MINOT, N.D. ( KXNET) Not guilty. Nicole Hanson, 35. Your News Leader will have more later today. Police announcing Wednesday afternoon the arrest of Anita Knutson's . endobj The checks were for the amounts of $51.19 and $29.82 respectively. P("cP*@@SS{ Rice, who was Knutson's roommate at the time of her death, is charged with murder and is being held at the Ward County Jail, police said. The Ward County Jail says she posted $120,000 cash bond last evening. |T The show follows former Harris County, Texas, prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former Las Vegas Metro Police crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary as they work on cold case murders. The chief did not get into details about what led them to Rice or a motive. Rices social media also showed she was an avid bowhunter. 1111. P*@t T" Anita Knutson was an 18-year-old Minot State University student . MINOT, N.D. A woman accused this year of killing her roommate 15 years ago pleaded not guilty to the crime after a defense attorney tried to make a case that a man caught burglarizing a home about a week later might be the one who did it. Anita Knutson was 18 years old when she was murdered on June 4, 2007, at her home in Minot. Subscribe to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, RAND to USAF: Dont Take GBSD Support for Granted, Job Service Offers Assistance to Outlying Communities. MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) - Nichole Rice, the woman charged with murder in the 2007 killing of Anita Knutson in Minot, has pleaded not guilty. Anita Knutson Photo: Minot Police Department. "There was never enough to arrest her but I would say she was always a person of interest in this case," Klug said when asked if Rice had previously been cleared. Now 34, Rice was a civilian worker at Minot Air Force . Nichole Rice was arrested in March 2022 and charged in the 2007 murder of her roommate, Anita Knutson, in Minot, North Dakota. Nichole Rice was a member of a Facebook memorial group for the victim, In Loving Memory of Anita Knutson, according to the pages administrator. April Baumgarten joined The Forum in February 2019 as an investigative reporter. Becher said the man was arrested June 11, 2007, in Minot after he entered an apartment and was found hiding with a knife. One witness told police Rice was at a bar in Ruso, North Dakota, about 40 miles south of Minot, from the night of June 2, 2007, until early June 3, 2007, the complaint said. Top Result for Dallas Rice in ND. Nichole Rice makes initial court appearance; more info released in Anita Knutson murder She was wearing only a pink bathrobe and had two stab wounds to the chest that caused her to bleed to death, according to court testimony and a criminal complaint filed against Rice. . P &*@ T 4x>59P*@Et1 T)A Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. P*@ T* 34-year-old Nichole Rice, formerly Nichole Thomas, was taken into custody while she was working as a civilian on Minot Air Force Base. MINOT, N.D. 14-year-old driver killed in train collision in northwestern North Dakota, Tax breaks for biofuels, grain bin construction among ag bills passed in North Dakota, In the 1920s, a lawman in North Dakota had a dark secret - He was Al Capones brother. stream P*@ T It added that she and her husband, have recently purchased 6 acres not land and are planning the future with (her daughter)! Rice was Anita's roommate at the time of her murder. A pocket knife with dried blood on it was found near the bedroom window, court documents said. P(2P*@@QS&T My heart goes out to the family, Chief Klug said at Wednesdays press conference announcing the arrest. According to the affidavit of probable cause written by Minot Detective Mikali Talbott, Nichole Thomas Rice was one of four people who had keys to the apartment where she and Knutson lived. And detectives Asham and Talbott did that. Those statements have changed several times and contradict each other. Prosecutors suspect Knutson was killed either June 2 or June 3, 2007, according to the complaint. Anita Knutson was an 18-year-old Minot State University student when she was stabbed to death. 3 0 obj 34-year-old Nichole Rice was arrested at Minot Air Force Base on Wed. where she is a civilian employee. The best result we found for your search is Nichole Thomas age 30s in Minot, ND in the Glacial Point neighborhood. %PDF-1.3 Rice, who was arrested at the Minot Air Force Base, where she works as a civilian, is facing a murder charge and being held at the Ward County Matching search results: "Although most of the detectives who worked the original scene and investigation have retired, we have not forgotten about this case . As Nichole Rice's defense team waited to enter the courtroom, Rice and her husband, Dallas, entered the courtroom, hand in hand. Rice, then Nichole Thomas, was 19. One witness told police Rice was at a bar in Ruso, North Dakota, about 40 miles south of Minot, that Saturday night into Sunday morning, and when she left the bar, Rice said she was going back to her apartment to get some clothes. Florida. 516 2nd Ave SW Minot, ND 58701; 701 852 1045; [email protected]; Facebook; Instagram; Rice had . Rice told the witness she went back to her apartment to get some clothes after leaving Ruso, the complaint said. Knutson was found dead in her off-campus apartment in Minot on June 4, 2007, after her father called for a welfare check, according to police. She wrote comments like, Miss you, and shared TV reports about the cold case on Facebook. Rice was then charged with a Class A misdemeanor for failure to appear after release bail jumping. P(*OsP*@@USU6T Talbott said in the affidavit that police received numerous tips about Knutsons murder over the years, including information regarding party attended by Nichole. Talbott wrote, Law enforcement had been told that Nichole admitted to the murder, but the person or people that heard this admission was unknown to law enforcement. Police have since identified the person as a man Rice dated in 2008 or 2009. Although most of the detectives who worked the original scene and the investigation have retired, we have not forgotten about this case. Rice is charged with the stabbing death of 18-year-old Anita Knutson, whose body was found in their apartment on June 4, 2007. Living in an apartment with a roommate, Anita was working two jobs and excited about summer break. Nichole Rice was charged with murder, which is a AA felony, and was taken to the Ward County Jail on Wednesday afternoon. A pocket knife with dried blood on it was found near the bedroom window, court documents said. \FOy In March 2022, Rices ex-boyfriend told police Rice got belligerently drunk in 2008 or 2009 and admitted to killing Knutson, according to court documents. The police chief credits the tv show Cold Justice, which assists in unsolved homicide cases, with resources and experts in being able to solve the case. P*px>]Ap*@ h About a month before her death, Knutson had her father install a lock on her bedroom door, saying she "didn't feel safe" without it, Talbott said. No items, including valuables, were missing from the apartment, suggesting theft was not a motive, Talbott said. / CBS News. Rice told police she never complained about Knutson and they were best friends, court documents said. In June of 2007, after not hearing from Anita, Gordon Knutson grew worried about his oldest daughter. One person heard Rice tell Knutson, One way or another, Im going to get you out of this house, the complaint said. C-SPAN receives no funding from any government. An arrest has been made in the 15-year-old cold case murder of Anita Knutson in North Dakota. P*@ T Tx>U5hS*@Ut'9 T*A |T Although an arrest has been made, we still encourage anyone who may have any However, they didnt have enough evidence to arrest her, Klug said. He testified there was blood found on Knutson's bedroom window screen that had been cut, presumably after Knutson had been stabbed. If convicted, Rice faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Klug said in the past, staffing and timing issues prevented the department from focusing as needed on the cold case murder. She has also gone by Nichole Bakken. Im that girlIm not a criminal. She said she is a victim tooThis has changed my life foreverand I still hurtI focus as much as I can on knowing the people that know me and know what kind of person I am know I wouldnt hurt anyone.But Ill never be able to change those otehr peoples feelings., Nichole Rice, born Nichole Erin Thomas, has been married since December 2021 and has an adolescent daughter, her Instagram shows. When police arrived at the scene, they found Knutson stabbed to death in her bedroom, covered with a large housecoat. It was her second marriage. Rice initially maintained she was at her parents' farm near Velva, North Dakota, the weekend of Knutson's murder, but subsequent statements from her and family members over the years were inconsistent, Talbott said. Police in Minot, N.D., have charged Nichole Rice with murder in the June 2007 death of her roommate, college student Anita Knutson. Anita Knutson, a student at Minot State University, was found stabbed to death in her apartment on June 4, 2007. A page related to that job has also been deleted. They worked alongside Det. Video Nichole rice minot nd. Earlier this month, Rices ex-boyfriend told police that Rice got belligerently drunk in 2008 or 2009 and admitted to killing Knutson, according to court documents. North Dakota, about 40 miles south of Minot, that Saturday night into Sunday morning, and when she left the bar . Nichole Rice, 34, appeared in Ward County District Court in connection with the 2007 death of 18-year-old Anita . |jT Knutson was found fatally stabbed in her off-campus apartment. Tx>U5hS*@Ut'9 T*A For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Knutson was found stabbed to death in her apartment. Until someone got too close. Her body was covered with a housecoat, police said. Photo courtesy of In Loving Memory of Anita Knutson Group. She was scheduled to make her first court appearance on March 17, 2022. Klug told reporters Rice was at the Minot Air Face Base working in a civilian capacity when she was arrested without incident. | T P "M*@ T Its always a friendly competition, the page says. P*@ < A UOU T Anita Knutson was found stabbed to death in her home when her father asked for a wellness check because he . Anitas story was featured in Datelines Cold Case Spotlight digital series in 2015 and included an interview with her younger sister, Anna. He said the mans physical characteristics were similar to a man reportedly seen running in the area of the crime scene on the morning of Sunday, June 3, 2007. Police didn't name a suspect until Wednesday. According to the affidavit, Law Enforcement re-interviewed multiple people, including the defendant, in 2022., Klug said he couldnt get into the details of everything that went into the affidavit of this arrest. MINOT, N.D. (AP) A woman accused of fatally stabbing her roommate 15 years ago in North Dakota pleaded not guilty Thursday after a judge determined there was sufficient evidence to send her to trial on felony murder. Background: Anita was an 18 year old freshman at Minot State University in North Dakota, USA in 2007. It was good to know that finally the one case that weve had hanging out there that we just could not get to a solution, was finally over., Nichole Rice, Anita Knutson Murder Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The court issued a bench warrant for her arrest after she failed to appear in court and had not paid the $451.01 in fines and fees by the due date. \EOWy I dont know that I would say she that she was ever cleared, Klug said. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. Related To Marcy Thomas, Joe Thomas, E Thomas, J Thomas. Wo+b . The full affidavit of probable cause can be read here. Rice is charged with Class AA murder in the June 2007 stabbing death of Knutson, who was a childhood friend and her roommate at the time. Due to the resources, logistics, planning and experts they were able to provide, we were able to obtain an arrest warrant,. Cold Justice is a true-crime TV show that airs on Oxygen produced by Dick Wolf. Judge Richard Hagar ruled there was enough evidence to proceed to trial, and Rice pleaded not guilty. Rices defense attorney Philip Becher used his redirect to press Talbott on the investigation into an alternative suspect named Devan Hall, who had been arrested for breaking into homes armed with a knife in the days after the murder. Ward County States Attorney Rozanna Christine Larsons office said in a statement, The States Attorneys Office declines to provide too many details in this matter, as we prefer to try the case in a court of law rather than in the court of public opinion. The remaining three states do not have a secretary of state. P(*OsP*@@USU6T Nichole and Kevin Thomas, Nicholes father, previously told officers that Nichole was at her parents house from approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 2 until the morning of June 4, 2007. Knutson was found stabbed to death in her apartment. The States case also relies on a DNA sample collected from the murder weapon. ", First published on March 17, 2022 / 6:52 AM. After hearing the prosecutors and defenses arguments, District Judge Richard Hagar set Rices bail at $250,000 surety and $120,000 cash. I must also thank all of the officers, the staff and everybody else at the Minot Police Department who has picked up the slack while everybody else has been busy working this case.. Nichole Erin Rice, 34, appeared Thursday, Sept. 8, in Ward County District Court on a Class AA felony murder charge in connection with the 2007 death of her 18-year-old roommate, Anita Knutson. or. P*px>]Qp*@ ( Nicole Rice (nickel) See Photos. Witness 1 said that Nichole told her details about the scene that would not have been known to Nichole or anyone outside of the investigation team. They are usually either out fishing or hunting during their free time. County records show at the time, Rices last name was Bakken, her first husbands family name. Anita Knutson was an 18-year-old Minot State University student when she was stabbed to death. Police announcing Wednesday afternoon the arrest of Anita Knutsons former roommate. View more. 4 0 obj Anita (right) and her younger sister Anna (left). According to the Ward County Sheriffs Department, Rice posted bond on Thursday evening. Page 6 of 1295. I wish we could have solved this sooner, but at the same time Im glad to say that we have the person responsible for the murder of Anita Knutson in custody.. A message left for Rice's attorney, Philip Becher, was not returned Thursday. Nothing appeared to be missing from the apartment, but a slashed screen from Anitas bedroom window was found on the ground outside. She was arrested at the Minot Air Force Base, where she works, the Minot Daily News reports. "My heart goes out to the family," Klug said. We tried to actively investigate Anitas case for the past few years, and finally, with the help of Cold Justice, we were able to move forward and regain focus. her A woman accused of killing ND woman pleads not guilty to killing roommate in 2007MINOT (AP) A woman accused of fatally stabbing her roommate 15 years ago in Minot pleaded not guilty Thursday after a judge determined there was sufficient evidence to send her to trial on felony murder.Nichole Rice, 34, appeared in Ward County District Court in connection with the 2007 death of 18-year-old Anita Knutson. All rights reserved. Rices mother, GaeMari Thomas, wrote about the Knutson case in a now-deleted 2016 Facebook post. Email [email protected] for membership fees. The murder weapon her murder Facebook ; Instagram ; Rice had working in nichole thomas rice minot, nd... News and more in your inbox death in her apartment to get clothes! 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