A man accused of rape and fraud orchestrated an elaborate scheme to fake his own death, sending international law enforcement on a wild chase to uncover his true identity.
The intriguing case of Nicolas Rossi, which spanned several years and prompted a global search, is the focus of the June 4 episode of Dateline Unforgettable.
“Nicholas Alahverdian transformed himself so often that it became a challenge to determine his real identity,” remarked Andrea Canning of Dateline. “There were instances where I felt sympathy for him, but at other times, he sent shivers down my spine.”
Who Is Nicholas Rossi?
Nicholas Alahverdian, originally from Providence, Rhode Island, experienced a troubled upbringing in a chaotic family environment.
His father, a convicted criminal with a history of domestic assault, forced Nicholas’s mother to obtain a restraining order and go into hiding with him and his siblings to ensure their safety.
When Nicholas was 8, his mother married David Rossi, who adopted him and gave him his surname.
“He was wicked,” said David of his stepson. “He was a devil spawn.”
Nicholas then entered foster care and bounced between different homes. Yet, he was determined to fulfill his dreams, eventually landing a clerical job at the State House in his teens.
After he turned 18, Nicholas moved to Ohio and later enrolled in Sinclair Community College.
There, allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced—and would follow him for decades.
Multiple Women Accuse Nicholas Rossi of Sexual Assault
Mary Grabinski met Nicholas in 2008 during her first year at Sinclair Community College.
“He was extremely friendly,” said Mary. “We hit it off and he was charming.”
Although the pair agreed their relationship was platonic, Mary alleged that Nicholas sexually assaulted her at the bottom of a campus stairwell while walking her to class. Nicholas begged her not to press charges, but she contacted campus police.
According to Mary, there was not enough evidence to pursue her case. Then, after Nicholas filed a report of his own—naming her as the aggressor—she said investigators took her allegations seriously.
Nicholas was charged with public indecency and sexual imposition, to which he pleaded not guilty. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to attend a sex offender rehabilitation program and register as a sex offender for 15 years.
He later sued Mary for his placement on the sex offender registry, and Mary’s husband for calling him “crazy” on a blog. Both cases were ultimately dismissed.
That’s when Nicholas moved back to Rhode Island and began his next reinvention.
Nicholas Rossi Becomes a Star—and a Private Predator
Nicholas returned to work at the State House, while positioning himself as a prominent child advocate. He sued the Department of Children, Youth & Families for allegedly failing to protect him from alleged abuse and torture while in the system, a case that was eventually settled.
His advocacy work and high-profile lawsuit earned him admiration from lawmakers and established him as a prominent child advocate.
However, behind the scenes, Nicholas was terrorizing women.
Six women accused him of assault and other offenses, including one who became Nicholas’ wife. During their short-lived marriage, Nicholas was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to probation.
Nicholas was also accused of raping two women in Utah in 2008: a 21-year-old woman in Orem and a 26-year-old ex-girlfriend in Salt Lake City.
By 2015, Nicholas returned to Ohio and changed his last name back to Alahverdian.
He also had a new wife, Kathryn Heckendorn.
Kathryn said Nicholas portrayed himself as a Harvard University graduate and aspiring non-profit executive eager to get married. He proposed after a few months of dating.
“I was very shocked,” Kathryn told Dateline. “Everything in me was just saying, ‘No, no, no, no, too soon. Something’s off about this.’”
Nicholas persisted, however, and the couple wed at City Hall. The honeymoon didn’t last, though, as Kathryn explained, “he went from charming to monster in a heartbeat.”
According to Kathryn, Nicholas was abusive, allegedly hitting and raping her, then hiding her phone to prevent her from calling the police. After one incident, she said, Nicholas locked her in the bathroom for two days.
Kathryn filed for divorce after less than a year of marriage.
Meanwhile, authorities quietly investigated other allegations against Nicholas.
Not only had he allegedly defrauded an Ohio foster family, but he had an arrest warrant from a technical violation stemming from a domestic violence charge involving Mary.
Plus, as a registered sex offender, Nicholas had also failed to update his address when he moved back to Ohio. As a result, he had an additional arrest warrant—and a spot on Rhode Island’s “Most Wanted” list.
Facing mounting legal pressure, Nicholas purchased a one-way plane ticket to Ireland, laying the groundwork for another new identity.
How Did Nicholas Rossi Die?
By 2018, Nicholas had reinvented himself in Ireland, leaving behind two ex-wives and a pile of serious allegations.
One resurfaced in Utah when lawyer David Leavitt reviewed an old, untested rape kit. The DNA matched a registered sex offender in Ohio, Nicolas Rossi. According to the victim, she reported the rape in 2008 but the case went nowhere.
Leavitt charged Nicholas with rape and set out to find him.
The investigation hit a dead end, however, when authorities discovered an obituary for David Rossi, claiming he died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Leavitt was suspicious, so he subpoenaed Nicholas’ financial records and discovered transactions and social media activity that occurred after his reported death.
As Leavitt told Dateline, “Our investigators knew that he was not dead.”
Two years later, Nicholas made a mistake. He accidentally revealed his overseas address online, providing investigators with an important clue about his whereabouts: a hospital in Scotland.
Nicholas Rossi Reinvents Himself as Arthur Knight
Nicholas had contracted COVID-19 and spent three months in a medically induced coma. As he was recovering, Scottish authorities entered his hospital room and arrested him, believing they had finally caught Nicholas Rossi.
However, Nicholas insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. He claimed to be Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan turned businessman.
He then agreed to an interview with Dateline alongside his new wife, Miranda.
“I want to be as honest and truthful as possible,” he told Dateline in a British accent while seated in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask.
He went on to say he grew up as an orphan in Ireland, then moved to London and worked as a communications professional. He met Miranda in 2011 and they wed in 2020.
During the interview, he denied all criminal allegations and insisted that he was Arthur Knight. The speculation, he said, had upended their world.
“We were once a normal family,” he told Dateline, “but thanks to the media, our lives have been interrupted.”
Miranda added, “We will fight this together and there will be a time where we will crack open a bottle of champagne and we will go back to our normal lives as a normal couple with our beautiful dogs.”
A judge ultimately ruled that Arthur Knight was Nicholas Rossi. Although he appealed that decision, he was extradited to Utah to face rape allegations.
DNA testing later confirmed Nicholas’ identity. In court, he admitted that while his name was Arthur Knight, he was born Nicholas Alahverdian, later changed to Nicolas Rossi. Nicholas said he lied to avoid alleged death threats stemming from his lawsuit against the Department of Children, Youth & Families.
Mary said it was important for her to attend court.
“I’ve waited years to see him in custody,” she told Dateline. “So, it’s going to be very sweet for me.”
Mary added, “It made me happy to see him there because he can’t hurt anybody.”
In 2025, Nicholas pleaded not guilty to both Utah rape charges but was found guilty in both cases. He was sentenced to five years to life in each case, to be served consecutively.