American Rapist Nicholas Rossi Dies in US Hospital
L'essentiel
- American rapist Nicholas Rossi, 38, who faked his death and fled to Scotland, has died in a US hospital from chronic conditions after discontinuing medical treatment.
- He was convicted in 2024 for 2008 rapes in Utah.
Résumé généré par IA
Nicholas Rossi, the American rapist who faked his death and fled to Scotland in a bid to escape justice, has died in a US hospital.
The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) said the 38-year-old had been suffering from "chronic, degenerative conditions".
It said Rossi died in a local hospital on Thursday after "he chose to remove himself from the care that was being provided".
Rossi was found guilty of raping two women in Utah in 2008 after two separate trials in 2024.
A UDC spokesman said: "Rossi was pronounced dead at a local hospital on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 20:32.
"Rossi died from complications of an existing medical condition after choosing to discontinue medical treatment.
"This notification follows communication with Rossi's family and his victims."
Rossi was serving 10 years to life for crimes that included sexual assault.
He had fled to Scotland in 2021 in an attempt to evade justice but was arrested in the Covid ward of a Glasgow hospital.
Staff recognised his mugshot and distinctive tattoos from an Interpol wanted notice - but he claimed to be an Irish-born orphan called Arthur Knight, who had never been to America.
He gave an interview to the BBC, where he maintained his story - but could not produce a birth certificate or a passport.
Rossi continued to insist at a series of hearings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court - which he usually attended in an electric wheelchair, wearing an oxygen mask, hat and three-piece suit - that he was the victim of mistaken identity.
He was finally extradited to the US in January 2024, more than a year after the court had ruled that he was indeed Nicholas Rossi.
He was convicted in separate trials in August and September that year of raping two women in Utah in 2008.
Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill said that Rossi was a "sexual predator who tried to escape accountability".
He said: "He was caught and died with the public knowledge of his guilt, and the personal accountability of being in prison.
"The survivors of his heinous acts have the consolation that he died in prison with the knowledge of the crimes he committed."
