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DEMONIC: “I JUST WANTED HIM TO FEEL A LITTLE PAIN.” A clinical psychology PhD student admitted she m*rdered her friend’s 6-week-old baby after confessing she had felt an urge to hurt children since she was “very, very young.” Nicole Virzi, 32, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Pennsylvania to third-degree m*rder, aggravated as$ault and endangering the welfare of children. She will serve 35 to 80 years in state prison under a plea deal that avoided a potential de*th penalty trial on first-degree charges. On June 15, 2024, Virzi was visiting Savannah Roberts and Ethan Katz at their Pittsburgh apartment when she pointed out scratches and bruising on one of their 6-week-old twins, Ari. The parents took Ari to the hospital while Virzi stayed behind with his twin brother, Leon. At 11:17 p.m., Virzi called 911 and claimed Leon had fallen from his bouncer, developed a lump on his head and was struggling to breathe. Leon was rushed to UPMC Children’s Hospital, where he d*ed hours later. The medical examiner determined he suffered blunt-force trauma consistent with child abu$e. He had a severe skull fracture, multiple brain bleeds and 31 separate injuries across his face, scalp, ear, abdomen, chest, arms and legs. Police arrested Virzi the following morning. During a lengthy interrogation, she eventually admitted what happened. “When I was alone with Leon, I shook him a couple times, hard. And I dropped him a couple times, hard,” Virzi told investigators. She said she also flipped the infant upside down onto the bathroom tile and heard a crack. “Something just came over me. I couldn’t control it. I’m telling you this because I can’t keep lying about it.” Then came another disturbing admission. “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.” Virzi said she never intended to k*ll Leon. “That was not my goal. I just wanted him to feel a little pain.” She also admitted hurting Ari, who survived with scratches, bruising and swelling. At the time, Virzi was reportedly just weeks away from completing a clinical psychology PhD through a joint San Diego State University and UC San Diego program. Leon’s parents supported the plea agreement so they would not have to relive their son’s death through a public trial. Virzi did not speak at the hearing but wrote the family a letter they can choose whether to read. Roberts described holding Leon as he d*ed and repeatedly telling him, “You are loved.” The family says they still sleep on the floor beside Ari’s crib. #TrueCrime #NicoleVirzi