Pittsburgh Mother’s Friend Pleads Guilty to Killing 6-Week-Old Twin, Faces 80 Years
Nicole Virzi, a 32-year-old woman from San Diego, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges for the death of her best friend’s 6-week-old son, Leon Katz, in Pittsburgh. The plea deal, reached on October 28, 2026, spares her a potential death sentence but results in a prison term of 35 to 80 years. Virzi admitted to intentionally shaking and dropping Leon, as well as injuring his twin brother, Ari, during a visit in June 2024. Prosecutors accepted the plea to spare the grieving family the trauma of a trial.