A California doctoral candidate was arrested after the young son a close friend had entrusted to her care ended up dead; The tragedy unfolded shortly after her twin brother was rushed to the hospital with an injury he also allegedly suffered while the college student was caring for them.
Nicole Virzi is charged with the murder of six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz in his Pittsburgh home.
Police allege she is responsible for causing a fractured skull and several bleeds in the brain detected by a CT scan, Pittsburgh police reported. WTAE reported.
Virzi has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer maintains his innocence.
‘Our client denies these allegations. She is a loving person and friend to these people and she would never harm anyone’s child, much less theirs,” attorney David Shrager told the outlet.
Nicole Virzi is charged with the murder of six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz in his Pittsburgh home.
Virzi, 29, was babysitting the boy while his parents were at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh with his twin after Virzi said he saw an injury in his groin area.
She told police she had gone to the kitchen to get Katz a bottle when she suddenly heard screaming.
When she returned, she said the baby had fallen out of her bouncer. She then called 911.
“The injuries sustained by both (twins) are consistent with having been suffered as a result of child abuse, as these are inflicted injuries that are neither natural nor 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 without bail at the Allegheny County Jail. Virzi faces a preliminary hearing on June 28.
Her Linkedin profile indicates that she is a fifth-year clinical psychology candidate in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program.
Virzi, 29, seen in her booking photo, was babysitting the boy while his parents were at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh with his twin after Virzi said she saw an injury in his groin.
Virzi told police he was giving Katz a bottle when he heard screams and saw that he had fallen out of a hammock.
‘She’s going to be 30 years old. She is a doctor. student. “She’s a long-time family friend in this situation,” Shrager said.
‘As I said, he shows no criminal history on his record and we are looking forward to having our day in court.
‘At this time, she is charged with a general charge of murder, for which, for the most part, no bail is available.
“Of course, we’re going to do our due diligence on that and see if we can make some changes there.”