A San Diego woman has pleaded guilty to charges related to the 2024 death of her best friend's six-week-old infant son and the abuse of his twin brother. Nicole Virzi admitted to intentionally harming the babies, stating she had a lifelong "compulsion...to hurt kids."
Virzi, 32, confessed to investigators that she forcefully shook baby Leon Katz and deliberately dropped him multiple times, including onto a tile floor, despite her claim that she did not intend for him to die. Medical examinations revealed Leon suffered a severe skull fracture and multiple brain hemorrhages, with a doctor concluding the injuries sustained by both infants were indicative of child abuse.
The incident occurred in June 2024 when Virzi, a former doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at UC San Diego, traveled to Pittsburgh to visit her best friend and her newborn twins. During the visit, Virzi offered to babysit Leon while the parents took his twin brother, Ari, to the hospital for injuries they had noticed. It was during this time that Leon sustained his fatal injuries.
Initially, Virzi reported to emergency services that the baby had fallen. Leon was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The twins' mother, Savannah Roberts, expressed profound grief and disbelief in a statement, detailing the unimaginable betrayal by someone she considered family. She conveyed her ongoing struggle with making decisions regarding Ari's care due to the fear of inadvertently causing harm.
Virzi faces a potential prison sentence of 35 to 80 years after pleading guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of child endangerment. Despite the immense tragedy, the family has stated that Ari is now thriving and described him as a caring and loving child. Roberts concluded her statement by acknowledging the joy Ari brings while simultaneously mourning the life Leon should have experienced alongside his brother.
