GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Court TV) — A North Dakota woman has been acquitted of murdering her roommate nearly 20 years ago.
Nichole Rice reacts to the jury’s verdict. (Court TV)
Nichole Rice, 37, was charged with felony murder in the death of Anita Knutson, who was found stabbed to death on June 4, 2007. A jury found her not guilty of the single charge.
At the time of the murder, the two women lived together, though friends said the two had a strained relationship. One friend told police they recalled Rice telling Knutson, “‘One way or another I’m going to get you out of this house.”
MORE | Key players and courtroom evidence in Toxic Roommate Murder Trial
Knutson’s body was found by her father, who came to the apartment after his daughter failed to show up to work and did not answer multiple calls. Despite evidence at the scene indicating the murder was committed by someone with access to the home and was not motivated by theft, it took nearly 15 years for police to make an arrest in the case.
Police cited Rice’s inconsistent statements when they arrested her in 2022. Though Rice told police that she had been at her parents’ farm the weekend Knutson was murdered, investigators said that she allegedly confessed to an old boyfriend that she had committed the murder and told a different friend she had been out at a bar in Ruso before returning to her apartment.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 7 – 3/26/25
- The jury finds Nichole Rice not guilty of felony murder. As the jury’s verdict was read, Rice’s family members erupted in cheers in the courtroom.
- WATCH: Toxic Roommate Murder Trial: Nichole Rice’s Family Erupts Over Verdict
- WATCH: Nichole Rice Prays With Family Outside Courthouse After Jury’s Verdict
DAY 6 – 3/25/25
- Doug Kouns wrapped up his time on the stand after an extended cross-examination by prosecutor Christopher Nelson.
- Kouns doubled down on his belief that Devin Hall is the more likely suspect, not the defendant.
- WATCH: PI ‘Dumbfounded’ Devin Hall Not Interviewed in Anita Knutson’s Death
- Defense rested late Tuesday morning
- The state declined to put on a rebuttal case.
- In her closing, prosecutor Tiffany Sorgen recapped the case, focusing on the defendant’s inconsistent statements to law enforcement, alleged confessions to friends, her “other mom” and aunt Brenda Glinz, and her knowledge of crime scene details that were never made public.
- Defense attorney Rick Sand countered with a sharp critique of the investigation, describing it as a flawed cold case review resulting in a charging decision tainted by media pressure
- Sorgen then delivered a short rebuttal, challenging the defense narrative and arguing that the evidence still clearly points to the defendant.
DAY 5 – 3/24/25
- Defense witness Doug Kouns, a criminal investigation expert, said began his investigation in June 2023.
- WATCH: Toxic Roommate Murder Trial: Day 5 Recap
- Kouns found inconsistencies in Rice’s statements regarding her timeline; however, he argued these were not significant enough to implicate her in the crime.
- He pointed to a lack of direct evidence linking her to Knutson’s murder and emphasized that her various accounts didn’t provide a clear narrative condemning her.
- Kouns reviewed alleged admissions made by Rice while intoxicated. He expressed skepticism over these, noting the lack of context and highlighted that such statements from a possibly drunk person shouldn’t be given much weight.
- He identified that law enforcement employed the Reid interrogation technique, which can lead suspects to inadvertently confirm guilt through suggestive questions.
- Kouns recognized that Rice’s responses during interrogation suggested that she might not be guilty of the alleged crime.
- The state rests its case-in-chief
- Case agent Sgt. Carmen Ashman testified about the investigation into Knutson’s murder.
- Regarding alternate suspects, Ashman testified that MPD took several steps to corroborate Devin Hall’s account, including checking Amtrak train records and interviewing family and friends to confirm his version of events from the weekend surrounding Knutson’s murder.
- There was speculation regarding a knife and its connection to Devin Hall. Hall claimed to have had a similar knife briefly, which he left behind at a house in Wolf Point. However, the design of that knife differed from the one used in Knutson’s homicide.
- Although Jaron Vivier was present at Club 101 on the same night as Knutson, the investigation found no evidence of contact or interaction between them.
- Sgt. Asham recounted statements made by Nichole Rice during her interviews with Detective Barnard on June 4, 2007. Rice claimed she was at her family farm at the time of the murder.
- In her accounts, Rice described her interactions with Knutson, noting that their schedules rarely aligned, which led to limited contact before the homicide. She didn’t indicate any conflict between them.
- On June 11, during her second interview with Sgt. Goodman, Rice’s account shifted. Initially saying she had not seen Knutson on Friday, she later claimed to have seen her in the kitchen that night, discussing packing for the weekend.
- Rice mentioned a male voice she recognized from a friend of Knutson’s who had been at their apartment Friday night. This friend’s presence was confirmed through phone communications.
- Throughout various statements, Rice described her relationship with Knutson as one of her best friends and downplayed any previous conflict, characterizing them as typical roommate disagreements.
- Text exchanges from April 21, 2007, highlighted tensions over an alarm clock issue. Rice expressed frustration and confusion regarding Knutson’s behavior. Asham noted that this alarm clock problem was the only issue reported between them, indicating a lack of overall harmony in their living situation.
- WATCH: Nichole Rice’s Text: ‘Sure As Hell Ain’t Gonna Put Up With It Till Dec.’
- By 2022, inconsistencies continued to emerge, such as Rice leaving out her visit to her aunt’s house and providing slightly varied versions of her weekend activities.
- Brenda Glinz, Nichole Rice’s aunt, testified that Nichole described Anita Knutson as looking “so peaceful” after she was stabbed to death.
DAY 4 – 3/21/25
- April Alyea (formerly Moulton), a high school friend of both Anita and Nichole, testified about her reaction upon learning of Anita’s death while at work. After hearing the news, she joined friends at Miranda’s house, where Nichole arrived last after visiting the police station. April was surprised that Nichole was mainly concerned about her missing pink iPod instead of mourning Anita.
- Michelle Moore (formerly Grubbs), a close friend of Anita, testified about their friendship and their last meeting when Anita backed out of getting a tattoo. She attended Anita’s funeral and recalled Nichole expressing concern about being blamed for the murder. On cross-examination, she described Nichole as friendly in high school and doubted that she could have committed the crime.
- William May, the ex-boyfriend of the defendant, testified that he met Nichole shortly after returning from Iraq in 2008 and overheard her say at a party that she had killed Anita. He noted that Nichole was very drunk at the time, and later, she claimed she didn’t remember making that statement. After giving a statement to the police, he cut ties with her but reconnected years later, briefly dating again before ending the relationship.
- Kristina Holler (formerly Imhoff) testified that she met Nichole Rice at a party in 2008, where Rice was upset about being bullied over the anniversary of her roommate Anita Knutson’s death. Holler stated that Rice admitted to killing Anita, saying they had argued and she stabbed her. Despite Rice’s alleged confession, Holler remained friends with her for about three months before their relationship became strained due to drinking and controlling behavior. Under cross-examination, Holler acknowledged gaps in her memory and her heavy drinking at the time but maintained that Rice had confessed.
DAY 3 – 3/20/25
- Jordan Thompson, a former Sergeant with the Minot Police Department, testified about his involvement in the 2007 investigation of Anita Knutson.
- WATCH: Toxic Roommate Murder Trial: Day 3 Recap
- He confirmed that a video re-enactment at the crime scene window demonstrated the difficulties of exiting through it, particularly for smaller individuals, which likely damaged the screen.
- Thompson noted that a different window screen was used, and permission was given to cut it. His height (6’4″) was mentioned as a factor in understanding the impact on the screen during the incident.
- Barnard described interacting with the victim’s father and the maintenance man before attempting to contact the victim’s roommate, Nichole Rice, for questioning.
- When Nichole arrived, Barnard informed her of the death, to which she had an unusually flat reaction, lacking the typical questions that accompany such news. He took a brief statement from her and asked her to come to the police station for further questioning.
- During a walkthrough of the apartment, Nichole seemed more concerned about a missing iPod than her roommate’s death, which struck Barnard as peculiar.
- He testified about other possible suspects, all of which were ruled out, including Devin Hall, who he said was initially the most likely suspect but was ruled out based on his location.Detective Robert Barnard, a retired member of the Minot Police Department, was one of the responding officers on June 4, 2007.
- WATCH: Witness: Nichole Rice Had ‘No Reaction At All’ to Roommate’s Death
- WATCH: Jury Views Walkthrough of Rice and Knutson’s Apartment
- Dr. Mary Ann Sens, the forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy of Anita Knutson, testified that the cause of death was that Knutson bled to death from stab wounds, one of which severed her heart, cut her heart open, and the blood ran out of her heart. The manner of death was homicide.
- Former Minot PD Master Officer Mikali Talbott, now with the St. Paul PD, testified that she and Sgt. Asham had been assigned to reexamine the case in 2019, reviewing thousands of pages of evidence, including photos, videos, and audio.
- Talbott identified Nichole Rice as the primary suspect, while others, such as maintenance worker Marty and Devin Hall, were also considered but ultimately ruled out based on evidence and inconsistencies in Rice’s statements. The investigation determined that Hall was in Montana at the time of the murder.
- During cross-examination, defense attorney Rick Sand questioned Talbott about his decision not to interview Hall or consult the FBI, which had previously pointed to Hall as a person of interest.
- Sand also scrutinized Cold Justice‘s role, emphasizing that a TV producer was present during some interviews.
- Matthew J. Hansen, the defendant’s former supervisor at a Minot call center in 2007, testified about his interactions with her. He recalled that Nichole Rice had spoken to him about ongoing issues with her roommate, including being locked out of the WiFi and microwave and feeling stuck in her living situation due to the lease.
- Hansen described Rice as a top salesperson who had earned a company incentive trip to Florida, which she did not take after the events in question.
- On June 4, 2007, the day Anita Knutson’s body was discovered, he noted that Rice appeared hurried and less social than usual. Later that day, police dispatch called the workplace, requesting that she return to her apartment. When Hansen relayed this, Rice dismissed it, referring to her roommate as a “crackhead” and refusing to go.
- Donna J. Bjelland, a former colleague of Nichole Rice at a Minot call center in 2007, testified about Rice’s frequent complaints about her roommate, Anita Knutson.
- Bjelland recalled that Rice often expressed anger toward Anita, particularly over household disputes, including an incident where Anita repeatedly turned off Rice’s fish tank, eventually killing the fish.
- Bjelland stated that after Anita’s murder, Rice told her that police suspected her and that she believed she would be fine if she “kept her mouth shut.”
- Rice also mentioned that after being taken to the crime scene with her parents, her father told her to “clean up the mess” and made her sleep in a shed rather than allowing her to stay at home.
- Bjelland found Rice’s statements unsettling, particularly when Rice questioned why she would have needed to cut through a screen to access Anita’s room if she had a key. Bjelland also recalled a moment when Rice aggressively said, “You don’t want to get me angry,” which left her deeply concerned.
- WATCH: ‘My Roommate’s a Crackhead’: Boss Recalls Defendant’s Reaction to Police
DAY 2 – 3/19/25
- Laura Knapp, the apartment manager, testified that Gordon came to the apartment she shared with Marty Annell, expressing concern about being unable to reach his daughter. Knapp assisted him in accessing Anita’s apartment. Upon entering, Gordon found his daughter’s body and told them to call police.
- Interim Chief Dale Plessas, who was the initial officer dispatched to the scene, testified that Anita was cold to the touch, indicating she had been deceased for some time. After making the discovery, he was instructed by his lieutenant to turn the scene over to another officer and return to the police department.
- Plessas confirmed that the police department did not initiate contact with the show Cold Justice; rather, they reached out to the department offering assistance, including logistical support and forensic expertise.
- He stated that the show’s help allowed the Minot Police Department to move forward with the investigation more efficiently.
- He mentioned that staffing has been a problem at the MPD, affecting their ability to manage cases effectively.
- Plessas highlighted the impact of external factors on crime in Minot, such as the flood and the oil boom, which resulted in increased crime rates and stretched resources.
- The defense queried whether the police chief had recently stepped down, which Plessas confirmed, indicating it was due to an administrative investigation.
- Sgt. David Goodman testified that Anita’s body was face down near the foot of the bed. Goodman said there was a blood spot in the middle of the back of her robe, and upon looking closer, they noted a stab wound in the right chest area and what appeared to be a stab wound in the middle of her sternum.
- Goodman testified Anita’s room didn’t show any signs of a scuffle, and it didn’t appear to be a robbery since her purse with cash was visible.
- Goodman said Rice was brought into the apartment to see if anything was out of the ordinary, and she quickly stated her iPod was missing.
- Goodman said Rice was always a suspect, testifying that he was suspicious of her demeanor and contradicting information she gave.
- On cross-examination, Goodman was asked about Devin Hall as a suspect.
- WATCH: Sergeant: I Was Suspicious of Nichole Rice From the Very Beginning
DAY 1 – 3/18/25
- The prosecution argues Nichole Rice stabbed her roommate, Anita Knutson, to death on June 3, 2007. The defense points to other possible suspects, arguing the charges against Rice over a decade later are a miscarriage of justice driven by media sensationalism.
- Knutson’s adoptive mother, Sharon Knutson, testified that Anita was scared of Rice, even having her father install a lock on her bedroom door to protect her privacy.
- Knutson’s adoptive father, Gordon Knutson, testified to seeing Anita’s body in her apartment.
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