Nicole Virzi sentenced to 35-80 years for killing friend's newborn son
The 32-year-old woman pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges after admitting she had a long-standing compulsion to harm children.
By William Turner ·
Nicole Virzi received a sentence of 35 to 80 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the killing of her best friend's newborn son. The 32-year-old woman avoided a trial where the death penalty was a possibility by entering her guilty plea for third-degree murder and additional charges.
The incident occurred in 2024 when Virzi was visiting Pittsburgh to help her friend, Savannah Roberts, care for the couple's newborn twins, Leon and Ari Katz. Prosecutors stated that Virzi was babysitting when the parents took Ari to a hospital for unexplained injuries. Virzi agreed to watch Leon at the time.
Later that evening, Virzi called 911 to report that Leon had fallen from a baby bouncer. Medics transported the infant to a children's hospital, where he died. An autopsy determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Investigators concluded the severe injuries were inconsistent with a fall from a bouncer.
Detectives also found that Virzi caused the initial injuries sustained by Ari. During court proceedings, prosecutors disclosed that Virzi told investigators she "always had a compulsion she could not control to harm kids."
Savannah Roberts wrote a letter to Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos regarding the sentencing. Roberts described the betrayal as shattering her trust. "I could’ve never imagined that a person, let alone my best friend, was capable of the cruelty or violence Nicole displayed," Roberts wrote in the letter to the judge.
