Nicholas Rossi, the convicted rapist who became the subject of an international manhunt after faking his own death to escape U.S. prosecution, has died in Utah custody at the age of 38. The Utah Department of Corrections confirmed on Friday that Rossi passed away on Thursday night following complications from a medical condition after he elected to discontinue his treatment.
A Final End to a Global Manhunt
Rossi was serving a sentence of 10 years to life following his 2025 conviction for two separate sexual assault cases in Utah. His death marks the conclusion of a complex legal saga that spanned several years and multiple continents. Salt Lake County prosecutor Sim Gill addressed the news, stating that while Rossi attempted to escape accountability, the survivors of his crimes have the closure of knowing he died while incarcerated.
Rossi, who also operated under the name Nicholas Alahverdian, had successfully evaded authorities for years. In 2020, he released a fraudulent obituary claiming he had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma to throw investigators off his trail. However, law enforcement in Rhode Island remained skeptical of the report. He was eventually located in Scotland in 2021 while receiving treatment for COVID-19, where medical staff identified him through his distinctive tattoos, including a prominent Brown University crest on his shoulder.
Extradition and Conviction
Following his arrest in Scotland, Rossi engaged in a protracted legal battle, frequently insisting he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who was being framed. Despite these claims, he was successfully extradited to the United States in 2024. He was subsequently convicted in 2025 for sexual assaults linked to DNA evidence from 2008.
During his final period of incarceration, Rossi was reportedly in declining health, often appearing in court in a wheelchair and requiring oxygen. Officials confirmed that his family and his victims were notified following his death.