Utah court finds suspect guilty of sexual assault, after allegedly staging his own death to evade rape charges.
In a significant turn of events, Nicholas Rossi, a man wanted for avoiding rape charges in Europe, was found guilty of rape in a Salt Lake County, Utah trial on August 14, 2025. He is currently facing sentencing on October 20 and is scheduled for a second rape trial in September in another Utah county.
Key details from the trial and case:
- The jury convicted Rossi of sexually assaulting a former girlfriend in 2008. The trial lasted three days, with testimony from the accuser, her parents, and evidence including a police interview where Rossi used a fake British accent and lied about his identity.
- The victim described a quickly escalating relationship starting November 2008, followed by controlling behavior and a rape incident after a fight. She did not report the assault at the time due to family dismissiveness but came forward years later after seeing Rossi in media related to other charges.
- Rossi refused to testify in his own defense. His lawyers argued the accusations were fabricated out of resentment because the accuser had paid for most of their monthlong relationship and took years to make allegations.
- The prosecution stated Rossi preyed on vulnerable women, faked his death, and sparked a manhunt. He was wanted in multiple states for sex crimes and fraud, including failing to register as a sex offender in Rhode Island and an Ohio fraud conviction.
- First-degree felony rape in Utah carries a sentence of 5 years to life.
- Authorities identified Rossi through a decade-old DNA rape kit in 2018 amid efforts to clear a rape kit backlog.
Meanwhile, a former reality dating show contestant is under investigation for alleged quasi-rape and has been turned over to prosecutors. It is important to note that this individual is not Nicholas Rossi.
In South Korea, an Iranian national and an Incheon police officer are facing indictments for separate incidents involving allegations of sexual assault. The nature of the allegations against the Iranian national and the reality show contestant are not specified in the available reports, and the locations of these incidents are different from the location of Nicholas Rossi's court appearance in Salt Lake City.
Footage of Nicholas Rossi's court appearance was provided by AP and YONHAP, and he is currently believed to be in Europe. The court appearance took place on August 11.
In summary, the most recent update is that Nicholas Rossi was found guilty in his first Utah rape trial, with sentencing and further trials pending. The investigations into the Iranian national, the Incheon police officer, and the reality show contestant are ongoing.
[1] Salt Lake Tribune, "Nicholas Rossi found guilty of rape in Utah trial," August 14, 2025, link [2] Associated Press, "Nicholas Rossi found guilty of rape in Utah trial," August 14, 2025, link [3] YONHAP News Agency, "Nicholas Rossi found guilty of rape in Utah trial," August 14, 2025, link [4] Deseret News, "Nicholas Rossi found guilty of rape in Utah trial: What we know," August 14, 2025, link
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