Utah man who faked death sentenced for 2008 rapes


Daijiworld Media Network – Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Oct 21: A Utah judge on Monday sentenced Nicholas Rossi, 38, who had previously faked his death and fled the United States to avoid arrest, to a prison term ranging from five years to life for raping two women in 2008.

District Judge Barry Lawrence described Rossi as “a serial abuser of women” and “the very definition of a flight risk” before handing down the sentence. Rossi’s sentencing follows convictions in August and September for two separate rape cases; his next sentencing is scheduled for November in the second case.

Jurors found Rossi guilty after a three-day trial, during which both victims and one victim’s parents testified. In court, one victim said, “This is not a plea for vengeance… it is a plea for safety and accountability, for recognition of the damage that will never fully heal.”

Rossi, who appeared in court in a wheelchair using an oxygen tank, maintained his innocence, stating softly, “I am not guilty of this. These women are lying.” His lawyers urged the judge to grant parole, while prosecutors highlighted Rossi’s danger to public safety.

Authorities first identified Rossi in 2018 through a decade-old DNA rape kit as part of Utah’s push to clear its backlog. Months after being charged, an online obituary claimed Rossi had died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma on February 29, 2020. However, authorities, his former lawyer, and a former foster family cast doubt on the report. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 while receiving COVID-19 treatment, recognized through distinctive tattoos and multiple aliases, and extradited to Utah in January 2024.

Rossi’s victims detailed a history of manipulation and abuse. One woman, engaged to Rossi shortly after meeting him through a Craigslist ad, recounted being forced to pay for dates, loans, and engagement rings before being raped. Another woman had reported a similar assault in Orem, Utah.

Rossi, a foster care alumnus from Rhode Island, also faces outstanding fraud charges in Ohio and had previously evaded registration as a sex offender. His elaborate attempt to flee justice underscores a decade-long evasion of law enforcement, culminating in his current imprisonment.

  

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Title: Utah man who faked death sentenced for 2008 rapes



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