A PhD student accused of killing her friend’s newborn son and harming his infant twin brother might face the death penalty if convicted of the heinous crime.
The Allegheny District Attorney’s Office announced in court on Friday that Nicole Virzi, who reportedly smashed 6-week-old Leon Katz’s skull while babysitting him inside the family’s Pittsburgh-area home in June, will face the death penalty.
Virzi, 30, was watching the baby after Leon’s parents, Ethan Katz and his wife, Savannah Roberts, took his twin brother, Ari, to the hospital for injuries that the California lady was subsequently accused of inflicting.
Prosecutors have filed notice that they intend to seek the death sentence in the June 15 homicide, citing some aggravating elements, including the suspected use of torture, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Virzi claimed Leon fell from his bouncer chair when she stepped away, but doctors determined the injuries were “consistent with having been sustained as a result of child abuse, as these are inflicted injuries that are not natural and not accidental,” WTAE previously reported, citing court records and police.
The county medical examiner determined Leon’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head. A head CT scan revealed that Leon had a significant skull fracture on the left side of his head, as well as many brain bleeds.
She is charged with homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment.
Virzi, who was a clinical psychology student at UC San Diego’s Joint Doctoral Program, was described as a “trusted family friend” on a fundraiser page set up in the aftermath of his death.
While Virzi is from California, she was staying at a Pittsburgh-area Airbnb at the time of the murder.
Virzi’s attorney, David Shrager, indicated last month that his client was grieved by Leon’s murder while maintaining her innocence.
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“If there was anything she wanted to convey, it would be the horrible pain that she is experiencing,” Shrager added, according to the article. “These were her close friends.”
In Pennsylvania, no women are currently on death row, and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has sworn not to issue any death warrants while in office.
According to the Post-Gazette, Virzi did not attend her formal arraignment on Friday and waived a preliminary hearing last month.