Impostor: The Man Who Came Back from the Dead is a brand new Channel 4 documentary looking at the astonishing case of Nicholas Rossi.
Rossi, now 36, is still in the middle of one of the most baffling, mysterious legal cases of a generation – it involves several name changes, a lengthy court battle with the FBI, and has even seen Rossi apparently fake his own death.
The US native, whose birth name is Nicholas Alahverdian, is believed to have changed his name dozens of times, calling himself Arthur Knight and Nicholas Rossi, among many other names.
The four-part series begins on Monday, May 20 at 9pm on Channel 4, and will follow the legal saga that has seen police forces in the USA and Scotland working to get to the bottom of the story.
But what’s the story behind the documentary? And how did it come to this?
Who is Arthur Knight?
Arthur Knight, whose real name is Nicholas Alahverdian, was born in 1987 in the United States. Despite already having two names associated with him, police also know him as Nicholas Rossi.
In 2008, Alahverdian was convicted of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Ohio. This conviction eventually resulted in him being expelled from Harvard University in 2012 after the administration found out.
Five years later, it’s alleged that he fled to the United Kingdom and changed his name once more to Arthur Knight, before apparently faking his death.
A memorial service was held for ‘Rossi’ in his home state of Rhode Island after he was reported to have died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020.
According to members of Alahverdian’s family, ‘Rossi’ had battled the disease for months, suffering from heart disease and heart attacks, among other complications.
What happened to Arthur Knight?
While Rossi’s death was being investigated by his former foster mum in America, a man named Arthur Knight was arrested in a Glasgow hospital after waking from a coma he was placed in due to complications arising from Covid-19.
At the time, there was an outstanding warrant for Rossi’s arrest after he failed to register as a sex offender following the 2008 offence, as well as for other crimes he was being investigated for.
Despite his arrest, the man insisted he was an Irish native who had grown up as an orphan. But his fingerprints matched those belonging to Rossi.
Knight then went to the media, insisting he was an innocent man, and was seen on TV and on social media multiple times, often wearing an oxygen mask to help him breathe.
A journalist named Jane MacSorley interviewed Knight about his ordeal and was initially on his side, saying he was ‘charming’ and believing the investigation to be a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
But as she investigated the story further, MacSorley revealed that Knight became hostile, with the journalist eventually describing him as ‘dangerous’.
Why are American police investigating Nicholas Rossi?
On top of his conviction for sexual assault in 2008, Nicholas Rossi – who is also said to have gone by the names Arthur Knight, Nicholas Brown, and Nicholas Edward – is also wanted by the FBI over several other investigations.
Earlier this month, he appeared in court in the United States after being extradited in January – this current trial is regarding one of two rape trials he will have to face.
Rossi, who denies all charges against him, is said to be representing himself, having apparently refused repeated offers to seek legal counsel.
Until the case comes to a close in the summer, he will remain in jail in Utah.
Where can I watch Imposter: The Man Who Came Back from the Dead?
Imposter: The Man Who Came Back from the Dead will be available to watch on Channel 4 on Monday, May 20 at 9pm. Every episode will be available on All4 from June 3, 2024, when the documentary series concludes.
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Watch Imposter: The Man Who Came Back from the Dead on Channel 4 and All4.
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