Steven Cozzi was ‘brilliant, loving and caring,’ husband says

ABOVE: Steven Cozzi (L) and Michael Steven Montgomery. Photo courtesy Montgomery.

CLEARWATER, Fla. | Michael Steven Montgomery says March 26 was the worst day of his life. That’s when law enforcement confirmed Steven Cozzi, his husband and best friend, was truly gone.

The news followed the March 25 arrest of Tomasz Roman Kosowski, a local surgeon charged with first-degree murder in connection to Cozzi’s disappearance. He was reported missing under mysterious circumstances March 21 from Blanchard Law in Largo, where he worked as an associate attorney.

“Someone that he worked with messaged me and asked if I had picked him up for lunch,” Montgomery says. “I knew something was wrong right away.”

According to the Largo Police Department, officers responded to a call for service after Cozzi’s coworkers determined that he was no longer in the office but that his wallet, phone and car keys still were. They also found blood in the building’s public restroom, along with “a strong chemical odor.”

Forensics later determined that “a large quantity of blood that had been cleaned up from the bathroom floor.”

“I rushed straight there and Largo PD was already on the scene,” Montgomery says. “Within a short amount of time they were handling it as if he hadn’t just stepped out. I kept telling them that Steve would call and tell me everything, that’s the way we were. We always knew where the other one was.”

It’s part of what made Cozzi’s disappearance so difficult, before and after the case went public March 24.

“I was just sitting at home with family, waiting for detectives to come and give us an update or call to ask a question,” Montgomery says. “I opened up my life to them right away.”

The Largo Police Department, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and all of the assisting agencies “were just phenomenal,” Montgomery adds. “It was absolutely phenomenal how serious they took this from the get-go.”

Law enforcement obtained probable cause to arrest Kosowski — who was suing his former employer, represented by Blanchard Law — after reviewing video surveillance linking him to the crime scene. They also searched his Tarpon Springs home and vehicle, concluding that “it is believed that the victim is deceased and the defendant intentionally, by a premeditated design caused his death.”

While March 26 may have become the worst day of Montgomery’s life, he’s also reflecting on some of the best. He tells Watermark that’s because “I want people to know who Steve was. Everybody’s going to talk about what happened to him, and to me that’s not who he was. At all.

“He was so brilliant, loving and caring,” he continues. “He could also be really tough when he needed to be, because he was an attorney, but the side I saw of him was soft and vulnerable.”

He first experienced that July 13, 2018, when the two decided to meet in person after chatting online for some time. They had dinner and then watched a movie at Cozzi’s home.

“He loved cheap horror flicks and silly, B-rated movies. I don’t remember what we watched, but I remember thinking, ‘this is the most ridiculous crap,’” Montgomery laughs. “His sense of humor captivated me. It was just so witty and lined up so well with mine.

“I just fell in love with him right away,” he continues with tears. “At the end of our date we kissed and he had this goofy, happy smile. I just floated home.”

The two essentially lived together after that. They were engaged the following year and subsequently married Oct. 17, 2020.

“We had our wedding at my parents’ house in Homosassa and the mothers planned it because we didn’t know what we were doing,” he says. “It was a COVID wedding, so there was a lot of that confusion going on. But all we cared about was each other. It was the best day of my life.”

Cozzi was also an animal lover, particularly when it came to their cat and dogs, and was close to his family. He was also dedicated to diversity and inclusion, evident in his work with organizations like Balance Tampa Bay and his service as Diversity Committee Chair for the St. Petersburg Bar Association.

The latter organization launched a GoFundMe in his honor, inviting “those that would like to provide support to Steve’s family to consider a donation.”

“Steve was so brilliant, loving and caring,” Montgomery says. “I used to joke all the time that he was put on this Earth to love me, because that’s how I felt, and I was put here for the same reason. He was such an amazing person. He was so loved and he loved so many people.”

View a gallery of photos below, courtesy of Montgomery.

The investigation surrounding Steven Cozzi’s murder is active and ongoing. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to call Detective Bolton at the Largo Police Department at 727-587-6730. To donate to Cozzi’s family, click here.