Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
PROVO — Although Nicholas Rossi refused to attend his virtual hearing on Tuesday, his attorney, Daniel Diaz, said he is optimistic Rossi will respond to a plea deal offered to him in the next few weeks.
He said Rossi wanted the hearing to move forward and understood the hearing was a deadline to schedule a trial in his Utah County case.
Fourth District Judge Derek Pullan still told the attorneys he still wanted to schedule a trial despite the pending plea and reserved three weeks in his calendar for the case beginning Sept. 15, 2025. Pullan encouraged prosecutors to not give an open-ended plea agreement deal but to enforce a deadline, noting the large amount of time scheduled.
"I need to know whether this is going or not," he said.
A hearing was set for Dec. 17 to follow up on the plea offer.
Rossi was extradited from Scotland to face a charge of rape, a first-degree felony, in Utah County after a rape kit tested in 2018 provided enough evidence for charges to be filed following a 2008 report.
After seeing news of his extradition, a second woman in Salt Lake County reached out to police, and a second charge of rape, a first-degree felony, was filed against Rossi.
Deputy Utah County attorney Stephen Jones said the plea deal Rossi is considering would resolve charges in both counties; he said he thinks they will know if the deal will move forward quickly but that the multicounty deal has made it more difficult than normal.
Rossi's 3rd District Court case is scheduled for trial in April.
