Pittsburgh babysitter Nicole Virzi, the mother's former maid of honour, pleads guilty to killing six-week-old twin, escaping the death penalty

Nicole Virzi, 32, a PhD student in clinical psychology who faced the death penalty in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to third-degree criminal homicide for killing six-and-a-half-week-old Leon Katz at the family's Pittsburgh home in June 2024. The baby's twin brother, Ari, survived but sustained serious injuries. Under the third-degree conviction, Virzi faces a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Victim's mother Savannah Roberts, who had been Virzi's best friend, told the court the attack had 'eradicated my sense of safety across every domain of my life.'

Virzi had initially pleaded not guilty to six charges, and her trial was delayed after lawyers said they needed more time to prepare a defence against the death penalty.

Virzi's father is a prominent New York City cardiologist; exclusive photos showed the grieving parents quietly rebuilding their lives in Pittsburgh with two-year-old Ari.