🛒⚖️Florida plastic surgeon Dr Tomasz Kosowski, 47, is representing himself in a first-degree murder trial over the disappearance and alleged killing of attorney Steven Cozzi. Kosowski has pleaded not guilty, waived a jury, and left Judge Joseph Bulone to determine whether prosecutors have proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
And apparently, somewhere between Law & Order and MythBusters, the courtroom acquired a Gorilla Cart.
Prosecutors allege Kosowski killed Cozzi in March 2023 and transported his body from the law office in a collapsible cart before loading it into a Toyota Tundra. Cozzi’s remains have never been recovered. The state has presented DNA, surveillance and other circumstantial evidence that it says connects Kosowski to the disappearance. (Court TV)
🛒
“Your Honour, I’d Like to Call… Someone Who Weighs 195 Pounds”
Most defendants facing a possible death sentence rely on experienced criminal lawyers.
Kosowski apparently looked at that option and thought: Nah. I’ve got a wagon.
During cross-examination of Detective Colin Bolton, Kosowski established that Bolton exercised and lifted weights.
Excellent.
Normal courtroom territory so far.
Then came the pitch.
Kosowski wanted a volunteer weighing roughly 190–195 pounds to climb into the actual Gorilla Cart entered into evidence. Bolton would then attempt to lift the person-filled cart onto a courtroom desk about 30 inches high — intended to approximate the height of the Tundra tailgate. (Court TV)
In other words:
CSI: IKEA Furniture Department. 🔧🛒
Kosowski’s underlying argument was serious enough: if the prosecution says one person transported a roughly 195-pound man in that cart and loaded it into a pickup, he wanted to challenge whether the manoeuvre was physically realistic.
Judge Bulone declined to turn the courtroom into Florida’s Strongest Detective, ruling that Kosowski had already made his point. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)
And somehow, this wasn’t even his first proposed courtroom science experiment.
Earlier in the trial, Kosowski asked a prosecutor whether he would step inside a 39-gallon trash bag as part of another attempted demonstration concerning the prosecution’s theory. (Court TV)
Because apparently the next logical stage of American jurisprudence is:
“Objection, Your Honour.”
“Overruled.”
“Fine. Dave, get in the bag.” 🗑️
Kosowski has chosen to represent himself despite facing a potential death sentence, and court records confirm that Judge Bulone has repeatedly addressed his decision to waive counsel. Standby lawyers remain available, but Kosowski has been conducting his own defence. (Pinellas County Clerk)
Meanwhile, prosecutors rested on 22 September after calling 56 witnesses over six days. (Tampa Bay Times)
So beneath all the viral courtroom theatre sits something extraordinarily serious: a missing lawyer whose body has never been found, a defendant facing the gravest possible punishment, and a judge who must separate memorable demonstrations from evidence that actually proves — or fails to prove — murder beyond a reasonable doubt.
But as courtroom clips go?
A plastic surgeon defending himself against a capital murder charge while attempting to recruit a 195-pound volunteer for a Gorilla Cart experiment was probably not on anyone’s legal bingo card. 🎯
🔥Challenges🔥
Here’s the question: is physically testing the prosecution’s theory clever courtroom strategy — or does asking volunteers to climb into carts and prosecutors to climb into rubbish bags risk turning your own defence into the story?
And if you were Judge Bulone, would watching the cart experiment actually tell you anything useful about what happened in March 2023? 👀
👇 Drop your take in the BLOG comments — not just Facebook. Like it, share it, argue with it, and tell us whether Courtroom MythBusters belongs in serious criminal trials.
The best comments will be included in the magazine. 🎯📝
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