Tue May 06 11:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Cold Case Closed, But Not Without Controversy: Roommate Acquitted in 2007 Minot State Student’s Stabbing Death

**Minot, ND –** Fifteen years after Minot State University student Anita Knutson was found stabbed to death in her off-campus apartment, her roommate, Nichole Rice (formerly Nichole Thomas), was acquitted of murder on March 26, 2025. The verdict, following a trial that began March 18th, shocked the Knutson family and sparked controversy over the emotional reactions of Rice’s legal team in the courtroom.

Knutson, 18, was discovered dead on June 4, 2007, by her father. The case went cold until 2022, when the Oxygen TV show *Cold Justice* re-examined the evidence, focusing on Rice as a suspect. This renewed investigation led to Rice’s arrest in March 2022.

The prosecution presented evidence suggesting a volatile roommate relationship, with witnesses testifying to arguments over trivial matters like alarm clocks and a pet fish. Two former co-workers described Rice as frequently angry with Knutson. Crucially, the prosecution also called two witnesses who claimed Rice had drunkenly confessed to the stabbing in separate incidents in 2008. However, no police records of these confessions existed.

Rice’s defense argued that the prosecution failed to prove her presence at the scene of the crime and that the roommate disputes didn’t constitute sufficient motive for murder. The jury deliberated for less than six hours before returning a not-guilty verdict.

The verdict’s announcement was met with emotional displays from Rice’s legal team and family, prompting an apology for any offense caused to the Knutson family. Anna Knutson, Anita’s sister, expressed her disappointment, stating that a not-guilty verdict does not equate to innocence. The case will be further explored in a two-hour Dateline special airing May 2nd. The lasting impact on the Knutson family, who also suffered the loss of Anita’s brother by suicide in 2013, remains profound.

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