A glamorous PhD student charged with murdering her friend's newborn baby and injuring his infant twin brother could face the death penalty if found guilty of the heinous crime, according to prosecutors. Nicole Virzi, 29, has been accused of killing six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz while she was babysitting him at the family's Pittsburgh home in June.
On Friday, the Allegheny District Attorney's Office announced in court that it plans to seek death penalty against Virzi. The PhD student is accused of fatally injuring 6-week-old Leon by smashing his skull and resulting in several bleeds to his brain. She is also charged with injuring Leon's twin brother, Ari, who survived the attack.
Killer Friend and Babysitter
Virzi, 30, was babysitting the infant after Leon's parents, Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts, took Ari, his twin brother, to the hospital for injuries that Virzi is also accused of causing.
Prosecutors have announced their plans to seek the death penalty for the June 15 homicide, citing several aggravating factors for this rare decision, including the alleged use of torture in the crime, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The filing, which laid out the reasons for seeking the death penalty, reads: "The defendant committed the killing while in the perpetration of a felony. The offense was committed by means of torture."
"The defendant has a significant history of felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence to the person. The victim was a child under 12 years of age."
No additional information about her previous convictions was disclosed. A public records search for Virzi revealed only the details of the charges related to Leon's death.
Virzi was considered a "trusted friend" by the twins' parents, Ethan Katz and Savannah Roberts. She was taking care of the babies during her college break.
Her father, Peter J. Virzi, is a prominent cardiologist associated with Mt. Sinai Doctors in Manhattan and holds certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Killed for No Reason
The county's medical examiner determined that Leon's death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head. A CT scan revealed a severe skull fracture on the left side of his head, along with multiple brain bleeds.
Virzi is facing charges of homicide, aggravated assault, and child endangerment.
Although Virzi is originally from California, she was staying in an Airbnb in the Pittsburgh area at the time of the incident.
Last month, Virzi's attorney, David Shrager, said that his client was heartbroken over Leon's death and maintained her innocence.
"If there was something that she would want to convey, it would just be the absolutely horrible pain that she's feeling," Shrager said, according to the newspaper. "These were her close friends."
No woman is currently on death row in Pennsylvania, and Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has pledged not to authorize any death warrants during his term.
According to the Post-Gazette, Virzi did not attend her formal arraignment on Friday and waived a preliminary hearing last month.
