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

[SMK777]

Honestly, I was expecting to find out he had been “accidentally” burned while cleaning up a blow-out. How serious would a bruise and swelling (the injury I heard first) have to be for parents to run to the ER? How does one explain swelling, bruises, redness & scratches to an area that is usually covered by a cushy diaper?

It’s very perplexing. And I can see why the physician did not think it happened naturally or accidentally.

 

[dulcinea]

I keep thinking about how babies' heads are soft and not fully formed so they can be born. Soft bones are more difficult to fracture than hard bones are. Unless this baby had some sort of condition that caused his bones to be harder, at this age they should still be soft. I am not an expert in this field by any means, but being so young with softer bones it might have been a really easy call for the physician to say this was not an accident. That is chilling to me.

 

[SMK777]

I keep thinking about how babies' heads are soft and not fully formed so they can be born. Soft bones are more difficult to fracture than hard bones are. Unless this baby had some sort of condition that caused his bones to be harder, at this age they should still be soft. I am not an expert in this field by any means, but being so young with softer bones it might have been a really easy call for the physician to say this was not an accident. That is chilling to me.

Yes, it does seem with both infants that unless they had a medical condition which caused them to far more easily bruise and break bones than normal— and there are such conditions— then the doctor was easily able to call child abuse. You would think a medical condition would have been noticed by 6.5 weeks.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Do you think it’s possible for a baby to fall from it and severely fracture its skull? It doesn’t sound like it, nor did the Children’s Hospital physician think it possible that the injuries were caused by anything but child abuse. Still, the defense will likely try and argue for accident.

Yes, here is an example. Pa. nurse who dropped newborn disciplined, not fired
But, the neurosurgeons can tell the tell the difference between a short fall/low impact vs. forceful throw or blunt force from an object. Shaken babies can have fractured skulls. The type of fracture and accompanying level of brain injury helps the doctors determine.

Also, circumstances. I suspect something about NV’s story didn’t add up.

jmo

 

[Curious Me]

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

I keep thinking about how babies' heads are soft and not fully formed so they can be born. Soft bones are more difficult to fracture than hard bones are. Unless this baby had some sort of condition that caused his bones to be harder, at this age they should still be soft. I am not an expert in this field by any means, but being so young with softer bones it might have been a really easy call for the physician to say this was not an accident. That is chilling to me.​

You and I are both thinking about the infant's fontanelles or soft spots, @dulcinea. To me it isn't whether the bones are easily fractured. I'm more concerned that the bones in an infant's head haven't closed and come together. My thinking is that there's more chance of an injury causing much more damage and brain bleed. There's no bone protection over that area yet. I cringe thinking about how fragile and helpless an infant and all the ways that can happen. (Mine are raised.) Leon was an absolutely precious joy.

If the bouncer seat story is true, and that seat was not on the floor, there'd be enough damage to the infant's head to look like intentional harm, but a doctor and LE couldn't possibly know without further investigation how the baby fell. On the other hand, if the bouncer seat story is not true and NV hit the baby on the head, maybe even with an object, then it might be easier to determine. I don't really know, but the parents deserve answers.​

 

[IDK]

I need to review the timeline, but is it possible that the parents called NV from the hospital and told her the doctors were questioning how the injuries occurred and this put her on the defensive? And then she lashed out by injuring little Leon?

The other thought was that maybe this was premeditated? Maybe she injured the first twin so she would be left alone with Leon?

It’s sickening to even try to imagine what she was thinking. This is all speculation, IMO.

 

[IDK]

Duplicate post

 

[steeltowngirl]

A long, but good, article describing some of what they look for in pediatric abusive head trauma.

Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Pediatric abusive head trauma (AHT) most often involves brain injury of infants and young children. Another term for this condition is shaken baby syndrome (SBS). Shaking, blunt impact or the combination can result in neurological injury. AHT is the most dangerous and deadly form of child abuse...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Examples:

Retinal Hemorrhages

Retinal hemorrhages are usually more severe in abusive head trauma than an accidental blunt head injury. Retinal hemorrhage is also significantly more common in abusive head trauma than occurs in infants injured accidentally. Retinal hemorrhage in abusive head trauma involves most of the retina, from the ora serrata to the posterior pole of the eye.

Obtaining an ophthalmology consultation within the first 24 hours is important. Small-dot or superficial hemorrhages often resolve quickly. Less dramatic retinal hemorrhages are also found in children as a result of many other causes, such as accidental head trauma, anemia, birth trauma, coagulopathy, cerebral aneurysm, leukemia, and meningitis. As a result, healthcare providers should not use retinal hemorrhage alone to diagnose abusive head trauma. Further, the absence of retinal hemorrhage confined to the posterior pole also does not rule out abuse.

Subdural Hematoma

A subdural hematoma is a common finding in abusive head trauma. Acceleration-deceleration force causes the brain to move within the fixed venous channels and skull. Hemorrhages occur in the subarachnoid and subdural space if there is tearing of the superficial cortical veins.

Rib Fractures

Rib fractures in an infant are common with child abuse. They occur by squeezing the infant’s chest, which generates anterior-posterior compressive forces resulting in fractured ribs. Accidental rib fractures are very uncommon. Most caregivers will deny a history of trauma. The fractures are detected on routine chest X-rays or a skeletal survey. Rib fractures from CPR are also very rare. Essentially, any infant or child with a rib fracture and a history that does not strongly support legitimate trauma should induce further clinical investigation, which should include a chest X-ray and a skeletal survey.

Skull Fractures

Skull fractures are a result of a direct force applied to the head. They may be due to accidental or inflicted head trauma. Abusive head trauma should be considered when the fracture is complex, diastatic (width greater than 3 mm), multiple, occipital, and non-parietal. Any of these types of skull fractures should suggest the possibility of abusive head trauma.

 

[Kittybunny]

I need to review the timeline, but is it possible that the parents called NV from the hospital and told her the doctors were questioning how the injuries occurred and this put her on the defensive? And then she lashed out by injuring little Leon?

The other thought was that maybe this was premeditated? Maybe she injured the first twin so she would be left alone with Leon?

It’s sickening to even try to imagine what she was thinking. This is all speculation, IMO.

All good thoughts and good questions! And sadly, we will likely never know, at least in a way that makes sense.

If I were prosecutors I’d be furiously getting warrants for her computers, phones, social media, etc….to at least start down the path towards a motive.