Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to killing infant, gets 35 to 80 years

Nicole Virzi, 32, will spend at least 35 years in prison for killing her best friend’s 6-week-old son in 2024. The Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to third-degree murder and related charges, ending a case where prosecutors had sought the death penalty.

Virzi was visiting Pittsburgh to help Savannah Roberts care for newborn twins Leon and Ari Katz. The parents had taken Ari to a hospital for unexplained injuries. While the parents were away, Virzi offered to watch Leon. That night, she called 911 and told dispatchers that Leon fell from a baby bouncer. He was rushed to a children’s hospital and died. An autopsy determined Leon suffered blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators concluded the injuries could not have resulted from a fall from a bouncer.

Detectives also determined Virzi caused Ari’s initial injuries. Prosecutors told the court that Virzi told investigators she “always had a compulsion she could not control to harm kids.”

Savannah Roberts wrote to Judge Jill E. Rangos about the verdict. “I could’ve never imagined that a person, let alone my best friend, was capable of the cruelty or violence Nicole displayed,” Roberts wrote. She said Virzi’s betrayal shattered her trust.

Virzi’s sentence ranges from 35 to 80 years in prison. She will serve the minimum term before becoming eligible for parole.

The case was handled by Allegheny County prosecutors. The twins’ parents, Leon and Ari Katz, were not in court Wednesday.