PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The Rhode Island fugitive, who authorities say faked his own death to avoid criminal prosecution, is heading for trial after he rejected a plea deal in a rape case in Utah. Nicholas Alahverdian, also known as Nicholas Rossi, is charged with a felony count of rape. He is accused of sexually assaulting his 26-year-old girlfriend in Utah in 2008. The case was reopened in 2017 and a DNA test of a rape kit matched Alahverdian's profile. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 15. Alahverdian’s court-appointed attorney, Daniel Diaz, told Utah District Court Judge Derek Pullman that plea negotiations between his client and prosecutors, “unfortunately, haven't been fruitful.” Alahverdian appeared remotely from jail wearing an oxygen mask. He didn't speak during the hearing. The prosecutor said the plea offer had been withdrawn and it is now off the table. Diaz said he is going to challenge some of the state’s witnesses, and a hearing on that dispute has been scheduled for March. Pullman ordered Alahverdian to appear in person. The case has drawn international attention after Alahverdian vanished before he could be arrested, and an online obituary claimed he died of cancer in 2020. The following year, authorities tracked him down after he contracted COVID and was admitted to a hospital in Scotland. For years, Alahverdian fought extradition to the United States by claiming he was in fact an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight. Ultimately, the courts in the United Kingdom determined he was Alahverdian and handed him over to U.S. officials. In October, he admitted to a Utah judge he was in fact Alahverdian and had changed his name when he went overseas. Utah court documents show Alahverdian has also been accused of sexual assault, harassment and possible kidnapping in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Ohio. Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW