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Nicholas Rossi, an American convicted rapist who staged his own death and fled to Scotland in an effort to avoid prosecution, has passed away in a hospital in the United States. The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) disclosed that the 38-year-old had been grappling with chronic, degenerative medical issues. Rossi died on Thursday after deciding to discontinue the medical care he was receiving.
Rossi’s convictions stemmed from two separate trials held in 2024, where he was found guilty of raping two women in Utah in 2008. Serving a sentence of 10 years to life for sexual assault charges, he had initially escaped to Scotland in 2021. Rossi was apprehended in a Covid ward at a Glasgow hospital after staff recognized his likeness from an Interpol wanted notice, including distinctive tattoos. Despite his claims that he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight with no ties to the US, he was unable to provide any official documents such as a birth certificate or passport.
Throughout multiple court appearances in Edinburgh, Rossi maintained his innocence, asserting he was a victim of mistaken identity. During these hearings, he often used an electric wheelchair and wore an oxygen mask, hat, and three-piece suit. However, after prolonged legal proceedings, a Scottish sheriff ruled that his false identity claim was “implausible” and “fanciful.” Rossi was extradited to the United States in January 2024 and later convicted of the assaults in separate hearings held in August and September of that year.
Born Nicholas Alahverdian in Rhode Island in 1987, Rossi had a background that included time spent in foster care and work as a child welfare campaigner. Although reports had circulated suggesting his death in 2020, authorities remained suspicious after uncovering an FBI investigation into alleged credit card fraud involving him. His digital footprint eventually led to his discovery at the Glasgow hospital. Rossi maintained that his tattoos had been forcibly applied while unconscious to frame him. After firing multiple lawyers and exhausting appeals, he admitted his true identity during a bail hearing in Salt Lake City several months following his return to America
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