A convicted rapist believed to have staged his own death and fled the United States to evade authorities has been sentenced to jail. Nicholas Rossi, who has maintained his innocence for 17 years since the assaults on two women, was apprehended in Scotland after being on the run for 13 years. Prior to his arrest, a false online obituary claimed he had succumbed to cancer.
District Judge Barry Lawrence sentenced Rossi to five years in prison after hearing about the devastating impact of his crimes in Utah in 2008. Testifying in court, one of the survivors emphasized the need for accountability and recognition of the lasting harm caused. Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Brandon Simmons described Rossi as a danger to the community who used rape as a means of control.
Despite being convicted, Rossi continued to assert his innocence before being sentenced. He was found guilty in one assault and will be sentenced for the second attack that occurred in 2008. Rossi was identified through a DNA rape kit in 2018 as part of Utah’s efforts to clear a backlog of cases, leading to his capture.
Rossi was arrested in Scotland in 2023 while being treated for Covid-19, identified by his distinctive tattoos and an Interpol notice. After a lengthy legal battle, he was extradited to Utah in January 2024. Rossi, who used multiple aliases to avoid arrest, denied the rape accusations during his trial, but a jury convicted him for one of the assaults.