A respected Florida doctor was found murdered in his waterfront mansion, but the heartbreak didn’t end there—it only uncovered what money and manipulation can buy.
According to the Daily Mail, Dr. Steven Schwartz, a 71-year-old kidney specialist, was brutally killed in 2014, launching a years-long investigation that implicated a handyman, exposed a greed-fueled family rift, and left his wife civilly liable but criminally untouched to this day.
Schwartz was successful, generous, and living in luxury with Rebecca Schwartz, more than twenty years his junior, in an 8,000-square-foot Palm Harbor home on the Gulf Coast. Married in 2011, they combined families and ran his practice together, appearing polished from the outside.
Bloody Details Emerge in Staged Robbery
The medical entrepreneur’s body was discovered with two gunshot wounds to the head and a slashed throat near the garage on May 28, 2014. Rebecca told law enforcement she had left home just an hour prior and phoned police to report a robbery after returning.
Authorities found inconsistencies immediately. Jewelry and cash were missing, but the scene looked far from random—security video equipment from the closet above the garage was also gone, and the knife missing from the kitchen told them all they needed to know. Detective John Diebel didn’t waste words. “It’s an inside job,” he concluded after inspecting the scene, ruling out burglary and instead pointing to someone inside the couple’s world.
The Handyman Confesses, But Points Finger
That someone turned out to be Anton Leo Stragaj, a handyman from Albania hired by the Schwartzes to work on their rental properties. His DNA was found on the victim’s shirt, and his statements didn't match his phone records. Stragaj took a plea deal in 2015, admitting to being an accessory after the fact. He served eight years and was deported upon release in 2022. But while he took responsibility for cleaning up the scene, he didn’t take the fall alone.
According to Stragaj, Rebecca confessed she was the killer—claims police never formally confirmed with charges. He said she used him because he feared deportation and losing his work visa, a fear that seemingly helped buy his silence.
Marital Tension Fueled by Lavish Spending
In the months before Schwartz’s death, their marriage had frayed. The doctor had reportedly threatened divorce after discovering Rebecca’s questionable financial dealings, particularly an expensive purchase she made for her son, a cell phone store.
That financial rift may have created a deadly opportunity. Defense attorney Wil Florin, representing Schwartz’s children in a civil case, argued Rebecca “shot him twice in the back of the head as he was leaving for work.” “She was about to lose it all,” Florin said, noting that a divorce would have cut Rebecca out of the will. But by staying married until his death, she stood to inherit a massive fortune—unless, of course, she was found responsible.
Civil Courts Deliver Partial Justice
In 2016, Schwartz’s children filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The stakes were high—not just in emotion, but in dollars. The doctor’s estate was estimated at $30 million, and Rebecca was on track to collect it all if they didn’t act.
Rebecca’s track record didn’t help her. A previous conviction for embezzling from Mothers Against Drunk Driving came to light, and testimony from her own daughter-in-law painted a disturbing picture of greed and manipulation. The civil jury found her liable for “unlawfully and intentionally” causing Schwartz’s death. The judgment dealt a significant blow: $200 million in damages and an injunction to freeze assets, many of which had been hidden in shell companies and offshore accounts.
Still No Criminal Charges Despite Damning Evidence
After the judgment, Rebecca’s fourth husband handed prosecutors a gift—proof of hidden money and attempts to conceal wealth through LLCs. That helped lawyers secure a trust to safeguard remaining assets for Schwartz’s children.
Florin estimates that tens of millions may still be outstanding, though he's realistic about collecting the full judgment. “I don’t expect that there’s $200 million out there to get,” he said, “But I think there’s tens of millions out there. I really do.” Despite the civil victory, Rebecca has never seen a criminal courtroom for the murder itself. Prosecutors say the investigation remains open, but justice delayed is rarely justice delivered.
A Legacy Tarnished, a Son's Tribute
For Schwartz’s son Carter, who followed in his father's footsteps to become a kidney specialist, the trial served as both closure and heartbreak. “Dad was always a role model to me,” he told CBS News in 2017. “If I could be half the physician he was, that would be a successful life.” Indeed, the elder Schwartz was beloved in both his personal and professional life. Patients described him as generous, particularly toward those with financial hardship. It made his violent death all the more shocking and senseless. This case, as disturbing as it is revealing, reminds us that evil doesn’t always wear a mask, and sometimes luxury hides rot underneath. While woke culture fixates on bureaucratic equity, many American families are still waiting for the kind of justice that used to come with consequences.
