Nicholas Rossi found guilty of rape in Utah
Rossi, 38, who hid in Scotland under an assumed name, was convicted by a jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday of a crime he committed in 2008 against a former girlfriend.
He attracted international attention during his lengthy battle against extradition to the United States.
In Edinburgh in 2022
ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA
Rossi was discovered in a Glasgow hospital where he was being treated for Covid-19 during the pandemic while pretending to be an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight who had never been to America. He attended court in Edinburgh in a wheelchair while wearing a three-piece suit and breathing with the help of an oxygen mask.
Rossi and his tattoos, photographed by police in 2010
PAWTUCKET POLICE
Until last year he repeatedly denied his identity and even claimed that somebody had given him distinctive tattoos, which helped police to identify him, while he was unconscious.
Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, was convicted of raping a woman, aged 24 at the time, after trapping her in a bedroom after she broke up with him. His victim, now 41, said she had briefly dated Rossi, during which time he had borrowed money from her and pressured her to marry him. The pair were engaged after going out for two weeks.
Prosecutors said that he bought the woman a wedding ring but that she took it off after a fight in a shopping mall. She then tried to drive off but agreed to take him home after he attacked her car. It was after this that he raped her.
Rossi had met the woman on the Craigslist website while she was recovering from a brain injury and living with her parents.
• Nicholas Rossi: the many faces of a fugitive who faked his own death
Local prosecutors praised the courage and perseverance of Rossi's accuser. Sim Gill, Salt Lake county district attorney, said: 'We are grateful to the survivor in this case for her willingness to come forward, years after this attack took place. We appreciate her patience as we worked to bring the defendant back to Salt Lake county so that this trial could take place and she could get justice. It took courage and bravery to take the stand and confront her attacker to hold him accountable.'
Rossi's defence had described the prosecution case as a 'puzzle from a thrift shop', claiming it had so many missing pieces. They suggested the woman made the accusations because she resented paying Rossi's bills for the short time they were together.
However, the trial, which had been scheduled to last until Friday, ended early with a guilty verdict.
Rossi will be sentenced in October and could face anything between five years and life in prison. He is also facing other charges in other states, including allegations of sexual assault, harassment and possible kidnapping in Rhode Island, Ohio and Massachusetts.
Rossi at his home in Glasgow in 2022 with his British wife, Miranda Knight
ROBERT PERRY FOR THE TIMES
His story has received international attention since he was first recognised in a Glasgow hospital in 2021. A year earlier he allegedly told a news outlet that he was dying of a cancer. He circulated a bogus obituary in the US that stated he had died of cancer a week after marrying Miranda Knight, 42, in her home city of Bristol in February 2020.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken family pay tribute to 'beautiful' girl, 13, at centre of rape and murder investigation after she was found dead
The heartbroken family of a 13-year-old girl whose alleged rape and murder is being investigated by homicide detectives have paid a moving tribute to their 'beautiful princess'. Casey-Louise has been named by relatives online as the tragic teenager whose lifeless body was discovered at a flat in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on Monday August 11. She was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of the following day. Detectives immediately launched an murder inquiry and earlier this week a 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with her death. He has since been released on conditional bail. Casey-Louise, who was originally from Manchester, was in local authority care when she died. She had been living in Liverpool and had been visiting Huddersfield at the time. In a tribute online, one relative wrote: 'Suddenly and totally unexpected, on Tuesday 12th August our beautiful Casey-Louise gained her angel winds. 'Our family is absolutely devastated by this news. Can you please respect our privacy and give us time to grieve as a family.' The youngster was a pupil at Mossley Hollins High School, in Manchester. Casey-Louise was found unresponsive at the flat, in Sheepridge Road, by emergency services just after 11.30pm. A post-mortem was inconclusive and her death is being treated as unexplained. Detectives arrested the boy on suspicion of Casey-Louise's rape and murder, and on suspicion of the rape of another 16-year-old girl elsewhere in nearby Kirklees. In a tribute on Facebook, one close family member wrote: 'Goodnight princess. I love you and miss you lots.' Another shared: 'Didn't think I'd be writing this so soon, I love you forever my girl. I'll forever miss you.' While one relative posted: 'Angry doesn't even cut it. Hope we get the justice our family deserves. Rest in peace little girl, Casey-Louise forever 13.' Friend Tina Cooper also set up an online fundraiser for donations towards the youngster's funeral. She said: 'Casey was a vibrant happy 13-year-old with all her life ahead of her. 'Our hearts go out to Casey's family. No one should have to bury their child. Let's help her family send their daughter on her final journey with dignity.' Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, previously said: 'A post mortem was not able to determine how she died, and we continue to treat her death as unexplained at this time, pending more enquiries. 'Those enquiries are complex and are likely to be lengthy as we work to fully understand the circumstances of the girl's death. Specially trained officers are supporting her family at this time.' The news of Casey-Louise's death has sent shockwaves through the town. Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal said: 'This is a tragic case and my thoughts remain with the 13-year-old teenager and her family and friends. I have been in contact with the police and I am being updated on the investigation.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Shopkeeper sprayed with 'substance' during Glasgow robbery
A shopkeeper has been taken to hospital after being sprayed with a "substance" during a robbery at a store in 24-year-old suffered "serious injuries" when a man, said to be white and of slim build, attacked him before stealing a sum of cash at the shop on Hawthorn Street at about 21:05 on man, who was wearing a green and grey tracksuit top, orange shorts, black socks and black trainers fled in the direction of Memel Street after the Sgt Greg Turnbull said "extensive inquiries" to locate the suspect were ongoing. The shopkeeper was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for Sgt Turnbull said it had been an "extremely frightening experience".He urged anyone who knows the identity of the suspect or has private CCTV footage of the area to share it with officers.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Salmond's family accuse Sturgeon of cashing in on smears against him
Alex Salmond's family has accused Nicola Sturgeon of using her memoir to 'cash in' with personal attacks against him. Christina Hendry, who is the late former first minister's niece, said the claims Ms Sturgeon made about Mr Salmond in her newly-published book were 'cruel' and 'distasteful'. Ms Sturgeon used the memoir, Frankly, to allege that Salmond could have been behind a leak to a tabloid newspaper that he was under investigation for sexual misconduct. She argued that the 2018 leak, which revealed the Scottish government's investigation into the claims, would have been 'classic Alex' as it would have allowed him to control the media narrative and 'cast himself as the victim of underhand dealing'. Pouring scorn on his claim that there was a conspiracy to imprison him, she said it was 'a fabrication, the invention of a man who wasn't prepared to reflect honestly on his own conduct'. Ms Sturgeon said the alleged conspirators were 'women who considered themselves victims of his behaviour' and were 'seeking support and comfort from each other'. She accused Salmond of trying to 'distort and weaponise' genuine shock or trauma in a way that was 'truly disgraceful', adding 'it strikes at the heart of why I find it so hard to forgive him'. Salmond was cleared of 13 sexual assault charges in a separate criminal trial in 2020, but his lawyer admitted his client could 'have been a better man'. Among the book's other claims were that Salmond had not bothered to read the White Paper on independence produced for the 2014 referendum, which was the prospectus for Scotland leaving the UK. Ms Hendry accused Ms Sturgeon of 'cowardice', saying she would not have made the claims while her uncle was still alive and argued 'she is using his name for relevance, to promote her book, to earn money'. The 30-year-old also attacked Ms Sturgeon for having 'such disregard for the family and their feelings', including the impact on Moira, Salmond's widow. Salmond's family broke its silence on the memoir as it emerged Mrs Salmond is 'reactivating' legal action against the SNP government, which he started before he died aged 69 last October. The Sunday Mail reported that a KC, two junior counsel and a lead investigator have been appointed in the case, which centres on the Scottish Government's botched investigation into sexual misconduct claims against him. Salmond alleged there was a conspiracy among senior SNP figures around Nicola Sturgeon to imprison him, which she has vigorously denied. At the time of his death the former first minister was seeking 'significant damages' and compensation for loss of earnings from the Scottish Government, totalling a reported £3 million. A family friend told the Sunday Mail: 'Her case against the Scottish Government is now live, the legal team is in place, the finance in place and this will be going ahead, no question of that. 'Alex may not be here to defend himself but his family are determined to stand up to those who continue to attack him.' 'An element of cowardice' Ms Hendry told the Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'She should not have to be going through this and neither should any of the family. I find it very distasteful. In some ways it is quite cruel. 'She is using his name for relevance, to promote her book, to earn money – she could have said these things in the past few years. 'She has chosen to wait until he is no longer here to defend himself. It's left to the family to deal with this and there's an element of cowardice to that.' Asked if she believed Ms Sturgeon was cashing in on her infamous fall-out with her uncle, Ms Hendry replied: 'Yes. I can't see any other reason. It seems quite a coincidence that the time she is saying this is the time she is selling her book.' Salmond won a judicial review in 2019 after a previous court case found that the way the Scottish Government investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against him was handled was unlawful and 'tainted with apparent bias'. The Scottish Government only conceded the case at the 11th hour, resulting in Mr Salmond being handed £512,250 of taxpayers' money to cover his legal costs. Ms Sturgeon declined to comment on either the family's complaints about her book or the renewed legal action. The Scottish Government was approached for a response.
