Nicholas Rossi, extradited from Scotland to Utah to face rape allegations, appeared in court Thursday afternoon for a preliminary hearing in Salt Lake County.
ABC 4 reports that Judge Lawrence ruled that the state met its burden of evidence, indicating there was enough evidence presented to warrant a jury trial for Rossi, who stands accused of raping two people.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, prosecutors allege that Rossi, 37, raped a 26-year-old former girlfriend after an argument in Salt Lake County in 2008. In a separate case, he is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah, the same year.
He remained unidentified as a suspect for nearly a decade due to a backlog of DNA test kits at the Utah State Crime Lab.
Rossi, legally known as Nicholas Alahverdian, moved to Scotland and claimed to be an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, arguing that he had never been to the U.S. A Scottish judge last year ruled Rossi to be extradited back to the U.S., calling his claims of being an Irish orphan “implausible” and “fanciful.”
Rossi actually grew up in Rhode Island foster homes, according to NBC News. He then allegedly faked his death and fled the country after returning to his home state. An online obituary claimed Rossi died on February 29, 2020, from late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma, although both investigators and his former foster families had doubts.
Utah County court documents indicate that Rossi is also accused of sexual assault, harassment, and possible kidnapping in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Massachusetts.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Pawtucket Police Department
