PA - infant Leon Katz murdered, twin injured, allegedly by babysitter, Pittsburgh- June 24, 2024

[loveplace]

Well, I was easily able to enter the courthouse (after metal detectors) and make it to the hallway. The judge’s chambers had a door that they kept locking and unlocking depending on who they were allowing in. I asked if I could enter, they said they’d call for us at 9 am. At 9 am, the judge next door (Flaherty) jovially came out and invited people into his room. Never happened in 327. No announcement. Attorneys were let in, door immediately closed behind them. I tried to enter, but someone was standing in front of the door to not allow me in. No one else was trying to enter and not allowed. Just me. I guess I wasn’t recognized as a party to the case, someone they already knew.

I find myself wondering if the exclusion of the public is related to the fact that one of the victims is a still living minor who may have been the subject of sa. Honestly wondering as it's the only thing I could think of that may make sense.

 

[abyquinn]

I find myself wondering if the exclusion of the public is related to the fact that one of the victims is a still living minor who may have been the subject of sa. Honestly wondering as it's the only thing I could think of that may make sense.

We need a little bullseye in the likes. Absolutely right, they often have a closed door policy on hearings involving minors. Thanks loveplace, now I can stop trying to figure it out.

SteelTownGirl, thank you for attending & sharing, It’s been a long time but I remember the court house being absolutely deserted beginning around Thanksgiving, so I’ll be surprised if this actually begins before January. It must be awful for all those people, locked up, away from family & friends, their lives on hold, in Limbo really. Granted most of them are right where they belong but there are exceptions.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Nancy Grace actually made that exact comment about 22 minutes into her show posted in this thread. Post 940 - Pg 47 We have open courtrooms, no secret proceedings like you hear about in other countries, you know, like in China and Russia.

That was really strange that they didn’t let you in Steel Town Girl. You don’t have to have a Press Pass to observe; students, writers, neighbors, citizens from other countries, all sorts of people show up to observe our courts everyday. If you are interested you could call or write to the judge to ask why you weren’t allowed in. They may have a good reason - I’m just nosy!

I called Judge Rangos’ office this morning and asked if future hearings in this case would be open to the public. The gentleman said all hearings are open. I told him that I wasn’t allowed in on Friday. He said as far as he knows, they are all open.

 

[Curious Me]

Fri, September 6, 2024 at 4:55 PM PDT5 min read

Who is Nicole Virzi, PhD student accused of killing her friend's newborn son?

Nicole Virzi, a student who babysat Leon Katz in Pittsburgh, was charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.

www.yahoo.com

David Shrager, Virzi's defense attorney, told NBC News that he would pursue acquittal for his client.

“This was not the direction we hoped the case would go,” Shrager said. “We strongly disagree with the allegations made by the DA’s office regarding the death penalty. We will of course be litigating this case aggressively until the truth comes out.”​

__________________________________________

21:38, 13 Sep 2024

Major update on student facing death penalty for 'beating pal's baby to death'

Nicole Virzi, 29, is accused of murdering six-week-old Leon Katz while she babysat the tot at his home in Pittsburgh, US, in June - and now faces the death penalty

www.mirror.co.uk

At a pre-trial conference on Friday, the court set a jury trial date for December 10, 2024. Two status hearings will be held before the trial, which will give the defense and prosecution an opportunity to come to a resolution outside of court proceedings.​

 

[SMK777]

Fri, September 6, 2024 at 4:55 PM PDT5 min read

Who is Nicole Virzi, PhD student accused of killing her friend's newborn son?

Nicole Virzi, a student who babysat Leon Katz in Pittsburgh, was charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.

www.yahoo.com

David Shrager, Virzi's defense attorney, told NBC News that he would pursue acquittal for his client.

“This was not the direction we hoped the case would go,” Shrager said. “We strongly disagree with the allegations made by the DA’s office regarding the death penalty. We will of course be litigating this case aggressively until the truth comes out.”​

__________________________________________

21:38, 13 Sep 2024

Major update on student facing death penalty for 'beating pal's baby to death'

Nicole Virzi, 29, is accused of murdering six-week-old Leon Katz while she babysat the tot at his home in Pittsburgh, US, in June - and now faces the death penalty

www.mirror.co.uk

At a pre-trial conference on Friday, the court set a jury trial date for December 10, 2024. Two status hearings will be held before the trial, which will give the defense and prosecution an opportunity to come to a resolution outside of court proceedings.​

So she and her defense team are denying any criminal wrongdoing. We need to hear the evidence for their argument.

 

[IDK]

Jumping off from some previous posts in relation to NV’s defense. It’s the prosecution’s job to convince the jury BARD and in a highly emotional case like the death of a baby, the juror selection will be important.( as always)

Depending on the strength of the prosecution’s case, some things I would hope to see presented by her defense ( I know many of these have been mentioned before)
Neuroimaging expert to counter the interpretation of the imaging that was done (MRI, CT, X-ray)
Pediatric head trauma expert also to counter the prosecution’s experts.
Detailed timeline of NV’s stay in Pittsburgh.
Texts and call records for the month leading up to the death. (Not sure they would be able to obtain the records of the parents since they are not on trial)
Especially interested in all texts and calls between NV and the parents.
Internet browsing history.
Any previous experiences with children and young infants.
Character witnesses?
Video camera footage.
Were there any witnesses who saw the parents, babies and NV when they were on their outing earlier in the day? It would be interesting to hear how they were all interacting.
Did the neighbors hear anything odd from the apartment?

I’m sure I’m missing some things.
Such a horribly sad and tragic case.

 

[SMK777]

Did the neighbors hear anything odd from the apartment?

Great list.
Snipped for focus (above).
I hadn’t thought about this. Do you think LE interviewed any of them, or asked for any possible ring cam/audio?

 

[IDK]

Great list.
Snipped for focus (above).
I hadn’t thought about this. Do you think LE interviewed any of them, or asked for any possible ring cam/audio?

I really hope so. Sometimes though I wonder how much investigation is done if a case seems open and shut. ( which is how it seems to be portrayed by the prosecution)

 

[SMK777]

I really hope so. Sometimes though I wonder how much investigation is done if a case seems open and shut. ( which is how it seems to be portrayed by the prosecution)

Can the defense interview the neighbors, or request footage/audio (may be too late, though…)?

 

[IDK]

Can the defense interview the neighbors, or request footage/audio (may be too late, though…)?

I think they can hire PI’s to investigate and they should also have access to any interviews LE conducted.

I really wonder if they are working on a plea deal of some kind.

 

[SMK777]

I think they can hire PI’s to investigate and they should also have access to any interviews LE conducted.

I really wonder if they are working on a plea deal of some kind.

I guess if they are, we would eventually hear about it before December when the trial was to begin, presumably.

If she denies any wrongdoing, though, what could the plea be? Some kind of involuntary manslaughter would make a mockery of their death penalty case, so a plea doesn’t seem feasible considering the prosecution and defense are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Great list.
Snipped for focus (above).
I hadn’t thought about this. Do you think LE interviewed any of them, or asked for any possible ring cam/audio?

We have often commented how tight lipped LE has been with this case. I feel so confident LE has been thorough with many of the questions.
To me it's a "how could they NO have done all those follow-up steps"???

 

[SMK777]

We have often commented how tight lipped LE has been with this case. I feel so confident LE has been thorough with many of the questions.
To me it's a "how could they NO have done all those follow-up steps"???

True, I guess they would be thorough with all those issues…considering how serious the charges are.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

plea deal? already? has there been any discovery yet? IMO no plea deal being discussed yet...

 

[Kemug]

I guess they have to request press passes from their news sites. Maybe it’s a matter of prioritizing. I’m sure if there is a development with more information or if NV appears and cameras are allowed, they will go. At least you’d hope so. Until then, we have you

Dear @steeltowngirl, if you could send a stamped self-addressed envelope, I would be happy to make a beautiful press pass for you.

 

[Curious Me]

I do think the way that below paragraph is worded that it implies there could be a resolution outside of a formal trial. Very odd the way this is being handled, IMO. If anyone can find recent news updates, please be sure to post a link here.

Major update on student facing death penalty for 'beating pal's baby to death'

Nicole Virzi, 29, is accused of murdering six-week-old Leon Katz while she babysat the tot at his home in Pittsburgh, US, in June - and now faces the death penalty

www.mirror.co.uk

At a pre-trial conference on Friday, the court set a jury trial date for December 10, 2024. Two status hearings will be held before the trial, which will give the defense and prosecution an opportunity to come to a resolution outside of court proceedings.
_________________________________

For those who want to catch up on what this case is about, but can't handle Nancy Grace coverage, MOO, you'll find Gisela K. easier to listen to. To me she shows caution trying to give accurate details and I respect that. ​

TWIN BABIES Harmed by Family Friend? Nicole Virzi Charged with Criminal Homicide | Pittsburgh - July 11, 2024 video - Grizzly True Crime

 

[SMK777]

which will give the defense and prosecution an opportunity to come to a resolution outside of court proceedings

SBM
That’s very telling…

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Is that a way of saying a possible plea deal?

 

[SMK777]

Is that a way of saying a possible plea deal?

Seems so.