Man charged with faking death to escape Utah rape charge faces trial

(CN) — A man accused of changing his name, faking his own death and fleeing to Europe to avoid rape charges in the U.S. is heading to trial in Utah after plea deal discussions failed.

Nicholas Rossi — who was born Nicholas Alahverdian and has gone by a number of other names including Arthur Knight — faces a felony rape charge in the sexual assault of a girlfriend in Orem, Utah, in 2008.

State prosecutors claim Rossi fled to Europe to escape those felony charges.

Through a lengthy Interpol process, law enforcement found Rossi in Glasgow, Scotland, where he was hospitalized due to complications from Covid-19.

For three years prosecutors tried to extradite him to the U.S. while he denied being Nicholas Rossi. Instead, he claimed he was a man named Arthur Knight. He also claimed he was an Irish orphan.

In January 2024, Rossi was extradited to Utah where he faces two felony rape charges. He pleaded not guilty.

His trial in a Provo courtroom is set for Sept. 15.

“I understand then that all settlement discussions are ended and we are trying the case, correct?” asked Fourth District Court Judge Derek P. Pullan during Rossi’s pretrial conference on Tuesday.

“That is correct, your honor, the state withdrew any plea offer with the understanding that it will not be offered again,” said Deputy Utah County Attorney Stephen Jones.

What that plea deal entitled, or why Rossi didn’t accept it or why the state withdrew it was not discussed during Tuesday’s hearing.

Rossi’s attorney Daniel Diaz referred to plea deal negotiations as being not “fruitful.”

Rossi appeared remotely from jail but did not speak during the hearing.

Diaz said he plans to challenge the admissibility of some of the state’s witnesses. A hearing on that motion is set for March 11, which Pullman ordered Rossi to attend in person.