Florida Everglades, where Kosowski's car was last spotted hours after the alleged murder.

A recently released court filing contains search warrants for Kosowski's home and car.

Police say they have also found evidence linking him to the crime.

According to an arrest affadavit filed against Kosowski, when police caught up with Kosowski days after the alleged murder, they allegedely found license plate concealment devices, almost $300,000 in cash, several firearms, and bags of evidence in his possession.

Although a list of items police report they found inside Kosowski's car is long, Cozzi's body has not yet been found.

The documents also provide an alleged timeline of Cozzi's disappearance, revealing that Kosowski was suing his former employers and that Cozzi was their attorney.

According to reports, an argument between Kosowski and Cozzi spilled out of the law office and into the building's common area during a meeting in January.

An employee who works in a different business in the same building as the law office reportedly saw a man matching Kosowski's description hiding in a utility closet next to the single stall bathroom a week before Cozzi disappeared.

The surgeon's fingerprints were also reported by police to have been found inside the utility closet.

According to the report, police allege that Kosowski entered the law office building around 8:30 a.m. on the day Cozzi was last seen.

According to the report, Cozzi arrived a few minutes later, and Kosowski was allegedly seen leaving the building around 10:22 a.m. with a cart that police say appeared to be carrying the body of the victim.

Minutes later, Kosowski joined a scheduled conference call that Cozzi did not attend.

Police believe that Cozzi was already dead in the back of Kosowski's pickup truck, which was parked in the building's parking lot. In surveillance video, Kosowski is seen wearing different clothing and a surgical mask.

The details of the alleged murder have sent shock waves throughout the Tampa Bay legal community.

Criminal defense attorney Erin Barnett, who called Cozzi a friend, said she was "completely shocked" and that Cozzi was "by far the kindest person in our practice."

Barnett said it’s hard to think his case will be heard in the same courthouse he sought justice in.

“It’s gonna be hard for a long time and I don’t know if we’re ever gonna have a good answer for why it happened and maybe not even where Steve is. It’s gonna be tough,” she said. 

Cozzi graduated from Stetson Law School in 2016. The school released a statement mourning his loss but declined to comment further out of respect for the family:

Steve graduated in 2016. He was a positive presence and natural leader who inspired those around him. We, as a community, mourn the loss of one of our own. Out of respect for the family, we cannot comment.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Largo Police Department.

The full search warrant is provided below.