Criminal Justice
Florida plastic surgeon accused of killing lawyer who disappeared after going to restroom
Image from Shutterstock.
A Florida plastic surgeon who filed a lawsuit over alleged medical billing errors by his former employer has been charged with murdering a lawyer representing the defendants.
Tomasz Roman Kosowski, 44, of Tarpon Springs, Florida, was arrested and booked into the Pinellas County Jail early Sunday, report the Tampa Bay Times, the Daily Beast and Law & Crime.
He is charged with murdering missing associate Steven Cozzi of Blanchard Law in Largo, Florida.
Tomasz Roman Kosowski. Photo from the Pinellas County Jail.
Cozzi disappeared March 21 after taking a bathroom break at his law firm, the firm’s managing partner Jake Blanchard told WFLA. He left behind his wallet, car keys and cellphone.
Police said a forensic examination found a large amount of blood in the firm’s bathroom. Police also detected a strong chemical smell. Surveillance video shows a person and vehicle leaving the firm at about the same time that Cozzi disappeared.
Police arrested Kosowski after searching his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Kosowski’s suit alleges that his reputation and medical practice suffered after the Laufer Institute of Plastic Surgery in Dunedin, Florida, mishandled insurance claims.
Cozzi was a graduate of the Stetson University College of Law. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2016. His firm biography said he enjoyed running marathons and spending time with his cat.
Cozzi’s husband, Michael Montgomery, wrote on Facebook that Cozzi was “the kindest, funniest and most brilliant man I ever met. I knew he was the one from the day that we had our first date. I only ever wanted to protect him and to make him happy. I know I will see him again one day.”
