Who are the alleged assault victims of Nicholas Alahverdian? Details explored ahead of NBC Dateline

Nicholas Alahverdian is a convicted s*x offender and fraudster who faked his death in 2020 to escape an FBI investigation. Over the years, Alahverdian had used a number of aliases, the most common ones being Nicholas Rossi and Arthur Knight. He was arrested in a hospital in Scotland in December 2021. At the time, he was using his alias, Arthur Knight, a professor at the University of Glasgow.

The fugitive made international news and was wanted on s*xual assault and other charges, in several states in the US. This prompted him to stage his death, even put up an obituary, and flee the country. However, Alahverdian's s*xual violence history dates back to 2006 when he was only 18. Since then, multiple alleged victims have come forward detailing their encounters with him.

This week's Dateline episode, titled Dead Man Talking, is slated to chronicle the crimes of Nicholas Alahverdian. The episode, which will discuss how he faked his death and assumed a distinct identity in a different country, will air on NBC on Friday, April 21, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

The synopsis reads:

"Investigators search for an American fugitive accused of faking his own death to evade law enforcement agencies. Andrea Canning confronts the man at the center of the international mystery."

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of s*xual assault and r*pe. Reader discretion is advised.

Disclaimer: The names of some victims used in this article are pseudonyms used to protect the victims' identity and readers are requested to respect the same.

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All of Nicholas Alahverdian's alleged victims

Most of Nicholas Alahverdian's victims have used pseudonyms to protect their identities. However, The Daily Beast has details of these victims and the crimes against them. The crimes began in 2006 and only ended in 2021 when Nicholas was arrested.

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1) Samantha

According to The Daily Beast, Nicholas Alahverdian's first victim was Samantha - who used a pseudonym to protect her identity. She revealed that he r*ped her in 2006 when she was a sophomore in college in Massachusetts, a few weeks before her 19th birthday. Alahverdian went by Nicholas Rossi at the time and the victim was originally from Providence, Rhode Island, the same as him.

Samantha claimed the two went out for dinner at a restaurant before heading back to her dorm to watch a movie. He then repeatedly tried to pressurize her for s*x and at one point, even threatened her. When she refused, he r*ped her. The victim claimed she did not report the incident because the culture around s*xual assault back then was very different.

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2) Mary Grebinski

Nicholas Alahverdian committed another gruesome crime in January 2008 in Ohio that, years later, changed his life. He reached out to Mary Grebinski, an information technology student at a community college in Dayton, Ohio, via MySpace in January 2008. They both attended the same school and Alahverdian said he’d like to get to know her and connect with her.

The two met in the cafeteria and Alahverdian asked if he could walk Grebinski to her class and she agreed. He then pinned her against a wall in an empty hallway and started gr*ping her and m**turbating. She reported that he m**turbated and e**culated on the wall behind her. Grebinski reported the assault to the police and testified at the trial.

Alahverdian was found guilty of public indecency and s*xual imposition in March 2008. His DNA and fingerprints were then added to the national data base of s*x offenders.

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3) M.S.

In November 2008, Nicholas Alahverdian met a 26-year-old woman online in Utah - who is referred to only as "M.S." - and dated her for two months. The woman told investigators that he manipulated and convinced her into lending him money but never paid her back. He also told M.S. that he intended to marry her, but in December, he locked her in the bedroom and r*ped her.

Authorities in Utah alleged that Alahverdian also s*xually assaulted his former 21-year-old girlfriend in Orem that same year. He is accused of luring the unidentified woman back to his flat with a promise to pay back the money he owed her. She stated that following the alleged r*pe, he even told her that she was "mentally unstable and too emotional to deal with."

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4) Kathryn Heckendorn

In 2015, Alahverdian was in Utah, where he met Kathryn Heckendorn at a Mormon singles event and married her within a few months. The couple then moved to Ohio, after which he became violent.

Heckendorn claimed she also found his stalking journals in their basement. Their marriage lasted five months during which he physically and verbally abused her and also borrowed $52,000 from her.

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5) Michelle Minnear

After his 2016 divorce, the s*x offender connected with Michelle Minnear, a food blogger from Essex, United Kingdom, using OkCupid in 2017. He traveled to the UK in June to meet Minnear and moved into her house for five weeks. Alahverdian then allegedly r*ped her and spent £3,600 of her savings. By July 2017, she had changed her house locks, but still feared him.

After Nicholas Alahverdian's encounter with Minnear, the law slowly started catching up to him but he faked his death. He was eventually arrested in December 2021 in Scotland on behalf of the United States authorities. He was going under the alias of Arthur Knight at the time.

This week's episode of Dateline will feature Nicholas Alahverdian's crimes and will air on NBC on Friday, April 21, 2023, at 9 pm ET.