Nicholas Rossi, also known as Nicholas Alahverdian, a man convicted of sexual assault charges in Utah, died on Thursday night while in the prison hospital. Rossi, 38, had been serving a sentence of at least 10 years following trials in 2025 related to two separate sexual assault cases. The Utah Department of Corrections confirmed his death resulted from complications of a pre-existing medical condition after Rossi chose to discontinue medical treatment. Details of his health issues were not disclosed, although during court proceedings he appeared in a wheelchair and used oxygen.

Rossi’s case attracted significant attention due to his efforts to evade law enforcement for several years. He was extradited from Scotland in 2024 after being identified through a decade-old DNA rape kit from 2018. Authorities had initially lost track of him following allegations of sexual assault and a subsequent claim that he had died in 2020 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, inquiries by police in Rhode Island, alongside concerns raised by his former lawyer and foster family, cast doubt on the reported death.

In 2021, Rossi was arrested in Scotland while receiving treatment for Covid-19. Hospital staff recognized him by distinctive tattoos, including the Brown University crest on his shoulder, despite Rossi’s claims that he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight and that he was being framed. Investigators noted that Rossi used at least a dozen aliases over the years to avoid capture.

The sexual assault charges stemmed from allegations made by two Utah women. One woman accused Rossi of raping her after she visited his apartment to retrieve money he had stolen to purchase a computer. The other victim testified about a rapid relationship that began after meeting Rossi through a Craigslist personal ad. According to her testimony, Rossi pressured her financially, asking her to pay for dates, car repairs, lend him money to avoid eviction, and assume debt to purchase engagement rings. Despite the accusations and his conviction, Rossi maintained his innocence during a sentencing hearing, denying the charges and claiming the women were lying.

Salt Lake County prosecutor Sim Gill described Rossi as a "sexual predator who tried to escape accountability," expressing that the survivors could find some consolation in his death while incarcerated and aware of his crimes. Family members of Rossi and his victims were notified following his death, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.