A California PhD student accused of fatally abusing her friend’s newborn made a chilling admission to police after she was arrested on child-abuse charges, prosecutors said.
Nicole Virzi, a UC San Diego student who was weeks from earning her advanced degree, accepted a plea deal Wednesday in the death of her “former best friend’s” six-week-old son.
According to prosecutors, Virzi told investigators during a 13-hour interrogation after the infant’s death that she had struggled for years with a disturbing urge to harm children.
“From a very, very young age, I don’t know what it is, but I always had this urge — almost like a compulsion I can’t control — to hurt kids,” she allegedly told police.
Virzi pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal homicide in the 2024 death of Leon Katz and to injuring his twin brother. She could have faced a possible death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder. The slain infant’s family wanted to avoid putting themselves through a trial.
A Pittsburgh police officer who responded to the family’s home told The Daily Mail that he was disappointed by the plea agreement. “To go from murder-one to this? It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “We know she did it. She confessed to it.”
Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Emma Schoedel said the agreement was made partly out of respect for the family’s wishes.
“This was a horrific case in which Virzi used her trusted relationship with the Roberts/Katz family to place herself in a situation where she could commit her horrendous acts. Throughout the criminal justice process, the Roberts/Katz family has continued to endure crushing emotional pain and grief,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
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According to police, Virzi was watching the infants while her former friend, Savannah Roberts, took Leon’s twin brother to a hospital for an injury to his genitals. Investigators later determined that Virzi had caused that injury.
Virzi initially claimed that Leon suffered his fatal injuries after she left him alone in a bouncer while she went to the kitchen to prepare a bottle. She said she heard him screaming and returned to find that he had fallen on his head.
Leon Katz, who was six weeks old, suffered a severe skull fracture and brain bleeds that proved fatal.
The PhD candidate later told police that she had abused both Leon and his twin brother.
“So when I was alone with (Leon), I shook him a couple times — hard. And I dropped him a couple times — hard,” she said during the interrogation. She also admitted to turning him upside down on the bathroom floor.
“Something just came over me. I couldn’t control it,” Virzi said. “I’m telling you this because I can’t keep lying about it.”
Before reaching the plea agreement, Virzi had maintained her innocence through an attorney. She did not speak during her plea hearing, but her defense lawyer said, “No words of apology would be sufficient.”
The 32-year-old was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years and a maximum of 80 years in state prison.
