A Rhode Island man's brazen attempt to escape justice by faking his own death has finally caught up with him. Nicholas Alahverdian, 38, was sentenced to five years in prison on one count of rape conviction in Utah, a far cry from the life he tried to build for himself abroad.
For over a decade, authorities had been searching for Rossi, whose identity as a suspect was discovered through an old DNA rape kit. It wasn't until 2018 that his true self began to surface, but it took even longer for him to return to face the music. After creating a fake obituary claiming he died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020, Rossi vanished only to reappear in Scotland while battling COVID-19.
It was there that hospital staff spotted his distinctive tattoos – including one belonging to Brown University – which led to an Interpol notice and ultimately his extradition back to Utah. The long journey home came after a protracted court battle, during which Rossi claimed he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight being framed. However, investigators soon discovered at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture.
The sentence is just the beginning for Rossi, who still faces another five-year-to-life prison term on an upcoming rape conviction in November. The victims in both cases spoke out against him, with one saying his crimes left her with "a trail of fear, pain and destruction" that would never fully heal. The prosecution argued that Rossi uses rape as a tool to control women, posing a risk to community safety.
Rossi himself maintains his innocence, claiming the women are lying. However, his words fell flat in court, where he was met with stern condemnation from both the judge and the victim. It's clear that justice has finally caught up with this cunning offender, who thought he could escape the law by staging his own death.
For over a decade, authorities had been searching for Rossi, whose identity as a suspect was discovered through an old DNA rape kit. It wasn't until 2018 that his true self began to surface, but it took even longer for him to return to face the music. After creating a fake obituary claiming he died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020, Rossi vanished only to reappear in Scotland while battling COVID-19.
It was there that hospital staff spotted his distinctive tattoos – including one belonging to Brown University – which led to an Interpol notice and ultimately his extradition back to Utah. The long journey home came after a protracted court battle, during which Rossi claimed he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight being framed. However, investigators soon discovered at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture.
The sentence is just the beginning for Rossi, who still faces another five-year-to-life prison term on an upcoming rape conviction in November. The victims in both cases spoke out against him, with one saying his crimes left her with "a trail of fear, pain and destruction" that would never fully heal. The prosecution argued that Rossi uses rape as a tool to control women, posing a risk to community safety.
Rossi himself maintains his innocence, claiming the women are lying. However, his words fell flat in court, where he was met with stern condemnation from both the judge and the victim. It's clear that justice has finally caught up with this cunning offender, who thought he could escape the law by staging his own death.
1st of all i checked the stats on dna rape kits in utah and it turns out they've gone from like 0 cases in 2005 to over 300 cases in 2022 that's a 1000% increase 
and his excuse about being an irish orphan? lol like who does that 
just saw this news about Nicholas Rossi and I'm like waaait a minute... how does someone do that?! 
what was he thinking? 
the fact that he thought he could just run away from his crimes is wild 
but I guess karma caught up with him this time 
and 5 years to life is definitely not a light sentence 
hoping he serves it and gets some real help for those victims 
I'm glad justice is served, but 5 years feels a bit light for someone who's been evading capture for over a decade and committing serious crimes 
. I get that the system can be slow, but Rossi should've gotten at least 10+ years considering his track record 
. Still, it's good to see him held accountable for his actions and that the victims are finally getting some closure 
. The part about him using rape as a tool to control women is really disturbing and I hope he gets the longer sentence he's facing for that charge 
.
This guy is just crazy! Who tries to fake their own death? 
The DNA game was definitely on point though - those tattoo match-ups were the icing on the cake. 5 years in prison is no joke, but I'm not sure it's enough for this guy considering all the other cases he's got pending. 
It's sad that his victims have to go through all this trauma again, and it just goes to show you how manipulative and controlling someone can be. The sentence might finally bring some closure to them, but I hope they're able to heal in the end 
. And honestly, it's good that the victims got to speak out and share their experiences – it's a reminder that someone like him can cause real harm.
. It's just frustrating that justice took so long to catch up with him, but at least it did eventually 
. It's like he thought he was above the law, that he could just create a whole new identity and start over. Newsflash: that doesn't work, especially not in today's world where DNA testing is so advanced 
. I do feel bad for him though, he clearly got some serious mental health issues going on, maybe even some trauma from his past to drive this behavior. But the victims deserve justice, and now they have it - five years might seem like a lot, but it's nothing compared to what he put them through 
The fact that he used rape as a tool to control women is just sickening. 
He needs some serious help, not just punishment. 
It's so good that justice caught up with him, but I can only imagine the pain and trauma he caused those women. 
. He thought he could outsmart the system, but in the end, justice finally spoke up 
. Anyway, I'm just glad that the truth finally came out and Rossi faced the consequences of his actions 
.
. And those aliases he used? wow, some creative attempt at evading capture there 
just imagine how many people are affected by this guy's actions - the victims, their families... it's like he thinks he can just create a new identity for himself and start fresh? 
. And then you've got the nerve to show up in Scotland with COVID-19? That's some next-level deception right there 
. And now he's facing even more time in prison, which is gonna have a serious impact on his future 
. I guess you could say justice has finally caught up with him, and it's about time 
. Like, what was he thinking? He's got a history of rape convictions and thinks he can just up and leave the country? And then tries to spin it by saying he's some Irish orphan? Give me a break