Utah, USA – A man known for faking his death and fleeing the United States to evade sexual assault charges was convicted in a second rape trial on Wednesday, according to public court records. Nicholas Alahverdian, 38, was found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend in September 2008, marking another conviction following a previous guilty verdict earlier this year.
Alahverdian, also identified by authorities as Nicholas Rossi, was sentenced to prison after the August trial in Salt Lake City County, having been found guilty of raping a former fiancée in December 2008. Despite the convictions, Alahverdian has maintained his innocence in media interviews, and his defense attorney announced plans to appeal the latest verdict.
Details Behind the Second Conviction
In the recent trial, Alahverdian was convicted of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend, referred to in court documents as K.P., on September 13, 2008. The two had briefly dated after meeting through MySpace earlier that year. According to K.P.’s statements, the relationship ended due to Alahverdian’s increasing aggression and failure to repay borrowed money.
K.P. reported that she was raped when she went to Alahverdian’s home to retrieve the money owed to her. The following day, she completed a sexual assault kit. Authorities attribute the delayed identification of Alahverdian as the suspect to testing backlogs, which meant he was not named as a suspect until over a decade after the incident.
- The assault occurred on September 13, 2008.
- K.P. reported the sexual assault promptly and underwent forensic testing.
- Due to a backlog in testing, Alahverdian was only charged in 2020.
The Complex Identity and Flight from Justice
Alahverdian’s story is further complicated by his notorious attempt to evade prosecution by faking his own death. In 2020, an obituary claimed he died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 32. However, authorities later discovered he had fled to the United Kingdom and was living in Scotland under the alias Arthur Knight.
Utah’s Department of Public Safety launched an international effort to extradite him back to the United States. After a two-year investigation, authorities successfully extradited Alahverdian in January 2024, where he admitted to his true identity but defended his assumed name as a means of protecting himself from threats related to his previous work supporting foster youth.
“I do not prefer to be called Arthur Knight,” Alahverdian said during a 2022 Dateline interview, adding, “I am Arthur Knight.”
Legal Responses and Next Steps
Alahverdian has pleaded not guilty in both cases and continues to deny all wrongdoing. His Utah County public defender, Daniel Diaz, confirmed intentions to appeal the recent conviction but declined further comment. Meanwhile, the Utah County Attorney’s Office has not publicly responded to requests for comment.
The series of trials highlights the complexities law enforcement faces when dealing with suspects who manipulate identities and evade authorities internationally. The convictions mark significant victories for victims of sexual assault seeking justice despite the passage of time.
For more detailed information on this case, visit NBC Boston’s report.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Nicholas Alahverdian convicted in two separate Utah rape trials for crimes committed in 2008.
- Faked death in 2020; later found living in Scotland under the name Arthur Knight.
- Extradited to the U.S. in January 2024 and acknowledged his true identity.
- Defense plans to appeal both convictions; Alahverdian maintains innocence.
