Anita Knutson’s murder: A full timeline of events |Sportskeeda Lite

Anita Knutson, a Minot State University student aged 18, was stabbed to death inside her apartment on June 4, 2007. It took almost 18 years to solve the case. Her roommate, Nichole Rice, was indicted for murder in 2022 and was acquitted in March 2025 after a publicity-studded trial.

Dateline season 33 episode 26, featuring the Anita Knutson murder case, will air on May 2, 2025. The episode, titled Murder in Minot, will revisit Anita Knutson's murder case, which dragged on for 18 years, including a postponed arrest, a highly publicized national trial, and an acquittal that left the crime unsolved.

Anita Knutson’s murder: A complete timeline of events reconstructed from court records, police accounts, and testimonies at trial

Early life and background

According to reports, Anita Knutson was born on September 22, 1988, in Orange County, California, and was adopted by Gordon and Sharon Knutson at the age of five months. Her family moved to Butte, North Dakota, while she was in high school.

She received her diploma from Velva High School in 2006 and attended Minot State University to pursue an elementary education degree. By June 2007, she worked part-time at Vanity in the Dakota Square Mall and the Fairfield Inn.

The final days and the discovery of the body

June 1, 2007: According to reports, Knutson called her mother on the phone when she returned home from work, the last confirmed contact with her family.
June 2: She missed her Fairfield Inn shift, which the police subsequently described as "unusual" considering her consistent work record.
June 3: According to reports, Knutson sent text messages to a friend during the early morning hours. There were no more recorded communications.
June 4: Gordon Knutson came to Minot after ignoring phone calls from his daughter. Her car was parked outside her apartment, which was locked. A building maintenance man pointed out a slashed window screen. Gordon looked into the window and saw Anita Knutson's body on a bloodstained bed. Police arrived at 5:12 p.m. and verified that she had been killed by several stab wounds.

Investigation and arrest

2007–2019: According to reports, the case went cold even though initial leads were followed. Rice was interviewed by the police, stating she had spent the murder weekend at her parents' farm. There were inconsistencies in her story, but there was no proof.

2019: Minot Police re-examined the case with help from the Cold Justice TV series. Master Officer Mikali Talbott identified Rice as the primary suspect after reviewing thousands of documents, ruling out others like Devin Hall, who was in Montana at the time, according to reports.
2022: Rice was arrested and charged with felony murder. Prosecutors cited her alleged confessions to friends, including a 2008 party where she reportedly admitted to the crime.

March 2025: Trial and acquittal

Prosecution's case: According to reports, Deputy Ward County State's Attorney Tiffany Sorgen contended Rice possessed "means, motive, and opportunity" based on the poisonous roommate relationship and Rice's unexplained time between 11:30 p.m. (June 2) and 8:30 a.m. (June 3). Testimony indicated Rice admitted to stabbing Knutson "two times in the chest" under drunk confessions.
Defense's case: Attorney Richard Sand said Rice was a scapegoat wracked by media pressure. He questioned the credibility of witness testimony and the absence of physical evidence tying Rice to the offense.

Verdict: According to reports, the jury found Rice not guilty on March 25, 2025, due to a lack of sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Key points and unresolved questions

Timeline Gaps: According to reports, the time of death is still not clear, even though prosecutors put it around 5 a.m. on June 3.
Motive: Prosecutors pointed to a "toxic" living environment, while the defense countered no tangible evidence of hostility short of roommate disagreement.

For more details on the Anita Knutson murder case, watch Dateline season 33 episode 26.