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

[Curious Me]

But in that case, an immature person at college was being burdened with her boyfriend’s baby. In this case, a 29 year old PhD student in town to see friends presumably could handle a night of babysitting. Or at least it seems that way to me….​

I know it seems like she could maybe handle it, but... Does she have any shred of experience holding a baby, ever changing a baby, being able to calm a crying baby down? She lived in the world of academia. She didn't really have much time to bond with those infants. She might not have been able to deal with a shrieking baby not calming down. I'm thinking one hour with a screaming baby could seem like longer to an inpatient, inexperienced sitter. She might have lost patience rather quickly. She was described as "a little rigid". ​

PhD student accused of murdering close friend’s newborn baby, abusing tot’s twin is daughter of prominent NYC cardiologist

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said she said she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.&#82…

nypost.com

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said noted she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.”

UBM & BBM​

 

[SMK777]

I know it seems like she could maybe handle it, but... Does she have any shred of experience holding a baby, ever changing a baby, being able to calm a crying baby down? She lived in the world of academia. She didn't really have much time to bond with those infants. She might not have been able to deal with a shrieking baby not calming down. I'm thinking one hour with a screaming baby could seem like longer to an inpatient, inexperienced sitter. She might have lost patience rather quickly. She was described as "a little rigid". ​

PhD student accused of murdering close friend’s newborn baby, abusing tot’s twin is daughter of prominent NYC cardiologist

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said she said she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.&#82…

nypost.com

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said noted she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.”

UBM & BBM​

Yes, it’s possible that it proved to be more than she could handle. However the fatal injuries to the skull seem excessive— unless she didn’t know her own strength, or was on some kind of drugs or medication.

I guess if I picture myself at 29 and going for an advanced degree ( which I actually didn’t do until much later) I can picture being frazzled but not violent. But of course everyone is different….and if she was rigid then definitely that may have been an aggravating factor.

 

[Tutter]

My questions have more to do with her coming across the country, not even staying in the family's home, but somehow being allowed to apparently change the twin's diapers, or get near his genital's in the first place.

Not to fault the parents because I still don't know how this all came about, and trusting the wrong people happens; however, why would a visitor be left with your child to know about his genitals. All I'm conveying is I wouldn't just let out of town guests start changing my baby's diapers or trust someone visiting with the care of my young infants. How well did they really know this woman?​

What is not clear to me is when the first baby was hurt. She is the one who noticed and the the parents took that baby to the ER, and left his twin with her. So when and why was she alone with baby #1?

I don’t know that she babysat both at the same time at all. In any case the murder and abuse have nothing to do with her not being able to handle twins or having no experience with babies!
I have a feeling she was not a friend they knew in person before this. IMO.

 

[charminglane]

I'm thinking she was jealous of the babies and the husband.
Targeted.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I know it seems like she could maybe handle it, but... Does she have any shred of experience holding a baby, ever changing a baby, being able to calm a crying baby down? She lived in the world of academia. She didn't really have much time to bond with those infants. She might not have been able to deal with a shrieking baby not calming down. I'm thinking one hour with a screaming baby could seem like longer to an inpatient, inexperienced sitter. She might have lost patience rather quickly. She was described as "a little rigid". ​

PhD student accused of murdering close friend’s newborn baby, abusing tot’s twin is daughter of prominent NYC cardiologist

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said she said she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.&#82…

nypost.com

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said noted she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.”

UBM & BBM​

When people work in deep areas of research, they get close. And NV grew up in Pittsburgh. I believe they were very close in academics, and personally. I sense that they WERE close enough to share a mutual trust. But the mother of the twins did give an indication of more about NV, in the statement above:
“had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.”

I think we will probably see that NVs areas of study might be part of her particular psychosis. Of course, moo, but more will keep coming out, i am sure.
Nicole Virzi

I , earlier, pointed out one of her academic articles:
Examining the association between objective physical activity and momentary pain: a systematic review of studies using ambulatory assessment
Chronic pain (CP) is a debilitating and increasingly common health condition that adversely impacts function, including physical activity (PA). Research using ambulatory assessment (AA) methods (eg, ecological momentary assessment, actigraphy) offers promise for elucidating the relationship between momentary pain and objective PA in CP populations. This study aimed to systematically review articles assessing the association between momentary pain and PA in adults with CP as measured using AA and to make recommendations for the measurement and study of this relationship
Academics deep into their sh***t, can get carried away. So I, personally, do not think it is way off base to try to figure out this woman through her studies.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I'm thinking she was jealous of the babies and the husband.
Targeted.

Or perhaps jealous of and wanting to hurt the husband, it was their anniversary and Father's Day. Possibly some historic anger at males, with the genital injury, just horrifically targeted. JMOOO. Perhaps the mom was more attentive to their communications and the babysitter's "work" prior to the marriage, births, motherhood? MOOO as a hypothesis, but the degree of rage over time suggests something separate from and more historical than about just this family, perhaps? JMOOO.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

When people work in deep areas of research, they get close. And NV grew up in Pittsburgh. I believe they were very close in academics, and personally. I sense that they WERE close enough to share a mutual trust. But the mother of the twins did give an indication of more about NV, in the statement above:
“had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.”

I think we will probably see that NVs areas of study might be part of her particular psychosis. Of course, moo, but more will keep coming out, i am sure.
Nicole Virzi

I , earlier, pointed out one of her academic articles:
Examining the association between objective physical activity and momentary pain: a systematic review of studies using ambulatory assessment
Chronic pain (CP) is a debilitating and increasingly common health condition that adversely impacts function, including physical activity (PA). Research using ambulatory assessment (AA) methods (eg, ecological momentary assessment, actigraphy) offers promise for elucidating the relationship between momentary pain and objective PA in CP populations. This study aimed to systematically review articles assessing the association between momentary pain and PA in adults with CP as measured using AA and to make recommendations for the measurement and study of this relationship
Academics deep into their sh***t, can get carried away. So I, personally, do not think it is way off base to try to figure out this woman through her studies.

The quote says it is from a "friend" not specifically from the mother of the babies.

 

[charminglane]

Or perhaps jealous of and wanting to hurt the husband, it was their anniversary and Father's Day. Possibly some historic anger at males, with the genital injury, just horrifically targeted. JMOOO. Perhaps the mom was more attentive to their communications and the babysitter's "work" prior to the marriage, births, motherhood? MOOO as a hypothesis, but the degree of rage over time suggests something separate from and more historical than about just this family, perhaps? JMOOO.

Yes, perhaps in her own family of origin.
Or she was feeling left behind or out. Pushed aside? Resentful.

 

[Curious Me]

But the mother of the twins did give an indication of more about NV, in the statement

And NV grew up in Pittsburgh. I believe they were very close in academics, and personally. I sense that they WERE close enough to share a mutual trust.​

It doesn't specify that the mother said that, just says a friend. So, NV grew up in PA and was friends with the twin's mother then? Could you provide a link (because I haven't seen that anywhere)? To me it sounded like more of an online academia admiration type relationship.​

The quote says it is from a "friend" not specifically from the mother of the babies.

I agree.

 

[Curious Me]

"She was also reportedly an instructor at the Cyclebar Carmel Valley in San Diego."

She was an instructor at the CycleBar CarmelValley. Please, no discussing or linking, but I did see a pic of her on their fb in March.

Looks like she had a lot of interactions with large groups of people both educationally, professionally, and socially, and was also an instructor at the Cyclebar.

It's a mystery at this stage-- we're not hearing of other instances of her being a danger, but she goes on a vacation break to PA and starts injuring and fatally harming babies of her friend's?

Sounds like the twin's mother really admired her academically back in 2021-22. Was it a psychotic type compulsion to hurt those babies? Like she had no control over it or what?​

PhD student accused of murdering close friend’s newborn baby, abusing tot’s twin is daughter of prominent NYC cardiologist

The friend said she did not know Virzi to be violent but said she said she “had some interpersonal issues. I would say she was a little rigid. She was nice. But very driven and motivated.&#82…

nypost.com

"She was also reportedly an instructor at the Cyclebar Carmel Valley in San Diego."
​

 

[Curious Me]

Have not heard of this case locally, so I'm backtracking into local news to see if I can find any new details.​

San Diego woman accused of killing twin baby, injuring other while babysitting in Pennsylvania

A San Diego woman is accused of killing a baby twin and injuring his sibling while she was babysitting in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood.

www.nbcsandiego.com

"David Shrager, the woman's defense attorney, told WPXI Virzi was changing one of the 6-week-old twins on June 15 when she noticed bruising and swelling. She told the child's parents who took that baby to the hospital."​

[...]

"Shrager said Virzi was visiting the couple from California, where she was working to obtain her PhD. Records obtained by NBC 7 showed she has lived in Hillcrest for the last four years."​

 

[Curious Me]

I didn't know NV was the one to call 911. Saturday would've been 6/15/24, a night before Father's Day. The parents supposedly had left to take the other twin to the hospital because of genital injuries-- "scratches, bruises, swelling and redness, according to court documents".

Woman Charged With Killing Pittsburgh Infant, Injuring His Twin

A woman has been charged with homicide following the death of a six-week-old baby in Pittsburgh.

patch.com

"According to court documents, Nicole Virzi, 29, of San Diego, called 911 shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday from an apartment in the 6000 block of Walnut Street in Shadyside to report an infant had fallen from a bouncer and had a bump on his head."​

 

[SMK777]

Looks like she had a lot of interactions with large groups of people both educationally, professionally, and socially, and was also an instructor at the Cyclebar.

It's a mystery at this stage-- we're not hearing of other instances of her being a danger, but she goes on a vacation break to PA and starts injuring and fatally harming babies of her friend's?

Sounds like the twin's mother really admired her academically back in 2021-22. Was it a psychotic type compulsion to hurt those babies? Like she had no control over it or what?

SBM
All of this information only makes matters more difficult to understand. This case is very strange.

 

[steeltowngirl]

So was it a bassinet, or a bouncer seat?

A preliminary hearing was held for Nicole Virzi, a San Diego woman who was babysitting 6-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz when she said he had fallen from his bassinet.

California woman accused of killing friend's newborn in Pittsburgh makes court appearance

A woman facing several charges, including homicide in the death of a baby in Pittsburgh, made an appearance in court.

www.cbsnews.com

Virzi told police she had gone in the family's kitchen to get a baby bottle and heard the baby screaming. She told police that when she returned, the baby was on the floor and out of a bouncer seat.

Woman accused of killing infant, assaulting his twin brother in Shadyside

According to investigators, one of the twins, 6-week-old Leon Katz, died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

www.wtae.com

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

If the sitter was from Pittsburgh, wonder why she was staying at an Air B&B?

I wonder if she knew the wife or husband first and if she had attended their wedding the prior year?

 

[Shamrock1]

So was it a bassinet, or a bouncer seat?

A preliminary hearing was held for Nicole Virzi, a San Diego woman who was babysitting 6-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz when she said he had fallen from his bassinet.

California woman accused of killing friend's newborn in Pittsburgh makes court appearance

A woman facing several charges, including homicide in the death of a baby in Pittsburgh, made an appearance in court.

www.cbsnews.com

Virzi told police she had gone in the family's kitchen to get a baby bottle and heard the baby screaming. She told police that when she returned, the baby was on the floor and out of a bouncer seat.

Woman accused of killing infant, assaulting his twin brother in Shadyside

According to investigators, one of the twins, 6-week-old Leon Katz, died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

www.wtae.com

I’m guessing a reclined glider/bouncer - example below. Not a “bounce-a-roo” for an older infant with trunk control and not a bedside bassinet or “play ‘n play.”

Bouncer Bliss—cozy for your newborn | BabyBjörn

Let your baby rock gently & comfortably in Bouncer Bliss! Our baby bouncer is a snug place for your newborn to play nearby while you do chores. For ages 0–2.

www.babybjorn.com

 

[Henry2326]

Can't imagine what all the info is that will help explain but it just doesn't make sense.....especially a newborn falling out of a bassinet.
----‐-------------------------------------
A preliminary hearing was held for Nicole Virzi, a San Diego woman who was babysitting 6-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz when she said he had fallen from his bassinet.

"There is a general misunderstanding of what transpired in the public. And we ask that people wait until they've heard all the facts to resolve their thoughts on this matter. And the facts will come out at the appropriate time at the appropriate venue. We asked that people refrain from judging," Shrager said.

California woman accused of killing friend's newborn in Pittsburgh makes court appearance

A woman facing several charges, including homicide in the death of a baby in Pittsburgh, made an appearance in court.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[JoeFromLB]

Can't imagine what all the info is that will help explain but it just doesn't make sense.....especially a newborn falling out of a bassinet.
----‐-------------------------------------
A preliminary hearing was held for Nicole Virzi, a San Diego woman who was babysitting 6-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz when she said he had fallen from his bassinet.

"There is a general misunderstanding of what transpired in the public. And we ask that people wait until they've heard all the facts to resolve their thoughts on this matter. And the facts will come out at the appropriate time at the appropriate venue. We asked that people refrain from judging," Shrager said.

California woman accused of killing friend's newborn in Pittsburgh makes court appearance

A woman facing several charges, including homicide in the death of a baby in Pittsburgh, made an appearance in court.

www.cbsnews.com

The last sentence in the article quotes her lawyer saying they plan to enter a guilty plea.

 

[Henry2326]

The last sentence in the article quotes her lawyer saying they plan to enter a guilty plea.

I don't even know what to say.....

 

[SMK777]

The last sentence in the article quotes her lawyer saying they plan to enter a guilty plea.

Other articles have said a plea of not guilty will be entered, and that she denies all wrongdoing (see upthread discussion from yesterday).