SALT LAKE CITY — Jury selection commenced on Monday in a high-profile rape trial involving a man accused of evading law enforcement by faking his own death. Nicholas Rossi, who is legally known as Nicholas Alahverdian, faces allegations of raping an ex-girlfriend in September 2008. The trial in Utah is expected to feature opening statements later this week.
The woman, referred to in court documents as K.P., became involved with Rossi during the summer of 2008 after connecting on the social media platform MySpace. She subsequently ended the relationship due to his aggressive behavior and failure to repay debts. K.P. has stated that she went to Rossi’s home under the impression he would return the money he owed her, where he is alleged to have assaulted her.
A sexual assault kit was completed following the incident, but it wasn’t until a decade later that Rossi was named as a suspect. The Utah Department of Public Safety detailed that he fled the country to avoid prosecution in Ohio and attempted to mislead officials and legislators into believing he had died.
Rossi’s fabricated death was reportedly announced through an online obituary, which claimed he passed away from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020 at age 32. However, in 2021, he was discovered in a Glasgow hospital, where he was being treated for COVID-19.
Just last month, a jury in Salt Lake County convicted him on a separate rape charge related to a December 2008 incident. Sentencing for that case is set for October 20. Rossi has pleaded not guilty in both cases and maintains that he did not sexually assault anyone.
During a court appearance in Edinburgh following his arrest, Rossi went by the name Arthur Knight, claiming he was an Irish orphan with no connection to the United States. A Scottish court granted his extradition to the U.S. in 2023, where he faces additional fraud charges linked to previous convictions for sex-related offenses in Ohio.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill praised the bravery of K.P. after the conviction last month, emphasizing the importance of survivors coming forward to hold perpetrators accountable. Rossi’s defense attorney, Samantha Dugan, argued that individuals are permitted to change their names and relocate.
Alahverdian’s scheduled sentencing in the Salt Lake County case is on October 20. Following the completion of jury selection, opening statements will proceed in the Utah County trial.
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