Prosecutors said the agreement ending Nicole Virzi’s murder case reflected a family’s desire to avoid reliving their son’s death at trial.
PITTSBURGH — More than two years after their 6-week-old son was killed while in the care of a trusted friend, Savannah Roberts and Ethan Katz supported a plea agreement that spared them a murder trial and sent Nicole Virzi to prison for 35 to 80 years.
Virzi, 32, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Oct. 28, to third-degree murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children in the death of Leon Katz and the assault of his twin brother, Ari. Prosecutors said consultation with the boys’ parents played a central role in resolving a case that otherwise could have proceeded as a death penalty prosecution.
The agreement closed a criminal case rooted in a visit that began with trust between friends. Virzi, who was living in California, had traveled to Pittsburgh after the twins were born. She was staying with Roberts and Katz in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood when both babies were injured in June 2024.
The events unfolded after injuries were discovered on Ari. Roberts and Katz took the infant to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for treatment while Virzi stayed behind with Leon. Authorities later concluded that Ari’s injuries had been inflicted while he was in Virzi’s care. While the parents were at the hospital, Virzi was left alone with Leon.
Virzi called 911 that night and initially reported that Leon had fallen from a baby seat. The child suffered a severe head injury and brain bleeding and died after being taken for emergency care. Authorities ruled the death a homicide. Investigators said the injuries were not consistent with the accidental fall Virzi first described.
During questioning, Virzi eventually admitted intentionally hurting Leon and later acknowledged hurting his twin brother, according to court-related accounts of the investigation. The admissions became a major part of the prosecution’s case. Her attorneys later tried to prevent the statements from being used at trial, but a judge rejected that request.
For Leon’s family, the case meant more than preparing for testimony about the circumstances of his death. Victim-impact statements described the lasting effect of losing one twin while raising the other. Family members wrote about the life Leon would not have and the milestones his surviving brother would reach without him.
Prosecutors said those circumstances weighed heavily in the decision to offer a plea. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said it had been prepared to continue through trial but reached the agreement after ongoing discussions with the family. The office said the parents had already endured profound grief and did not want the criminal process to cause additional trauma.
Before the agreement, Virzi faced the possibility of a first-degree murder conviction and a death sentence. Instead, the plea to third-degree murder and the related offenses established her guilt without requiring Roberts, Katz and other family members to go through a public trial. The agreed sentence requires Virzi to serve at least 35 years in state prison and allows imprisonment for as long as 80 years.
Virzi did not make a statement in court. Her attorney, Tina Miller, indicated that Virzi understood that words could not repair the harm caused to the family. The hearing focused instead on the guilty pleas, the sentence and statements describing the effect Leon’s death has had on those closest to him.
The resolution also ends the uncertainty surrounding a prosecution that began after Virzi’s June 2024 arrest and continued through extensive pretrial proceedings. What had been scheduled as a potential capital murder case is now concluded at the trial-court level through guilty pleas and sentencing.
The district attorney’s office said the agreement reflected both the protection of the community and the wishes of Leon’s family. With Virzi sentenced, prosecutors have asked that Roberts, Katz and their family be allowed privacy as they raise Ari and continue grieving Leon.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 29, 2026.