According to Minot Police Chief John Klug, Nichole Rice, 34, was arrested Wednesday in the 2007 knifing death of her roommate, Anita Knutson.
Anita Knutson, 18, was a student at Minot State University. She was found brutally stabbed to death in her off-campus apartment in 2007.
On March 16, 2022, Minot Police announced the arrest of 34-year-old Nichole Rice at a press conference. Nichole was Anita’s roommate at the time of her murder.
Obituary: Monot Anita Knutson Murder Update
Monot Anita’s story was featured in Dateline’s Cold Case Spotlight web series in 2015, which included an interview with her younger sister, Anna.
Anna Knutson told Dateline that even though Anita was living away from home at the time, she was close to their close-knit family.
Gordon Knutson became worried about his oldest daughter Anita when he did not hear from her in June 2007. He went to her apartment on June 4. Anita’s car was parked outside, and the apartment was locked.
The property manager let him in to the flat, where he discovered his daughter’s body in her bedroom. Anita had been stabbed several times in the back.
As the murder weapon, a bloodied knife had been left in the sink. Although the apartment appeared to be empty, a slashed screen from Anita’s bedroom window was discovered on the ground outside.
On Wednesday afternoon, Nichole Rice was convicted of murder, an AA felony, and was taken to the Ward County Jail. It is unknown when she will be arraigned.
Who Is Nichole Rice? Her Background Details
Nicole Rice is believed to be responsible for the murder of the 15-year-old case of Anita Knutson.
After extensive detective work and expert assistance from Cold Justice, the Minot Police Department made the arrest of her in the cold case. Knutson, an 18-year-old Minot State University student, was found stabbed in her Minot apartment on June 4, 2007.
Anita’s death was followed a few years later by another tragedy in the Knutson family, Anna told Dateline in 2015. This time, Daniel, their brother, was the perpetrator.
According to Chief Klug, Rice had always been a person of interest, but there had never been enough evidence to arrest her. In the past, he said, staffing and a lack of resources prevented him from giving the case the attention it required to achieve a breakthrough.
Where is Nichole Rice- Is She Arrested?
Nichole Rice was arrested without incident as a civilian employee at Minot Air Force Base, according to Klug.
She is being retained in the Ward County Jail on a Class AA murder charge. Rice was apprehended at 3:25 p.m.