0:00
This is Steven Cozy and in the heart of
0:02
a bustling Florida city. His sudden
0:04
disappearance sent shock and confusion
0:07
through the community. It was on an
0:08
ordinary workday when Steven stepped
0:10
away from his desk for only a brief
0:12
moment of time. However, strangely
0:14
enough, he would never return. And when
0:17
investigators started looking into this
0:19
case, they quickly uncovered a mountain
0:21
of chilling evidence, which all seemed
0:23
to lead back to the dark underbelly
0:25
within Steven's professional circle. an
0:27
underbelly that no one imagined could
0:30
exist. But the problem is that with each
0:32
and every clue that they found, it
0:33
seemed to lead to more questions than
0:35
answers. So, who could hold such
0:38
animosity towards Steven and why?
0:41
Welcome, or welcome back to Coffee House
0:42
Crime, folks. My name is Adrian, and
0:44
today we're looking at the peculiar case
0:46
of Steven Cozy and trying to find out
0:49
what precisely happened to him. Before
0:51
we begin, if you like true crime,
0:52
strange or chilling stories, then please
0:54
do consider subscribing. And now with
0:56
that said, please grab yourself a coffee
0:59
and let's caffeinate while we
1:03
[Music]
1:10
investigate. So imagine your typical
1:12
workday morning routine. You'll drive to
1:14
the office, put your bags down, make
1:16
yourself a morning coffee, and then
1:18
check those emails. Eventually, nature
1:20
calls, and so you get up from your desk,
1:22
walk towards the bathroom, and take a
1:24
short comfort break. And here's the
1:26
question. How many times have you made
1:28
that short journey before? Well, if you
1:30
were to work at the same office for
1:31
around 6 years and also follow a typical
1:33
work schedule, then you are likely to
1:35
use that bathroom around 7,000 times.
1:38
So, for a man like Steven Cozy, who
1:40
worked at Blanchard Law for several
1:41
years, that 2-minute break was one that
1:43
he had made literally thousands of times
1:45
before. But here's the thing. On March
1:48
the 21st, 2023, that rather mundane walk
1:51
could be the last thing that Steven
1:53
would ever do. Because after stepping
1:55
through that bathroom door, Steven was
1:57
never seen again. In fact, he had quite
2:00
literally vanished. After making his way
2:03
to the restroom, Steven literally
2:05
disappeared without a trace. Colleagues
2:07
were stunned to find his wallet, keys,
2:09
and phone all neatly arranged beside his
2:11
computer, suggesting that he had in fact
2:13
planned to return at any moment
2:15
afterward. However, as the minutes
2:17
turned into hours, confusion grew into
2:20
concern. And soon, bafflement spiraled
2:22
into fear as the mystery deepened. Each
2:25
revelation afterward, leaving Steven's
2:27
peers, friends, and family more
2:29
unsettled and desperate for answers. So,
2:32
what precisely happened beyond that
2:34
door? Well, the truth, they realized,
2:37
would be far darker and deeper than
2:39
anyone could have imagined. But before
2:41
we talk about what happened to him, we
2:43
should probably get to know Steven a
2:45
little more intimately and also realize
2:47
the situation that he had found himself
2:49
in. Born and raised with a strong sense
2:51
of justice and empathy, Steven pursued a
2:53
career that came very naturally to him.
2:56
Of course, that being one in law. As a
2:58
graduate of Stson University College of
3:00
Law, he was a chief ambassador and coach
3:02
to many. Steven specialized in
3:04
employment and civil law and eventually
3:07
found himself living in Largo, Florida,
3:09
where up until the point of this story,
3:11
he was an attorney at Blanchard Law. For
3:13
the next 6 years, spanning from the year
3:15
2018 to 2024, colleagues described
3:18
Steven as thoughtful, approachable, and
3:21
deeply committed to his clients, often
3:23
going above and beyond to ensure that
3:25
their voices were heard. Outside of
3:27
work, Steven was well known for his
3:29
friendly demeanor and warm personality.
3:32
He loved his dog, loved to hike, and
3:34
really enjoyed being with friends and
3:35
family. As described by his husband, he
3:38
was brilliant, caring, and loving, with
3:40
his kindness earning him very strong
3:44
friendships. So, for Steven to just
3:46
suddenly up and disappear was extremely
3:48
out of character. The total opposite
3:50
even. And none of his friends or family
3:53
believed it. In fact, neither did his
3:55
boss. Over the years, Jake Blanchard,
3:57
who of course is the owner of Blanchard
3:59
Law, had more come to see Steve as a
4:01
good friend rather than a colleague. And
4:03
so, considering this had happened on his
4:04
premises and on his watch, he was
4:06
extremely concerned about his safety. At
4:09
the time of this happening, Blanchard
4:10
Law was a company that operated out of a
4:13
shared office space, which is located on
4:15
Belchure Road in Largo, Florida. Taking
4:17
a look at their website, Blanchard Law
4:19
is a firm that specializes in
4:21
bankruptcy, tax resolution, contracts,
4:23
and business law. They are well
4:25
respected in the community and for a
4:27
very good reason too. And you can see
4:29
here on Google that there are lots of
4:31
happy customers all made through their
4:33
ethical conduct. Looking at the building
4:35
that they operated out of at the time,
4:37
it was a shared office space with many
4:39
points of entry. And although there are
4:41
signs of one or two cameras, it is worth
4:43
mentioning here that most of the
4:44
perimeter is not monitored by CCTV. So
4:48
with all of this in mind, what precisely
4:50
happened to Steven?
5:00
The date was March the 21st, 2023. And
5:03
what was considered to be a very typical
5:05
Tuesday for Steven would go on to take a
5:08
very dark turn. It was around 8:30 a.m.
5:11
that he checked into his role at
5:12
Blanchard Law, and from here he settled
5:15
into his rather familiar role. Steven
5:17
was always punctual, organized, and
5:20
reliable as a colleague. His calendar
5:22
was packed. Emails awaited his response.
5:24
Documents needed reviewing. And to top
5:27
it all off, he had a very significant
5:29
conference call timed for 10:30 a.m. You
5:32
see, there was a lot of contention
5:34
around this phone call, most notably
5:36
because it was related to a lawsuit with
5:38
the next colleague of the client that he
5:40
was representing. And so, it makes sense
5:42
that Steven was likely wellprepared, but
5:45
also quite nervous. But it is worth
5:47
saying here that nothing seemed unusual
5:49
about Steven's demeanor. and colleagues
5:51
noted that he appeared calm, focused,
5:54
and also completely unaware of the
5:56
events that were soon to unfold. As the
5:58
morning progressed, the office buzzed
6:00
with activity. However, at around 10:00
6:03
a.m., Steven briefly excused himself to
6:05
head to the bathroom. He stepped away
6:07
from his desk, leaving behind his
6:09
personal items, including his phone,
6:11
wallet, keys, and laptop, signaling that
6:14
he intended to return rather quickly
6:16
afterwards. But as the minutes ticked
6:18
by, Steven's boss noticed that his
6:20
absence was unusually long. And then
6:22
when he failed to dial into that
6:24
conference call at 10:30 a.m., well, his
6:27
colleagues knew that something was up.
6:29
It is at that moment in time that
6:30
colleagues searched for Steven. But
6:32
there was no trace of him. And to make
6:34
matters even stranger, his car remained
6:37
in the car park completely untouched.
6:39
And when they checked the bathroom,
6:41
those concerns would grow even stronger.
6:44
Because not only was Steven not there,
6:46
but there were two ominous clues left
6:48
behind. After walking into the bathroom,
6:50
they noticed a very strong smell of
6:52
bleach coming from the air. Not only
6:54
that, but it appeared that the room had
6:56
been thoroughly cleaned, or at least
6:58
mostly thoroughly cleaned because
7:00
whoever had done that job seemed to miss
7:02
a small spot, and in that spot were
7:05
several droplets of
7:07
blood. Ominously, all of this was now
7:10
beginning to feel like a potential crime
7:12
scene. And so the authorities were
7:14
called immediately with officers
7:16
arriving only a few minutes later. It
7:19
was at this stage that the Largo Police
7:20
Department would launch its own
7:22
investigation with their initial focus
7:24
being on the law office and that
7:26
potential bathroom. Forensic teams
7:28
combed through the area searching for
7:30
any clues that could explain Steven's
7:32
sudden disappearance. They would also
7:34
search for any possible surveillance
7:36
footage and they were surprised by what
7:38
they would find. Investigators checking
7:40
the surveillance cameras from the
7:42
building would find footage that
7:44
revealed a man entering the building
7:45
around 8:30, who at the time was wearing
7:48
all black, a backpack, and gloves. And
7:51
only 2 hours later, that same individual
7:54
was seen exiting the building while also
7:56
pulling a large cart or bin, which
7:58
appeared to be very heavy. The man's
8:00
face was obscured. However, his
8:02
movements and his attire did raise
8:04
suspicions. Forensic analysis would also
8:07
confirm that the strange droplets found
8:09
in the bathroom were in fact traces of
8:12
blood. Further examination would also
8:14
uncover more blood outside of the
8:16
bathroom where DNA testing would also
8:18
confirm that it did belong to Steven
8:20
Cozy. This of course suggesting that a
8:23
violent incident had occurred while
8:25
inside the bathroom. So at this stage,
8:27
investigators now had a missing person,
8:29
an active crime scene, and also footage
8:32
of a man who could potentially be
8:33
responsible. But who would want Steven
8:36
gone and why? Well, to answer that
8:39
question, we must first look at the
8:40
meeting that he was supposed to attend
8:42
later that morning and also the
8:44
defendant behind that case. And so, on
8:47
that note, allow me to introduce you to
8:49
Dr. Tampa
8:52
Bay. Dr. Tampa Bay, who was also known
8:55
as Tom Cassowski, was a 44 year old man
8:58
who was living in the same area.
8:59
Initially from Tarpon Springs, he
9:01
received a master's degree from the
9:03
University of New Mexico before then
9:05
attending the Tuck School of Business in
9:07
Dartmouth. He graduated in the year 2007
9:10
where he then became a plastic surgeon.
9:12
At the time, the Laer Institute
9:14
described him as a pioneer in using
9:16
native fat for breast and buttock
9:18
enhancement. Not only that, but he was
9:20
also optimally positioned to become a
9:23
national leader in the industry.
9:24
Following the modern trend of social
9:26
media, it was at that point in time that
9:28
Dr. Kazowski turned to YouTube and
9:31
Instagram to share his many surgeries
9:33
online where he posted many videos of
9:35
himself, his life and his achievements.
9:38
Hey everybody, this is Dr. Tampa Bay.
9:39
Today I wanted to talk about tear trough
9:41
deformities. Now tear trough deformities
9:43
are these. You can see them very very
9:45
prominently on me here on this side.
9:48
These are one of the very very first
9:49
signs of aging in late 20 early
9:52
30year-olds. And a very common way that
9:54
plastic surgeons deal with this problem
9:56
is by injecting filler. Hello my social
9:58
media army. This is Dr. Tampa Bay. We've
10:00
had some awesome cases this week. If
10:02
they're still up, check them out on
10:03
Snapchat. Um, as you can tell, the
10:05
latest trend in plastic surgeries to put
10:07
in these ultra highprofile implants, and
10:09
you saw us put in the mentor device as
10:12
well as the allergen device into
10:13
patients this week. You can tell from
10:15
his videos that Tom was very proud of
10:17
his work. It was in the year 2018 that
10:19
he founded his own business practice
10:22
where he would then go on to receive
10:23
national recognition and be featured in
10:25
multiple books and even a packet of
10:28
chips. Through the following years, Tom
10:30
was very active on social media and
10:32
would often celebrate his achievements
10:34
along the way, as you can see here. Hi
10:36
Instagrammers. I just wanted to let you
10:38
all know we hit 4,000 followers last
10:41
night, which is awesome. Thank you.
10:42
Thank you so much for all your love and
10:44
support. You guys mean the world to us.
10:47
Please encourage, tag, let your friends
10:49
know about us cuz once we hit 5,000,
10:52
we're going to have a huge party and a
10:53
big giveaway here.
10:55
But here is the problem. You see, Tom
10:58
was so proud of his work that he would
11:00
never let anyone say anything negative
11:02
about it. And this is where his issues
11:04
began to spiral. Initially working for
11:06
the Laer Institute in 2016, he ran into
11:09
trouble when the woman assigned to
11:11
complete his insurance billing would
11:13
then fail to file claims and even lie to
11:15
his patients. As a result, this not only
11:18
cost him thousands of dollars, but that
11:20
it would also result in several
11:22
extremely negative reviews of him being
11:24
posted online. Tom believed that the
11:26
woman's actions had essentially
11:28
obliterated his promising young career.
11:30
And so, it was for that reason that he
11:32
decided to leave the company and then
11:34
sue them for damaging his reputation. As
11:37
a result, he filed a lawsuit against all
11:39
people associated with the Laer
11:41
Institute of Plastic Surgery for
11:43
negligence, breach of contract, and
11:45
fraudulent misrepresentation. And this
11:48
would be where Steven Cozy eventually
11:50
came into the picture. Steven, who
11:52
worked at Blanchard Law, was on the
11:54
other side of the legal fence,
11:56
representing and defending all of those
11:58
from the Laur Institute. And of course,
12:00
this would place him directly in
12:02
conflict with Tom Kasowski. The legal
12:04
dispute between Tom, Steven, and the
12:06
Laer Institute was marked by escalating
12:09
tensions, which of course only got worse
12:11
over time. In fact, reports indicate
12:14
that in January of 2023, an argument
12:16
between Tom and Steven would erupt in
12:18
Blanchard Law's common area. And so,
12:20
many people saw that the two quite
12:22
clearly had beef between each other. And
12:24
you see, but not only did this highlight
12:26
Tom's frustration with Steven, but it
12:28
would also prove that he had been to
12:30
Blanchard Law before and therefore
12:32
likely knew the officer's layout. And to
12:34
make matters even worse, an employee
12:36
from a neighboring company who was
12:37
situated in the same building reported
12:39
seeing Tom hiding in the closet next to
12:41
that bathroom only one week before
12:44
Steven's disappearance. This, of course,
12:46
suggesting that Tom was scoping out the
12:48
area in advance so he could then plan to
12:50
attack Steven. In addition to this,
12:52
forensic analysis would also reveal that
12:54
Tom's fingerprints were found inside of
12:56
the utility closet, therefore adding
12:58
weight to the theory that he had been
13:00
hiding in the building and then possibly
13:02
waiting for an opportunity to confront
13:04
Steven. With mounting suspicions, the
13:06
authorities decided to obtain a search
13:08
warrant for Tom's house and his vehicle.
13:11
And moving forward, what they found was
13:13
not good news for him.
13:16
For one, detectives would discover
13:18
traces of Steven's blood inside Tom's
13:21
garage and also in the bed of his pickup
13:23
truck, both of which seemed to be mixed
13:25
with Tom's DNA. Of course, this
13:28
suggesting a potential attempt to clean
13:30
up or dispose of the evidence. And
13:32
speaking of garage, it seems that Tom
13:34
had purchased a red Toyota Corolla in
13:36
cash only weeks before Steven's
13:38
disappearance. Not only that, but he
13:41
would never register the vehicle,
13:43
instead equipping it with a license
13:44
plate flipping device and even using an
13:47
old license plate that was registered to
13:49
a dead person. Even worse, when they
13:51
found him in another vehicle, he was
13:53
found to be in possession of
13:55
$280,000 in cash, multiple face masks,
13:59
duct tape, firearms, a ballistic vest
14:01
with a substantial amount of blood on
14:03
it, and a vial and loaded syringe full
14:05
of suenyl cowine, a powerful paralytic
14:09
agent. A search of his home would also
14:11
uncover approximately 200 firearms,
14:14
which is a little obsessive if you ask
14:16
me, but of course, he could simply have
14:18
been a collector.
14:20
[Music]
14:22
So although the direct evidence was
14:24
quite limited, the circumstantial
14:26
evidence available was rather
14:28
compelling. And when detectives attached
14:30
to this to all of the items they had
14:31
found, not only in the car, but also the
14:34
garage, they would come up with their
14:35
own plausible theory. Now, I do have to
14:37
point out here that all of this is
14:39
merely alleged and seen through the
14:40
prosecution's eyes, as Tom is yet to
14:43
stand trial. But the prosecution
14:44
believes that due to his ever growing
14:46
resentment towards Steven and also the
14:48
legal dispute, Tom decided to murder him
14:51
in cold blood. They assumed that Tom
14:53
entered Blanchard Law early in the
14:54
morning and then decided to hide in the
14:56
utility closet next to the bathroom in
14:58
anticipation of Steven. Of course, this
15:01
explaining his thumbrint. When Steven
15:03
entered the bathroom, Tom then followed
15:05
shortly after before violently attacking
15:07
him. And this explains the blood
15:09
splatter found inside. After paralyzing
15:12
Steven, he then transported his body to
15:14
his truck using a wheelie bin. This
15:16
explaining the surveillance footage.
15:18
After that, Tom would clean the
15:19
bathroom, which explained the smell of
15:21
bleach. It is only around half an hour
15:23
later that a random license plate reader
15:25
would capture Tom's truck near his own
15:27
home. And ominously, it appeared that
15:29
that license plate reader captured an
15:31
image of what appeared to be a body in
15:33
the bed of that truck. The same license
15:35
plate reader then detected the truck
15:37
leaving the neighborhood around 5 hours
15:39
later. Another license plate reader
15:41
would then capture the truck in Miami,
15:43
which is located around 300 m away. On
15:46
March the 25th, 2024, and only 4 days
15:49
after the attack, Tom was officially
15:51
arrested and charged with firstderee
15:53
murder. And despite all of the evidence
15:56
available, albeit circumstantial, he
15:58
pleaded not guilty. As a result, Tom
16:00
will have to go to trial. The
16:02
prosecution has since indicated their
16:04
intention to seek the death penalty,
16:06
citing their confidence that this was
16:08
premeditated murder. To this day,
16:10
Steven's body has never been found.
16:13
Nobody knows where he could be or how
16:15
precisely he died. Interestingly, court
16:18
documents have revealed that Thomas'
16:20
phone records led police officers with
16:22
Cadiva dogs to a dumpster, which was
16:24
then emptied into the Collier County
16:26
landfill. Another document states that
16:28
footage taken from a garbage truck shows
16:30
a large garbage bag falling in a manner
16:32
consistent with the wrapped human body.
16:35
So, it appears that officers may go down
16:37
the route of assuming that Thomas
16:38
murdered Steven and then disposed of his
16:41
body all the way down in Collia County.
16:43
This would make a lot of sense, too, as
16:45
we know that his vehicle was then
16:47
spotted in Miami the following day with
16:49
Kia County being on the way. Another
16:51
theory is that Steven's body may have
16:53
been dumped in the Everglades National
16:55
Park. And let's be honest, this is a
16:58
very tough part of America when looking
17:00
for a corpse. There is also another big
17:03
problem with this case. Not only was
17:05
Steven's body never found, but he
17:07
was never seen leaving the building
17:08
either. And so, although it makes sense
17:10
to assume that Thomas may have taken him
17:12
out, the last actual sighting of Steven
17:15
or his body was when he was alive
17:17
entering the bathroom. In addition to
17:19
this, there are so many other questions
17:21
remaining. For example, why on earth
17:24
would Thomas murder an attorney over a
17:26
mere $15,000 civil case? Quite honestly,
17:29
it makes no sense to a logical and
17:31
rational person.
17:34
On March the 29th, 2023, a quiet yet
17:37
powerful gathering formed to honor
17:39
Steven, where friends, family, and
17:41
colleagues all stood together filled
17:43
with sorrow and love. Organized by the
17:45
St. Petersburg Bar Association, the
17:47
vigil celebrated Steven's kindness,
17:49
compassion, and dedication to justice.
17:52
Michael Montgomery, who is Steven's
17:54
husband, warmly shared many personal
17:56
memories, highlighting Steven's humor,
17:59
humanity, and passion for supporting the
18:01
underdog. One by one, friends and
18:03
colleagues shared their heartfelt
18:05
reflections and emphasized his profound
18:07
impact on their lives. One of the
18:10
coolest things um about this whole tra
18:13
or that's come out of this tragedy is
18:14
that I've gotten to basically meet my
18:17
husband again uh by seeing pictures uh
18:20
that I didn't know existed and learning
18:21
about things that I didn't know he did.
18:24
Um you know, and I'm incredibly
18:25
grateful. And so with all said and done,
18:28
we will just have to wait and see how
18:29
Tom's trial goes. Now, personally, given
18:32
all of the circumstantial evidence
18:34
available, I do think that there is a
18:36
possibility that Tom will be found
18:37
guilty, but maybe his defense has a few
18:40
tricks up their sleeve. Like I said,
18:42
although we technically have a motive,
18:43
we don't actually have a body. Now, is
18:46
it just me or do you think there is more
18:47
to this story that we don't quite know
18:49
yet? Because honestly, this is just one
18:52
of the wildest reasons ever. Steven was
18:54
merely doing his job, and it's not like
18:56
Blanchard Law was the offending party
18:58
either. They were the ones defending
19:00
their clients. So perhaps Steven
19:02
actually knew more than we currently do.
19:05
As always, this will eventually iron
19:07
out. To make this case a little more
19:09
complicated, all of Tom's friends have
19:11
described him as friendly, gentle, and
19:13
not impulsive. All of his alleged
19:14
behavior is way out of character, and
19:17
nobody had a single bad thing to say
19:19
about him. So, did Tom snap, or do they
19:22
have the wrong person? In the last few
19:24
days, recently released documents have
19:26
also highlighted several interesting
19:28
facts which will likely be brought to
19:30
trial. Although we can't tell what was
19:32
found in these documents, to me, this
19:34
sounds like a killit in the making, but
19:36
I could be very wrong here. Camarino
19:40
said a good strategy for the defense may
19:42
be to plead guilty to get the death
19:43
penalty off the table. Kazowski's
19:45
attorney spoke to press after his client
19:47
first appeared in court in March. Keep
19:49
an open mind. These are very, very
19:51
serious charges. uh he is presumed
19:53
innocent as he's currently sitting in
19:55
jail. We're conducting our own
19:56
investigation and um you know as it
19:59
develops we'll try to keep you updated.
20:01
In a motion to dismiss the case,
20:02
Kazowski's attorney suggested Kosy's
20:04
disappearance may have been his own
20:06
doing. The defense is stressing that
20:07
Kazowski has not been convicted and he's
20:10
presumed innocent despite the nature of
20:12
the charges. I was floored. I uh I know
20:15
Dr. Tom on a
20:18
uh casual basis, have uh met him a
20:23
couple times, chatted with him,
20:25
socialized with him, and I, you know, I
20:28
I'm just floored. I used to be a
20:30
homicide investigator. I can't imagine
20:33
what what motive he would have to hurt
20:36
anyone.
20:39
It is now reported that Tom's trial will
20:41
begin in merely a week's time on April
20:43
the 17th. And of course, if there are
20:45
any updates to this case, I will let you
20:47
know in a future video. But for now,
20:49
folks, I think I'll wrap this video up
20:50
here. And so, with that said, thank you
20:52
so much for watching today. I really do
20:54
appreciate it. By the way, if you want
20:56
to get future updates on this case, or
20:58
maybe find out more about Coffee House
20:59
Crime or myself, then please consider
21:01
following me on Instagram. What you'll
21:03
find over there is plenty of true crime
21:05
related content and also updates on me,
21:07
Nero, and my endeavors, too. And trust
21:09
me, there is plenty of stuff coming your
21:11
way. Just search Copy House Crime on
21:13
Instagram and I'm sure I'll come up and
21:14
I look forward to seeing you there.
21:16
Before I go though, I would love to know
21:18
what you think about this story. Do you
21:19
think that Steven was murdered by Tom?
21:22
And if yes, how? As always, share your
21:25
thoughts down below. And apologies for
21:27
this video being quite short, but I've
21:29
got a few things going on in the
21:30
background which I'm sure you'll find
21:32
out soon. And on that note, I'll catch
21:34
you again very shortly, likely once or
21:36
twice next week, depending. Until then,
21:38
remember to look after yourselves and
21:40
each other. And beyond all stay safe.
21:43
Thank you folks. Goodbye.