Roommate charged with stabbing 18-year-old girl

In this episode of Crime Watch Daily Updates: Anita Knutson was always the life of the party. The 18-year-old was beloved by everyone around her all while working two jobs and putting herself through college.

Then, one day in June 2007, everything changed for Anita and her family.

Anita’s parents, Sharon and Gordon, became concerned after Anita didn’t answer their calls or show up to work. On June 4, 2007, Gordon drove to Anita’s apartment near Minot State University in North Dakota and discovered his daughter dead.

Anita’s body was face-down on her bed and covered with a large coat. She had been stabbed to death, and the killer even left the knife in a sink.

Police questioned many possible suspects, including Anita’s roommate. Anita’s parents grew suspicious of her roommate because the two apparently had a fraught and turbulent relationship. But nothing was sticking.

Anita’s case went cold, and the Knutson family dealt with more grief. In 2013, her brother, Daniel, killed himself.

Almost 15 years after Anita’s death, in March 2022, police arrested the roommate, Nichole Rice, on suspicion of murder. She pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court in December 2022.

Let’s take a look back at the tragic case of a promising young student whose life got ripped away.