Glamorous PHD student accused of violently killing her friend’s baby while visiting them during college break
A California PhD student went from books to booked after the infant son her boyfriend had entrusted her to babysit ended up dead — shortly after the parents rushed his twin brother to the hospital with an injury he suffered earlier that day. would have suffered under the friend’s care.
Nicole Virzi is accused of killing six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz in his Pittsburgh home.
Police claim she is responsible for inflicting a skull fracture and several brain bleeds picked up by CT scan, Pittsburgh’s WTAE reported.
Virzi has denied any wrongdoing and her lawyer maintains her innocence.
“Our client denies these allegations. She is a loving person and a friend to these people and would never harm anyone’s child, let alone theirs,” attorney David Shrager told the newspaper.
Nicole Virzi is accused of killing six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz in his Pittsburgh home
Virzi, 29, was babysitting the child while his parents were at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh with his twin brother after Virzi said she noticed an injury in his groin area.
She told police she went to the kitchen to get Katz a bottle when she suddenly heard screaming.
When she returned, she said the baby had fallen out of his bouncer. She then called 911.
“The injuries suffered by both (twins) are consistent with those of child abuse, because these are injuries that are not natural and not accidental,” a doctor told investigators, according to court documents.
Virzi is charged with murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.
She is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail. Virzi faces a preliminary hearing on June 28.
Her Linkedin profile indicates she is a fifth-year clinical psychology candidate for the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program.
Virzi, 29, seen in her booking photo, was babysitting the child while his parents were at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh with his twin brother after Virzi said she noticed an injury to his groin
Virzi told police she went to get Katz a bottle when she heard screaming and saw he had fallen from a bouncer
‘She’s going to be thirty years old. She has been promoted. student. She has been friends with the family for a long time in this situation,” Shrager said.
‘As I said, there does not appear to be any criminal history in her background and we are keen to get our day in court.
“At this time she is charged with a general charge of murder, which is largely non-bailable.
‘We will of course do due diligence on that front and see if we can make some changes.’