Nicole Virzi sentenced to up to 80 years for killing infant

Nicole Virzi, a 32-year-old doctoral student from San Diego, has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from the June 2024 death of 6-week-old Leon Katz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

During a visit to her best friend, Savannah Roberts, Virzi reportedly identified injuries on one of the newborn twins, Ari, and offered to babysit the other twin, Leon, while the parents sought medical attention. Investigators determined that Virzi was responsible for the injuries to both infants. While Leon was initially reported to have fallen from a baby bouncer, an autopsy revealed he died from blunt force trauma to the head, including a severe skull fracture and brain hemorrhages.

Virzi admitted to investigators that she had an uncontrollable compulsion to harm children and intentionally shook and dropped the infant. She was sentenced to between 35 and 80 years in prison.