PROVO, Utah — Ex-fugitive Nicholas Rossi has rejected a plea deal in connection to a 2008 rape charge in Orem and will now head to trial in September, one of two trials he is scheduled to face this year.
During a pretrial conference Tuesday, in which Rossi appeared remotely from jail, Deputy Utah County Attorney Stephen Jones relayed that the state had withdrawn any plea offers in the case and that one will not be offered again in the future.
A possible plea deal came to light last month, although its details were not known.
Rossi will now stand trial starting on Sept. 15 for the alleged rape of a 21-year-old woman. It is the second of two criminal charges Rossi faces, with an April trial also set for another alleged rape in 2008 of a 26-year-old South Salt Lake woman.
Tuesday's conference came nearly a year after Rossi, who now goes by the name Arthur Knight, was extradited back to the United States after he allegedly faked his own death to avoid the rape charges.
Since being returned to Utah, Rossi has claimed numerous reasons for failing to appear in court, even forcing one judge to order reasonable force be used to get him to show up in person.
On Tuesday, Rossi was shown in a wheelchair holding an oxygen tank via remote cameras. Judge Derek Pullan ordered Rossi to be transported to court when a motion in the case is heard in March.
