OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:36 AM – Wednesday, August 28, 2024
A PhD student who is accused of allegedly killing her close friend’s newborn baby and injuring his twin brother could soon face the death penalty, shocking the suspect’s family and legal defense team.
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On Friday, the Allegheny District Attorney’s Office revealed that they were planning to seek the death penalty against Nicole Virzi, 30, for allegedly smashing the skull of 6-week-old Leon Katz while she was babysitting him and his twin brother.
On June 15th, Virzi was watching over the baby as the child’s parents, Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts, who happen to be close family friends with the suspect, took their other son Ari to the hospital for injuries that Virzi was also later accused of.
Prosecutors claimed that the 30-year-old woman had allegedly committed the homicide by means of torture on their filing, which intended to pursue the death penalty.
According to Virzi, Leon “fell from his bouncer chair” when she had briefly stepped away. However, doctors found the injuries “consistent with having been sustained as a result of child abuse, as these are inflicted injuries that are not natural and not accidental.”
Leon’s death was soon ruled by the county’s medical examiner as blunt force trauma to the head.
According to a head CT scan, Leon suffered from a severe skull fracture to the left side of his head as well as multiple brain bleeds.
Virzi, who was referred to as a “trusted family friend,” is now facing charges of homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment. Her attorney, David Shrager, said last month that his client was not only devastated by Leon’s death but she also asserted that she was innocent.
“If there was something that she would want to convey, it would just be the absolutely horrible pain that she’s feeling,” Shrager said. “These were her close friends.”
According to reports, Virzi did not appear during her formal arraignment that was set for last Friday and she waived a preliminary hearing last month.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) has vowed not to sign off any death penalties while he is in office.
If sentenced, Virzi would be the only woman currently on death row in the state.
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