Nicole Birge (29) is charged with murder in connection with the death of her friend's infant son.
To add some background on Nicole, she was highly educated and was pursuing a PhD in psychology at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego at the time of this incident.
“The purpose of my research is to explore the complex interactions between psychological factors such as depression, stress, negative affect, and trauma, and important health outcomes and behaviors such as metabolic syndrome, heart disease, obesity, diet, and exercise,” she writes on her SDSU page. “I am particularly interested in exploring these relationships within populations that have been exposed to women and trauma.”
The babies' parents are Savannah Roberts and Ethan Katz. The babies were born in May 2024 and their names are Leon and Ari.
Nicole was staying at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh. She visited Ethan and Savannah's house, presumably pretending to see the babies.
Nicole told her parents that she had found blood in Ari’s diaper and that there were reports of cuts/injuries to his genital area. “There were scratches and bruises on his face, stomach and genitals,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Nicole was alone with Ari just before this incident occurred.
Ethan and Savanna rushed the baby to the hospital, and Leon left Nicole with him. I think it was about 6:30pm. From what I've read, the hospital was very busy and they had a long wait there.
Nicole later said she put Leon on a bouncy chair. She said she spent the night changing, grooming and feeding him.
Nicole fell asleep “for a moment while Leon was on the bouncer seat,” the lawsuit states. When she woke up, she went into the kitchen to get a bottle for Leon and heard the baby screaming.
She found Leon lying on the floor and picked him up, the complaint states. She saw “a large lump on the left side of Leon's head.”
Nicole called 911 at 11:17 that night. She said her baby had fallen out of the bouncer seat and hit his head. She told the dispatcher that the baby was conscious but had trouble breathing.
Paramedics responded and took Leon to Children's Hospital, where he died. He died at 5:50 a.m. Sunday, Father's Day.
A CT scan later revealed that Leon had suffered a skull fracture and multiple brain hemorrhages. Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Arlel Goldschmidt later performed a preliminary autopsy and determined that Leon's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, ruling his death a homicide.
A doctor who examined the twins told police the injuries they suffered were “consistent with child abuse” and “not accidental.”
Investigators said Nicole could not provide a “reasonable explanation” for her injuries. She was arrested and charged with murder, child abuse and aggravated assault.
Defense attorney David Schrager said Nicole denies any wrongdoing.
“There is an allegation that my client harmed a child in any way. My client denies any intentional act,” the attorney said. “Obviously, this is a very shocking and disturbing allegation. My client has no criminal record. She is a PhD student and a long-time friend of the family. They have known each other for at least five years.”
“She is a loving person and a friend to these people and she would never hurt anyone's child, let alone theirs,” he added. “We look forward to our day in court.”
Now, Shrager tells WTAE, “She's charged with common murder, and most likely she can't make bail. Of course, we'll do our due diligence on that and see if we can make any changes there.”
According to jail records, Nicole is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in Pittsburgh District Court on July 24.
Source list
https://triblive.com/local/California-woman-charged-with-murder-in-shadyside-baby-death/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR087RiJ2V3XjCUJ25B1PabS0wDz7vjFK0_U6j84azRQoqRaBoQrb3QNIpY_aem_ofdxd6U9n6KQfFZfP8izCw