American rapist Nicholas Rossi, who fled to Scotland after appearing to fake his own death in an attempt to escape justice, has died in a hospital in the United States. The 38-year-old, also known as Nicholas Alahverdian, had been serving a jail sentence in Utah for raping two women in the state in 2008.
The Utah Department of Corrections confirmed he died from complications from an existing medical condition at 8.32pm on Thursday, having chosen to discontinue medical treatment.
Arrest and Extradition from Scotland
Nicholas Rossi was extradited to the US in 2024 following his arrest at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in 2021. He was being treated for Covid-19 when hospital staff recognised his distinctive tattoos and identified him as a person wanted by US authorities for extradition.
Rossi claimed the arrest was a case of mistaken identity, telling the court he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight. However, in November 2022 a Scottish judge ruled he was in fact Nicholas Rossi, and he was extradited to the US to face justice in 2024.
Background and Flight to Scotland
It is not known when Rossi first came to the UK, but he lived in Bristol for a time before coming to Scotland. He had reportedly faked his own death in an attempt to evade capture, but was eventually apprehended in Glasgow.
In Utah, Rossi was convicted of raping two women in 2008 and was serving a prison sentence when he died. The Utah Department of Corrections did not specify the exact medical condition that led to his death, only that it was an existing condition and that he chose to discontinue treatment.
