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A man from the United States who staged his own death and escaped to Scotland to avoid rape charges has been sentenced to at least five years in prison. Nicholas Rossi, 38, hailing from Rhode Island, was found guilty in two separate trials in August and September for the rape of two women in Utah back in 2008. Recently, a judge in Salt Lake City imposed a sentence of five years to life for the initial conviction, with the sentencing for the second conviction scheduled for the upcoming month.
Judge Barry G Lawrence, before passing the sentence, referred to Rossi as a “serial abuser of women” and characterized him as the “ultimate definition of a flight risk”. The judge condemned Rossi for absconding the country to avoid the investigation, adopting an alias, and adamantly denying his true identity even during the trial. Rossi’s deceit extended to the fabrication of an online obituary in February 2020 under the name Nicholas Alahverdian, claiming he had succumbed to non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
In a dramatic turn of events, Rossi garnered attention in December 2021 when he was apprehended in a Glasgow hospital’s Covid ward, following recognition of his mugshot and distinctive tattoos by the hospital staff as per an Interpol wanted notice. In a bid to escape justice, Rossi contended that his real identity was Arthur Knight, a purported Irish-born orphan unfamiliar with the United States. Subsequently, Rossi was extradited to the US in January 2024 to face trial in Utah for the two rape charges brought against him. The tumultuous journey from Glasgow to Salt Lake City has been chronicled in the BBC’s Strange But True Crime podcast.
Utah employs an indefinite sentencing system, allowing the state’s board of pardons and parole to determine the duration of Rossi’s incarceration. One of the victims, speaking prior to the sentencing, expressed the profound impact of Rossi’s actions on her and others, emphasizing the need for accountability and closure. Despite overwhelming evidence against him, including DNA and matching tattoos, Rossi persisted in denying the allegations even during his sentencing, stating his intention to appeal the verdict and maintain his innocence
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