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

[Curious Me]

All I can say, speaking for myself only, is those genital injuries would have to be blatant as intentional abusive injuries for me to call the police and not ask the parents about them first. Of note, the parents did rush to the hospital with the injured twin. (So it wasn't something they did and were trying to hide, most likely, but then again, ya never know early in a case.)

I think it's mandatory protocol that the hospital has to notify the police or CPS if the injuries looked intentional and suspicious. I'm just having a hard time imagining the extent of the injuries. Scratches?

MOO here, infants, gosh, I can't imagine leaving an out of town guest with my infants. Her calling the police on the parents would've been outrageous, I'd think, not knowing how the injuries occurred, not seeing any abuse happening. An out of town guest calling the police seems a bit much. Some diaper rashes can look like negligent parenting.

So many things can pop up with kids, in general. The genital injuries must've looked so bad that the parents felt it necessary to rush to the hospital, so they must've been more than mild scratches. The hospital would've brought in the police if they thought the injuries were abuse. Hope my post makes sense. All MOO

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[Gemmie]

All I can say, speaking for myself only, is those genital injuries would have to be blatant as intentional abusive injuries for me to call the police and not ask the parents about them first. Of note, the parents did rush to the hospital with the injured twin. (So it wasn't something they did and were trying to hide, most likely, but then again, ya never know early in a case.)

I think it's mandatory protocol that the hospital has to notify the police or CPS if the injuries looked intentional and suspicious. I'm just having a hard time imagining the extent of the injuries. Scratches?

MOO here, infants, gosh, I can't imagine leaving an out of town guest with my infants. Her calling the police on the parents would've been outrageous, I'd think, not knowing how the injuries occurred, not seeing any abuse happening. An out of town guest calling the police seems a bit much. Some diaper rashes can look like negligent parenting.

So many things can pop up with kids, in general. The genital injuries must've looked so bad that the parents felt it necessary to rush to the hospital, so they must've been more than mild scratches. The hospital would've brought in the police if they thought the injuries were abuse. Hope my post makes sense. All MOO

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Yes, it was more than mild scratches. I wouldn't think they'd rush an infant to the hospital if only mild.

The baby's twin, whose name was not immediately available, was examined and found to have 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

I can't even image what happened to cause those sorts of injuries to a 6 week old baby.

 

[SMK777]

Her calling the police on the parents would've been outrageous, I'd think, not knowing how the injuries occurred, not seeing any abuse happening

That’s my thinking, too. She’d known them online in the academic community, and was now visiting them in Pittsburgh and babysitting. Calling the police on them for perhaps some swelling would be an extreme thing to do.

 

[SMK777]

The baby's twin, whose name was not immediately available, was examined and found to have scratches, bruises, swelling and redness, according to court documents.

Hmmm, that does sound more than mild….

 

[Curious Me]

JMO, some people are ready to hang NV right now and we really know hardly any true facts. You have to admit, the combined reports of both twins being injured with NV around casts all the suspicion and blame on her right off. Combining both twins injuries pushes it over the top and Leon's death can't be seen as one unfortunate accidental event.

Leave the one twin's genital injuries out of it, and just for a minute consider only what happened to Leon. He was left in NV's care while the parents rushed to the hospital with the other twin.

NV was caring for Leon, and we'll assume, inexperienced, and not used to providing the constant care an infant requires. She went to get a bottle for him. He wasn't secured in that bounce chair, as I think I understand it, and the fatal accident occurred. Negligence of an inexperienced childcare provider.

Her Defense attorney will probably want to get the Jurors to see it as an isolated incident, not combined with the other twin's injuries. Or her attorney will have to challenge that NV had nothing to do with the one twin's genital injuries, and Leon's death was an accident. ​

 

[SMK777]

NV was caring for Leon, and we'll assume, inexperienced, and not used to providing the constant care an infant requires. She went to get a bottle for him. He wasn't secured in that bounce chair, as I think I understand it, and the fatal accident occurred. Negligence of an inexperienced childcare provider.

Her Defense attorney will probably want to get the Jurors to see it as an isolated incident, not combined with the other twin's injuries. Or her attorney will have to challenge that NV had nothing to do with the one twin's genital injuries, and Leon's death was an accident.

Snipped for focus.
True, the one twin’s may be viewed as separate from the other twin’s injury. But in the accidental scenario, how can the defense negate the Children’s Hospital physician who said that both twins’ injuries were the product of child abuse, and not accidental or natural? By getting counter arguments from experts?

 

[Curious Me]

snipped to reply...By getting counter arguments from experts?

Definitely. At trial we will hear hours of testimony about an infant's soft spots, also known as a fontanelle. There's more than one, but anterior soft spot is that little area near the front of your newborn’s head where the bones aren’t yet touching.

We will probably see diagrams on how an infant might fall to create those type injuries. Also they may show a "CAR", a computer-generated animation, of how the baby bounced out of that seat, that depicts an event material to a civil or criminal case. MOO, it isn't cut and dry just because one doctor said it was intentional. ​

What Is the Baby’s Soft Spot?

A baby’s soft spot is an underdeveloped space on the skull that appears after birth. Learn about what causes it, what to expect, and more.

www.webmd.com

 

[SMK777]

MOO, it isn't cut and dry just because one doctor said it was intentional.

SBM
Yes, I guess there’s always a margin for competing theories, and the jury will have to decide on which to believe, or at least if there is room for reasonable doubt.