Pittsburgh woman sentenced to 35 to 80 years for killing 6-week-old friend's son

A 32-year-old doctoral student who flew from California to visit a close friend in Pittsburgh has agreed to spend at least 35 years in state prison after pleading guilty to the murder of the friend's six-week-old son. Nicole Virzi accepted a plea deal in Allegheny County court on Wednesday, dropping a capital murder charge that carried the possibility of the death penalty. She was convicted of third-degree murder and other counts.

The plea agreement resolves a case that began in June 2024 when Savannah Roberts and her husband Ethan Katz took their son Ari to the hospital after finding unexplained wounds on his body. While the parents were away, Virzi, who was staying with the family, offered to care for their newborn twin Leon. Late that night, she called police to report that Leon had fallen from a baby bouncer. Medical staff at a nearby children's hospital pronounced the infant dead.

Pittsburgh police investigators quickly found that the severity of Leon's injuries did not match the height of a fall from a bouncer. They took Virzi into custody. The criminal complaint filed against her states that the death was a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators also determined that the injuries originally found on Ari were caused by Virzi. Prosecutors told the court that Virzi admitted she had a compulsion she could not control to harm children.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office said it agreed to the plea after consulting with the family and considering community protection. The office noted it was originally committed to taking the case to trial. Under the sentence, Virzi must serve the full minimum term of 35 years before she becomes eligible for parole. Phil DiLucente, a local criminal law attorney and analyst for NBC affiliate WPXI, said it is highly unlikely a parole board would ever release her. He noted that her premeditated act and the trust she abused do not fit typical mitigating factors for parole.

Savannah Roberts, the victim's mother, wrote a letter to Judge Jill E. Rangos describing the lasting impact of the tragedy. Roberts said her self-confidence is shattered and that she feels unrecognizable as a person. She stated that she will never forgive herself for failing to protect her babies. Roberts described the specific trauma of the crime, noting that Virzi hurled Leon to the ground on their bathroom floor, fracturing his skull. It took Roberts nearly a year to use the bathroom, shower, or brush her teeth alone without Ethan Katz standing outside the door to talk to her.

Roberts expressed worry that she may never be able to leave their surviving twin son, Ari, alone with a friend again. She noted that the couple had always dreamed of having twins because both parents are twins. Roberts said the case has fundamentally changed her trust in humanity. She described Virzi as a monster who used their close relationship to place herself in a position to commit the acts.

An attorney for Virzi could not be reached for comment before the deadline. The sentencing concludes the formal legal proceedings in this case, with the defendant now eligible to begin serving her time in the state prison system. The next scheduled step involves her transfer to a correctional facility to begin the 35-year minimum sentence.

Virzi had been a doctoral student at the University of California San Diego. She traveled to Pittsburgh to help babysit the newborn twins Leon and Ari Katz. The court accepted her guilty plea on Wednesday, ending the criminal trial phase of the case. The plea deal fixed her release eligibility date at 35 years from the start of her sentence.