Who is Nicholas Rossi? Channel 4 investigates ‘Arthur Knight’ fugitive who faked his death
Imposter: The Man who Came Back From the Dead airs on Channel 4 from Monday, 20 May at 9pm
Nicholas Rossi is a man with many names and many faces, and he is the subject of Channel 4's newest true crime documentary Imposter: The Man who Came Back From the Dead.
The four-part series explores the investigation into the criminal, and how the police came to find him after he faked his own death. It is a case full of mystery and intrigue, and an even that took some dramatic turns as the criminal investigation took place.
Who is Nicholas Rossi?
Rossi, who was also known as Nicholas Alahverdian in the US, is a US citizen accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in Utah in 2008, and sexually assaulting another woman that same year.
He had previously been found guilty of sexual imposition and public indecency whilst studying at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. Rossi was also wanted for fleeing the country in 2017 to evade charges involving identity theft and fraud.
A registered sex offender, Rossi is accused of attacking a woman in Sinclair College, and he is alleged to have attacked a former girlfriend and trying to force her to have sex with him nine months later.
Read more: Nicholas Rossi, rape suspect who 'faked death', makes bizarre Utah court appearance
He has also been accused by his ex-wife, Kathryn Heckendorn, of subjecting her to physical and verbally abusive behaviour during their marriage. The couple wed in October 2015, and she told the BBC in August 2023 that the abuse began the day they wed, and she "would be hit on a daily occurrence" by Rossi.
Whilst living in Rhode Island he went on to use the name Nicholas Alahverdian where he was involved in local politics. Under this alias he told media outlets in December 2019 that he had late stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and only had weeks to live, and in February 2020 it was reported by some that he had died.
Was Arthur Knight really Nicholas Rossi in disguise?
Despite the reports of his supposed death, there were some who did not believe that this was the case and that he had actually faked his death. In August 2020, he was charged with rape in Utah which led to him being wanted by Interpol.
In December 2021, police authorities went to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital hospital in Glasgow, where a man named Arthur Knight was being treated after contracting COVID-19. He was accused of really being Rossi, and for being a fugitive from justice.
Read more: Channel 4 viewers call Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax 'truly horrifying'
The man denied that he was Rossi and claimed that he was really a bookish Anglo-Irishman named Arthur Knight. But the truth was soon revealed, Knight was really Rossi who had a history of changing his name and identity in order to avoid justice. In July 2022 he was also accused of sexual assault in Salt Lake City.
A court ruled in November 2022 that Knight was indeed Rossi, despite his claims of being a victim of mistaken identity. He was identified because his tattoos and fingerprints matched records of Rossi.
Where is Nicholas Rossi now?
On 5 January, 2024, Rossi was extradited back to the US from Scotland after he lost his final appeal to avoid extradition in December 2023. He is now set for a preliminary hearing.
Documentary filmmaker Owen Phillips, who made Channel 4's docuseries, has said of Rossi: "If you look at Rossi’s behaviour, if you look at the pattern, if you look at the police reports, then you do kind of think that this is probably the tip of the iceberg with Rossi and there are probably many many more victims out there who he has financially and sexually exploited.
"In the same way as Savile when more victims came forward, it’s the same with this. It’s a distinct pattern that goes back decades."
Imposter: The Man who Came Back From the Dead airs on Channel 4 from Monday, 20 May at 9pm. Episodes will air over three nights, with the finale airing at 10pm on Wednesday, 22 May.
If you feel you have been sexually assaulted you can contact the Rape Crisis National Telephone Helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2.30pm and 7-9.30pm every day of the year) or visit https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/.
You can also contact Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Survivors UK (for male victims of sexual assault). Or you can contact the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.
