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

[Susikatze]

I agree @Shamrock1. I had that type of bouncer for my boys. When they begin kicking their little legs, the bouncer rocks a bit and they appeared to like it. Can't leave them alone though, always have to supervise.

This is such a tragedy and I can't imagine the grief felt by those poor parents. Absolutely horrible. I wonder if the perpetrator was abused as a child...

I had the same for my daughter. And i also never left her unsupervised, but i still dont see how a small baby could just slip out of it and fatally injure the head when the bouncer is on the floor. They hang in the straps very deeply.
I think the babysitter may have placed the bouncer on a table, kitchen counter, bed or other elevated or unstable surface where the bouncer can slide off easily once the baby moves.
Unfortunately ive seen many parents and even caregivers do that. Very dangerous. The babysitter may have taken the babies to the kitchen and place the bouncers on the kitchen island or similar while making the bottle.

This does not exclude a history of mental illness or abuse for the babysitter but may explain the injuries.

 

[Curious Me]

I also think NV had some experience with young babies, maybe siblings from a parent’s second marriage, maybe nieces or nephews.

Again, let me say I value your post, @abyquinn, and you make valid points. I just try so hard to stick to confirmed info. It'd be good if that's true that she had baby care experience... and that could be used in her defense that no other babies have suffered in her care. Oops, but that would take away the inexperienced defense, and MOO, it's needed to make her appear innocent of intentionally harming babies.

Maybe, maybe she had nieces and nephews or step siblings she watched, but there' s no link with that stated it as a fact. She was in school and lived in the Hillcrest area of San Diego for the last 4 yrs. (I live in SD.) I'd say from what's been reported in MSM is she lived in the world of academia. Where does it say anything about her being around babies? Another newspaper article said she taught at a Cycle shop. I've provided the links in my quoted posts below. Now, maybe you're right she could've worked as a Nanny. That's possible, but again we don't know.
​

"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.

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

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

 

[Curious Me]

"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."

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

​

 

[Curious Me]

snipped to reply ...Since mom & dad went out for a bit in the afternoon, when the boys filled their diaper it was up to NV to change them.

Oh, @abyquinn, I'm am glad you shared how often babies need to have a diaper change. I definitely agree that if she was left to watch one or both twins she'd be changing a diaper or two. That would explain how she even saw the genital injuries to tell the parents about it. You might know more about the bounce seats popular now days. I want to see a pic of it. Someone posted a possible one that stands more upright and would require a strap across the baby. If she did have experience caring for babies then I'm surprised if she didn't have him strapped in... but we don't know that either as a fact.​

...but i still dont see how a small baby could just slip out of it and fatally injure the head when the bouncer is on the floor. They hang in the straps very deeply...

Spoiler: OPEN for some general types of bounce seats

We are talking about six week old infants so not all these seats would be appropriate or safe for that age of infant. We have no idea what kind of bounce seat Leon was in.

​

BUT we don't even know if mom and dad left the house in the afternoon. We don't know if they left her alone with one or both twins. (If it's not a fact, I try to state it's only MOO, or my own assumption, so people don't run with it as fact.) There's been no explanation if she was babysitting Ari and why she saw his genitals. So frustrating, all the media reports say the same and leave the same blanks of real details. ​

 

[katsrfun]

Maybe, maybe, BUT it's open to interpretation. You're taking what her attorney and the media says and making it into a fact that they were close friends in person, not just online educational colleagues. If someone can link the details background of this close friendship, please do.

@abyquinn, please know your post makes some valid points. I value your opinion and thoughts. It's just that we have to try not to fill in the blanks with our own scenarios and state them where people might take it as fact. It's rumor without MSM links and facts. Someone else thinks NV lived in PA and that's how the two women were friends, but I've seen nothing that proves that's true yet.
​

How were they good friends? Were they friends when the parents were single? I have no children, but lots of friends with small children. I have never changed a diaper in my life. A lot of my friends don't know this, yet since we had been friends so long they may have felt I was capable of taking care of their newborns. I wouldn't have, and if they were in a pinch, I may have agreed out of guilt, but I would never hurt any one's babies or children. I would called one of them to come home or called someone else to come if I was in a total quandary. And how did she come to hurt their genitals? Was she doing her research? How did the first baby die? Why did they leave her there with the second baby? I would have so terrified of what may have been going on, I would have taken the second baby with me no matter how much difficulty it would been the lesser of two evils. MOO katt

 

[katsrfun]

How were they good friends? Were they friends when the parents were single? I have no children, but lots of friends with small children. I have never changed a diaper in my life. A lot of my friends don't know this, yet since we had been friends so long they may have felt I was capable of taking care of their newborns. I wouldn't have, and if they were in a pinch, I may have agreed out of guilt, but I would never hurt any one's babies or children. I would called one of them to come home or called someone else to come if I was in a total quandary. And how did she come to hurt their genitals? Was she doing her research? How did the first baby die? Why did they leave her there with the second baby? I would have so terrified of what may have been going on, I would have taken the second baby with me no matter how much difficulty it would been the lesser of two evils. MOO katt

I'm replying to my own posy, buy maybe they had injuries before she got there and no one saw them because they had diapers on? MOO katt

 

[Rita7]

The dead eyes look. Possessed?
No Ph.D. for you! Maybe an exorcism instead.

Agree. And the best way to cast out demons from that evil psychopath would be the death penalty. IMHO

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It is my personal observation, so MOO, that a lot of mentally screwed up people are attracted to the field of psychology and mental health. Further, both psychology and medicine provide access to experimenting on innocent and helpless animals.

In MY personal observation and with some of my close relations-----I agree--mentally screwed up people ARE attracted to the field of psychology. so moo to me too.

Brian Kohlberger comes to mind. Psychology undergrad.
Jody Hildebrand comes to mind. "practicing" psychologist.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

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?​

i know .... response to older quedtion. BUT her father practices in NYC, so assume parents are in NY.
She did grow up in Pittsburgh, so she would be familiar with the city.

 

[SMK777]

It's my understanding she did call 911 per a link above.

She may also have called the parents. MOOO.

Thanks for that information.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'm going to go out on a couple of limbs here. Her attorney said they were close friends, or something along that line. I think mom & NV have been good friends for a long time. Mainly bc I cannot imagine leaving 6 week old babies with anyone not in my closest circle. I also think NV had some experience with young babies, maybe siblings from a parent’s second marriage, maybe nieces or nephews. Watching a 6 week old baby if inexperienced? Maybe, but two of them. No. She was comfortable enough to stay on for several more hours after they returned home and left with Ari. I think NV had been around babies at some point. Maybe she was a nanny in college? IDK, but for some reason they felt comfortable enough to leave their babies with her.

NV was staying about 1 mile away, I think it’s possible their apartment was just too small. She may have been planning on staying for an extended visit, to see her family in NY too. Spending a day in an apartment with 2 parents & 2 babies fine. Staying a week would’ve been a lot. But she was just down the street, about a mile. That’s pretty close.

Since mom & dad went out for a bit in the afternoon, when the boys filled their diaper it was up to NV to change them. Babies that age can still be having lots of bm’s. I flew with my 6 week old son, after boarding & before the plane took off I had to change him 3 times, believe me I didn’t touch the call button even one more time during the 6 hour flight!

I honestly cannot figure out what happened in that apartment that day. I cannot understand how anyone could maliciously harm 2 brand new babies. If NV did what she’s accused of she is evil. Christopher Watts & Adam Montgomery kind of evil.

my thoughts are in line with your first two paragraphs here.
EXCEPT why haven't there been statements from friends, relatives, connections... supporting her?
I believe there was something from a unversity site, but not anything else, to my knowledge.

Often, it IS these social media statements that give us a lot more insight into an individual--insight, not necessarily truth, but at least "more".
I really feel input from others is blaringly absent.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Maybe, maybe, BUT it's open to interpretation. You're taking what her attorney and the media says and making it into a fact that they were close friends in person, not just online educational colleagues. If someone can link the details background of this close friendship, please do.

@abyquinn, please know your post makes some valid points. I value your opinion and thoughts. It's just that we have to try not to fill in the blanks with our own scenarios and state them where people might take it as fact. It's rumor without MSM links and facts. Someone else thinks NV lived in PA and that's how the two women were friends, but I've seen nothing that proves that's true yet.
​

she grew up in Shadyside. Affluent section of Pgh.
Ill try to go find the article where I saw that.

 

[Rita7]

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

Definitely, she was jealous. Thus, eventually, she got the chance to make her so-called friends suffer by torturing their children. So she has acted just like a classic psychopath. And I wouldn't be surprised if she gets away with these heinous crimes. JMOO

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I wonder if she attended their wedding, just 1 year before the tragic weekend? This is such a sad case. JMOOO.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

How were they good friends? Were they friends when the parents were single? I have no children, but lots of friends with small children. I have never changed a diaper in my life. A lot of my friends don't know this, yet since we had been friends so long they may have felt I was capable of taking care of their newborns. I wouldn't have, and if they were in a pinch, I may have agreed out of guilt, but I would never hurt any one's babies or children. I would called one of them to come home or called someone else to come if I was in a total quandary. And how did she come to hurt their genitals? Was she doing her research? How did the first baby die? Why did they leave her there with the second baby? I would have so terrified of what may have been going on, I would have taken the second baby with me no matter how much difficulty it would been the lesser of two evils. MOO katt

The first injured baby did not die.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Definitely, she was jealous. Thus, eventually, she got the chance to make her so-called friends suffer by torturing their children. So she has acted just like a classic psychopath. And I wouldn't be surprised if she gets away with these heinous crimes. JMOO

We don't know what she may have been jealous of, it could have been the career of the mom of the twins, feeling like the mom now had less time for her, that that mom had "too much" and her career was struggling, etc. or maybe twisted research that would elevate her own career?

 

[Rita7]

We don't know what she may have been jealous of, it could have been the career of the mom of the twins, feeling like the mom now had less time for her, that that mom had "too much" and her career was struggling, etc. or maybe twisted research that would elevate her own career?

I can only guess, she might have been jealous of her friend's happy family life: loving husband, beautiful healthy babies, plus successful carrier; therefore, she as a sick-minded person had used an opportunity to hurt them. MOO

 

[steeltowngirl]

I’m curious about the timeline of events leading up to the injury. It’s been reported that the call to 911 that the baby fell from a bouncer came at 11 pm.

I would typically expect a 6 week old to be in a crib or bassinet at 11 pm. If he woke for a feeding, he’d be held in someone’s arms, perhaps a diaper change, then put back in. Especially so if the infant was left with a babysitter.

Understand that babies aren’t predictable, and we don’t know the infant’s typical routine. Also, this was not a typical night. The twin was being taken to the ER for his own injury.

When did NV arrive? When did the parents leave? Was the infant asleep, then awoke? How quickly did NV call 911 after the reported fall?

jmo