A Bradenton man accused of stabbing to death his romantic partner at an America’s Best Value Inn in August 2022 has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after taking a plea deal a little more than two weeks before trial.
Steven Joseph Cozens, 27, was arrested in connection to the stabbing death hours after a housekeeper found the 26-year-old Manatee County woman’s body wrapped in a bed sheet and hidden under a mattress, according to the probable cause affidavit. Cozens allegedly admitted to killing his girlfriend during an interview with detectives, according to the affidavit.
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Cozens was indicted with murder in the first degree in January 2023 but pleaded guilty to and was convicted of murder in the second degree on Thursday, according to a news release from the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Cozens was initially charged with second degree murder before the indictment.
Cozens and the victim had been staying at the America’s Best Value Inn off of State Route 64 East in Bradenton when an argument arose. The news release states that Cozens armed himself with a knife during the argument and stabbed the victim repeatedly.
He then hid the body under one of the beds, cleaned the room and left the hotel, according to the release and previous reporting. A housekeeper later discovered the victim and called police.
Cozens was arrested not far from the hotel within hours of police being alerted, and he confessed to stabbing the victim “a lot,” according to the release.
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“Due to the excellent work of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, the defendant was apprehended within hours of this murder and made a full confession,” Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell said in the news release. “This sentence will not bring Jennifer back but hopefully it will provide some comfort to her family.“
Previous reporting by the Herald-Tribune found an active Risk Protection Order against Cozens filed in May 2021, citing mental health issues and concerns that he could be violent toward others, according to court records.
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on X: @GabrielaSzyman3.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bradenton man enters plea, sentenced to 60 years for hotel stabbing death