Jury Awards $200 Million to Children of Slain Tampa-Area Doctor in Civil Murder Case Against His Wife

On the morning of May 28, 2014, Dr. Steven Schwartz, a 74-year-old kidney specialist practicing in Dunedin, Florida, was found shot, stabbed, and strangled in the garage of his Tarpon Springs mansion. His wife, Rebecca Schwartz, called 911 to report a break-in. Investigators found no signs of forced entry and removed components of the home security system for analysis. The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office opened a homicide investigation that remained active for years without producing criminal charges against Rebecca Schwartz.

Dr. Schwartz's three adult children filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit in 2016 naming Rebecca Schwartz as responsible for their father's death. The case centered on evidence that she had embezzled money from her husband for years, funneling funds to her own children and to an Albanian handyman, Anton Leo Stragaj, with whom she financed a marijuana grow operation. According to plaintiff's counsel, the doctor discovered the embezzlement and confronted her. A second financial scheme, this one involving the purchase of a Verizon retail store in Wisconsin using his money, allegedly supplied the final motive.

Stragaj pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in 2021 and was deported to Albania following an eight-year sentence. His DNA was found on Dr. Schwartz's shirt. Attorneys for the children presented the jury with cellphone records that contradicted his account of his whereabouts that morning.

Florin Roebig attorneys Wil Florin, Tommy Roebig, Shaun Cummings, and John Hart represented the three children through trial. In March 2025, the jury returned a verdict applying a Florida statute providing that a surviving person who 'unlawfully and intentionally kills or participates in procuring the death of the decedent is not entitled to any benefits under the will.' The jury found Rebecca Schwartz liable and awarded approximately $199 million in damages.

Attorney Wil Florin told reporters the family was pleased with the result but acknowledged that actual collection was likely to fall between $10 million and $20 million, given the limits of Rebecca Schwartz's identifiable assets. Rebecca Schwartz has not been criminally charged and the homicide investigation remained open as of the verdict date. Dateline NBC aired an episode on the case on October 31, 2025.