Rhode Island Man Set for Sentencing After Faking Death to Escape Rape Charges
A man from Rhode Island, suspected of faking his own death to evade rape accusations, is due to be sentenced on one of his two rape convictions in Utah on Monday.
Nicholas Rossi, 38, could receive a sentence ranging from five years to life, as determined by District Judge Barry Lawrence in Salt Lake City.
This sentencing marks the first of two scheduled for Rossi, who was found guilty in separate instances in August and September 2023 for raping two women in northern Utah back in 2008.
He faces another sentencing on November 4 and could again receive a prison term between five years and life.
During the three-day trial in August, a jury found Rossi guilty, having heard testimony from the victim and her parents. Notably, Rossi opted not to testify in his defense.
It took over a decade for authorities to charge him. In 2018, Utah officials began searching for Rossi after a DNA rape kit from another incident linked him to the crimes. His real name was revealed to be Nicholas Alaverdian.
This investigation was part of a broader effort in Utah to address the backlog of untested rape kits.
After the charges were brought against him, an online obituary claimed Rossi had died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on February 29, 2020. However, some—including police and former acquaintances—have expressed doubts about his death.
Rossi was apprehended in Scotland the following year while receiving treatment for Covid-19. Hospital staff recognized him due to distinct tattoos, including an emblem of Brown University, even though he had never attended the institution.
After an extended legal battle, Rossi was extradited back to Utah in January 2024.
At the time, he claimed to be an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, insisting he was the victim of a setup. Investigators noted he had used numerous aliases over the years to avoid capture.
During his initial trial, his public defender disputed the allegations, suggesting that Rossi’s decision to leave the U.S. should not be construed as evidence of guilt.
One victim, recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2008, had met Rossi through a personal ad on Craigslist. They quickly became engaged, but the relationship soured, and she testified that he became aggressive and assaulted her one night after driving him home.
Years later, after hearing of another allegation against Rossi, this victim reached out to the police. The second victim also reported the assault following a confrontation over stolen money.
Rossi spent his early years in a Rhode Island nursing home and came back to the state before allegedly faking his death. He is also wanted for failing to register as a sex offender and faces fraud charges in Ohio stemming from prior sex-related convictions in 2008.
