It is the kind of agony no parent should ever have to endure: The shocking death of their newborn son and twisted injury to of his six-week-old twin brother – allegedly at the hands of a 'trusted' PhD student friend, according to prosecutors.
uncertain
parent → have → prosecutors
Faced with that reality, a grief-stricken Ethan Katz, 31, and wife Savannah Roberts, 32, have spent the past two years trying to quietly rebuild their lives in Pennsylvania as they strive for a sense of normalcy for their surviving child.
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they → face → child
Now, exclusive Daily Mail photos show the parents and their two-year-old boy, Ari, adapting to their new so-called normality in Pittsburgh – as their other son's accused killer, Nicole Virzi, faces a court hearing today ahead of her trial.
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killer → show → trial
Virzi, the 32-year-old daughter of a top New York cardiologist who was weeks away from earning her PhD in clinical psychology, is facing a possible death sentence if convicted for the alleged June 2024 attack on her best friend's twins – Leon and Ari – while babysitting them.
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who → earn → them
Leon died after suffering fatal head injuries, while his brother sustained wounds to his genitals.
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brother → die → genitals
Virzi, whose next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, has pleaded not guilty to six charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
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hearing → schedule → child
Virzi's attorneys have said 'negotiations are ongoing' over a possible plea deal.
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negotiations → say → deal
While Virzi has been languishing in jail ever since her arrest, the Katzes have been quietly trying to adapt.
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Katzes → languish → arrest
Apparently too grief-stricken to remain in the rented apartment where Virzi allegedly attacked their precious boys, the couple left Pittsburgh's hip Shadyside neighborhood to a family-friendly area close to several parks and Carnegie Mellon University.
Ethan Katz, 31, and wife Savannah Roberts, 32, were spotted bonding with their two-year-old boy, Ari, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - two years after their other son, Leon, was killed allegedly by a close friend
Savannah Roberts was every bit the doting mom as she and Ari spent several blissful hours in a playground on Saturday - as her former friend, Nicole Virzi, has a court hearing October 28 ahead of her trial on homicide and aggravated assault charges
There, Savannah, an award-winning researcher, is within easy reach of the University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently completing her PhD in clinical and developmental psychology and a predoctoral internship in clinical psychology at a psychiatric hospital.
It is unclear what Ethan does for a living.
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Ethan → stricken → living
He spent a couple of days inside the couple's home, emerging to go for a walk and take Ari in his stroller to and from pre-school.
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He → spend → school
The Katzes have enrolled Ari into a pre-school close to their new home, a townhouse-style apartment nestled in a quiet residential complex.
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Katzes → enrol → complex
The family were recently seen enjoying rare moments of normalcy ahead of Virzi's upcoming trial, including hosting a group playdate and spending time with friends who appear to have rallied around them in the wake of their heartbreak.
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who → see → heartbreak
Little Ari and his parents already seem to be popular members of their preschool community.
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Ari → seem → community
Last month, the family hosted a sunset playdate in their communal garden for several kids and their parents, complete with pizza and a child-sized basketball hoop.
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family → host → pizza
Savannah appeared every bit the doting mom the next day as she and Ari spent several blissful hours in a playground before admiring the colorful arts and crafts stalls at a family reading festival inside the park.
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she → appear → park
On their return home, Savannah and Ari were joined by Ethan.
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Savannah → join → Ethan
Nicole Virzi, the 32-year-old daughter of a top New York cardiologist, is facing a possible death sentence if convicted over the alleged attack on her best friend's twins in June 2024 (Source: Nicole Virzi/LinkedIn)
The family were seen enjoying rare moments of normalcy last month ahead of Virzi's upcoming trial, including hosting a group playdate and spending time with friends in a park
In a touching display of their devotion, Ethan and Savannah were seen wrapping their arms around each other as they gazed lovingly at Ari before scooping him up between them as they chatted animatedly to a friend.
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they → face → friend
The Katzes politely declined to discuss the upcoming trial, little Leon or how their family was now doing, when approached at their home by a Daily Mail reporter.
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family → decline → reporter
But Roberts's mother, Shelly Roberts, who lives in Montana, appeared to be especially proud of her daughter's resilience in the face of the unimaginable tragedy, telling the Daily Mail that Savannah is 'a rock star' and 'an incredible human being.'
The Katzes' rare snatches of peace came before they were set to be reminded of the harrowing ordeal as Virzi, a once 'trusted family friend', faces trial, accused of killing their son and injuring his twin, to which she has pled not guilty and denies doing.
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she → live → which
The disturbing case began after Virzi, then 29, was repeatedly entrusted with babysitting the six-and-a-half-week-old tots at the Katzes' home.
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Virzi → begin → home
Savannah and Virzi became close friends while working as research coordinators in the graduate psychology department at Philadelphia's Drexel University.
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Savannah → become → University
Virzi, who was raised in the well-heeled suburb of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, took a week-long vacation from her PhD studies at UC-San Diego, California, to travel to Pittsburgh to meet her friend's sweet baby boys for the first time.
But what should have been a joyful visit soon descended into a living nightmare.
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been → raise → nightmare
On June 15, the couple rushed Ari to hospital after Virzi claimed she found wounds to his genitals and blood in his diaper, injuries she claimed were caused by him scratching himself on his car seat.
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him → rush → seat
After Virzi's alleged attack on their precious boys, the couple left Pittsburgh's hip Shadyside neighborhood to a family-friendly area close by
The Katzes politely declined to discuss the upcoming trial, little Leon or how their family was now doing when approached by the Daily Mail
The Katzes' rare snatches of peace came just days before they were set to be reminded of the harrowing ordeal as Virzi - a once 'trusted family friend' - goes on trial
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Virzi → allege → trial
The Katzes rushed Ari to hospital at 6.30pm – where he was found to have swelling, bruising and scratches to his penis – leaving Leon alone with Virzi at the family's apartment, according to a police criminal complaint.
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he → rush → complaint
There, Virzi later called 911, telling cops she had fallen asleep to find the infant had fallen from his bouncer seat and hit his head, rendering him unconscious, per the complaint.
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infant → call → complaint
Little Leon was later rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a skull fracture and multiple brain bleeds in the early hours of June 16 – Ethan's first Father's Day and the Katzes' wedding anniversary.
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he → rush → June
An autopsy later concluded Leon's catastrophic injuries were caused by blunt force trauma and were consistent with child abuse.
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injuries → conclude → abuse
Virzi later returned to her nearby Airbnb where she was picked up by police the following day.
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she → return → police
She initially denied harming Leon or Ari but later made a shocking video-taped admission to police, revealing she was 'angry' at having to do 'nanny work' during her weeklong vacation.
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she → deny → vacation
She told cops: 'So, when I was alone with (Leon) I shook him a couple times - hard.
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I → tell → him
And I dropped him a couple times - hard.'
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I → drop → him
Little Leon was pronounced dead in a hospital on June 16 after suffering a skull fracture and multiple brain bleeds (Source: GoFundMe)
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Leon → pronounce → fracture
Virzi said she 'heard some kind of crack' and flipped the infant upside down on the tiled bathroom floor.
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she → say → floor
'Something just came over me I couldn't control,' Virzi said.
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Virzi → come → me
'I'm telling you this because I can't keep lying about it.
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I → tell → it
'I did not want him to die,' she added.
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she → want → ?
I just wanted him to feel a little pain.'
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him → want → pain
In the chilling confession, Virzi later told how, from a 'very young age,' she had an almost uncontrollable 'urge…to hurt kids'.
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she → tell → kids
Virzi has pleaded not guilty to six charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child
She recounted how, at just seven years old, she once locked a two-year-old child in a bathroom and pinched her until she cried.
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she → plead → her
…and 21 more, not listed.
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