Convicted rapist Nicholas Rossi dies in prison

Jun 26, 2026, 11:08 AM

FILE - In this image made from pool video footage, Nicholas Rossi, accused of faking his death and fleeing to Europe to avoid rape charges, appears at a jury trial in Salt Lake City, Aug. 11, 2025. (Firecrest Films via Associated Press)

(Firecrest Films via Associated Press)

BY PAT REAVY, KSL

KSLNewsRadio

SALT LAKE CITY — The man convicted last year of raping a woman in 2008 before he faked his death, fled the country and assumed a new identity, has died.

The Utah Department of Corrections announced on Friday that Nicholas Edward Rossi, 38, was pronounced dead on Thursday at a local hospital just after 8:30 p.m.

“Rossi died from complications of an existing medical condition after choosing to discontinue medical treatment,” the department stated.

Rossi, 38, was convicted in August in 3rd District Court of rape, a first-degree felony. He was found guilty again in September of a second rape in Utah County. He was sentenced to a total of 10 years to life in the Utah State Prison.

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Convicted rapist Nicholas Rossi dies in prison

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