Nicholas Alahverdian.Photo:KSTU via AP, Pool
KSTU via AP, Pool
By the time Utah County prosecutorsfiled rape chargesagainst him,Nicholas Alahverdianhad already faked his own death and fled to Scotland, authorities allege.
“Objection, my lady, that is complete hearsay,” Alahverdian reportedly said.
Nicholas Alahverdian leaving Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of The Peace Court in 2022.Press Association via AP Images
Press Association via AP Images
The court hearing marked a significant milestone for a case that has involved many unexpected twists. About a decade after the alleged rape of a 21-year-old woman in Orem, Utah, Alahverdian was named as a suspect when the Utah State Crime Lab, pushing through a backlog of DNA kit tests, allegedly identified his genetic material on the test, the AP reports.
Nicholas Alahverdian mug shot.Pawtucket Police Department
Pawtucket Police Department
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
But his former lawyer soonexpressed doubtthat Alahverdian was really dead.
Nearly two years passed before Alahverdian was arrested in Glasgow, Scotland, while being treated at a hospital there for Covid-19 in December 2021,per the AP.
Nicholas Alahverdian at the Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court for an extradition hearing June 30, 2023. This summer, the judge ruled that Alahverdian could be extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges in Utah and Ohio.Press Association via AP Images
At the time of his arrest, he allegedly claimed he was Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan, and that he had never been to the U.S., per the AP. He allegedly claimed that a National Health Service employee named Patrick taken his fingerprints and that authorities hadgiven him identifying tattooswhile he was in a coma so that he could be framed for the rape, per the radio stationLeading Britain’s Conversation. The AP previously reported that he had attended the Scottish court seated in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask covering his face and that he used a British accent.
Miranda Knight, his wife, also told the Scottish court in 2022 that she knew her husband as Nicholas Brown — the name on their marriage certificate, which she submitted to the court,per the BBC.
Miranda Knight, Nicholas Alahverdian’s wife, previously submitted evidence to a Scottish court that her husband was actually “Nicholas Brown.".Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images
Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images
Growing up in foster homes in Rhode Island, Alahverdian became a vocal critic of the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Nicholas Alahverdian leaves Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court following an extradition hearing last year.Press Association via AP Images
But his true identity caught up with him fifteen years after the alleged rape.
At the hearing Tuesday, Alahverdian tuned into the court hearing from jail while wearing an oxygen mask which, per the AP, made it difficult for him to be understood. He alternated between wearing the mask and removing it to make himself audible.
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Alahverdian, who has had multiple lawyers, appeared without a lawyer Tuesday. When the judge said a lawyer would be appointed for him, Alahverdian claimed he already had one but that the lawyer had not been made aware of the scheduled hearing, per the AP. It was not immediately clear the identity of that purported lawyer.
Alahverdian – who is now held in a Utah jail without the possibility of bail – has not entered a plea to the charges, per the AP. He is slated for a detention hearing January 26.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
