A 29-year-old San Diego woman is accused of killing a 6-week-old baby and abusing his twin brother while she was visiting the children’s parents in Pennsylvania last weekend.
Investigators allege Nicole Virzi, a doctoral candidate at San Diego State University and UC San Diego, was babysitting Leon Katz when he suffered multiple skull fractures at his parents’ apartment in Pittsburgh Saturday night.
Virzi, who was in town for the weekend, is also accused of abusing Leon’s twin brother after scratches and bruises were found on his face, belly and genitals earlier that same day.
Virzi was arrested on suspicion of murder, child endangerment and aggravated assault. She pleaded not guilty on Monday and remained in custody in Allegheny County Jail as of Wednesday.
Defense attorney David Shrager said Leon fell out of a bouncing high chair while Virzi was out of the room and that his client denies any wrongdoing.
“We are at the beginning of our investigation, but it’s important to note that my client has no criminal history whatsoever,” Shrager told the Union-Tribune. “She is a Ph.D. student and was a longtime friend of the family.”
According to the complaint, Virzi had been visiting with the family Saturday when she found blood in the diapers of Leon’s brother. The parents told police that Virzi was alone with the baby just before she told them about the injury.
The couple quickly took the injured baby to a children’s hospital and left Leon in Virzi’s care.
Virzi later told police that she kept him in a bouncy chair while the parents were at the hospital, occasionally changing, burping and feeding him throughout the night, the complaint says. An hour before midnight, she told police she went to the kitchen to get a bottle for the baby but did not strap him into the chair.
At that time, Virzi said she heard the baby screaming from the other room, the complaint says.
Virzi told police she came back into the room and found Leon on the ground with a “large bump on his head,” the complaint says.
According to the complaint, Virzi called 911 around 11:15 p.m. to report Leon had fallen from a bouncer seat and bumped his head. She told dispatchers the baby was conscious but having trouble breathing.
Paramedics responded and took Leon to a children’s hospital, where he died.
A CT scan later determined that Leon suffered a skull fracture, along with multiple brain bleeds. Investigators said Virzi could not provide a “plausible explanation” for the injuries.
Both parents denied wrongdoing and told police they did not see how the injuries to either son happened.
According to Virzi’s online academic profile, she is a psychology doctoral student.
“My research aims to explore the complex interplay between psychological factors — such as depression, stress, negative affect, and trauma — and critical health outcomes and behaviors — such as metabolic syndrome, heart disease, obesity, eating behavior, and exercise,” her SDSU page reads. “I am particularly interested in exploring these relationships within female and trauma-exposed populations.”