Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A woman from California is facing charges in connection with the death of a six-week-old baby and may face the death penalty if found guilty.
Nicole Virzi, residing in San Diego, was looking after Leon Katz while his parents, Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts, took Leon’s twin brother to the hospital on June 16.
Virzi initially reported that Leon was in a bouncer chair when she briefly left to get a bottle and that he fell from the chair during her absence.
However, a criminal complaint referenced by WTAE indicates that doctors discovered injuries “consistent with having been sustained as a result of child abuse.”
The medical examiner determined Leon’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head, with a CT scan showing a significant skull fracture on the left side of his head, along with multiple brain bleeds.
“These are inflicted injuries that are not natural and not accidental,” the doctors noted.
Furthermore, doctors linked their comments to injuries sustained by Leon’s brother, Ari, whose hospital visit was due to an injury to his genital area after being under Virzi’s care earlier that day.
Virzi, aged 30, faces charges of homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment. She waived her right to a hearing in July because she was friends with the child’s parents.
Her attorney, David Shrager, commented: “They’re her friends. When we analyzed the totality of the situation, she did not want to put them through that and have to hear everything and that was the decision she made and we respect that.”
Shrager also mentioned that Virzi was “devastated” in a statement made in July.
“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.”
On Friday, August 23, the case progressed in court when the Alleghany District Attorney’s Office declared their intention to pursue the death penalty against Virzi.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has announced that he will not sign any death warrants while in office. Currently, there are no women on death row in Pennsylvania.
Virzi was studying clinical psychology, with a focus on depression’s impact on human behavior, in San Diego. At the time of Leon’s death, she was staying in an Airbnb in the Pittsburgh area. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and wish to speak to someone confidentially regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and takes calls from across the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.