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SALT LAKE CITY — The first substantive hearing in Utah for a man extradited on rape charges in two separate counties was scheduled on Friday.
Nicholas Rossi, 36, is set for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial for rape, a first-degree felony, on June 12. In that same hearing, 3rd District Judge Barry Lawrence will also consider whether Rossi should remain incarcerated for that case.
Earlier this week, 4th District Judge Derek Pullan gave Rossi four more weeks to hire an attorney before moving his separate Utah County rape case forward, despite arguments from prosecutors the case has already been significantly delayed by Rossi.
Rossi is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman in Orem in 2008. He was identified as a suspect in 2018 after the Utah State Crime Lab identified him through a DNA rape kit, and he was charged in 2020.
When charges were filed, Rossi was living in Scotland under the name Arthur Knight — the name Lawrence agreed to call him following a request Rossi made in a previous hearing. After multiple hearings in the U.K. where he denied his identity, Rossi was extradited to Utah in January.
Rossi was accused of faking his own death to avoid rape charges in Utah. He has also claimed he is an Irish orphan, but United Kingdom courts ruled that his case is not a case of mistaken identity and DNA and tattoos identify him as Rossi. He was extradited to Utah earlier this year from Scotland. In August, a judge in Scotland called Rossi "as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative."
After Rossi made headlines for fighting extradition, another woman came forward to say Rossi sexually assaulted her in South Salt Lake, also in 2008; and, in 2022, Rossi was charged in a second case with rape. The South Salt Lake case will be before the court on June 12.
Rossi will be back in Provo's 4th District Court on May 14, and the judge said he will look into appointing a public defender if Rossi has not been able to get the funds from his wife in the United Kingdom to pay for the attorney he wants to represent him, Lance Bastian.
During Friday's hearing, Rossi said he would also like Bastian to represent him in the Salt Lake County case, instead of Samantha Dugan, the public defender assigned to the case.
"We do have the notion, well the reality, that Mr. Lance Bastian will be taking over for Ms. Dugan. My wife and I are working relentlessly to ensure that that is done," he said.
