In June 2007, Anita Knutson Was Found Stabbed to Death in Her Bedroom — Here's What We Know

The obituary of 18-year-old Anita Knutson tells the story of a young girl who was loved in the short time she had until her death in June 2007. Knutson was born in California and was quickly adopted by Gordon and Sharon Knutson when she was five months old. When she was only 14 years old, Knutson published a book the same year her family moved to Butte, N.D.

Her freshman year began at Velva High School, and Knutson excelled during her time there. In 2006, she graduated with honors and went on to Minot State University, where she planned on majoring in elementary education. When she wasn't studying or working, Knutson enjoyed reading, writing, playing music, and going to church. Sadly, this vibrant young woman was killed before she could see any of her dreams come true. What happened to Anita Knutson? Here's what we know.

According to Court TV, at the time of Knutson's death, she was sharing an apartment with another young woman named Nichole Rice, who was around 20 years old. The girls lived in Minot, N.D., near the college, but all was reportedly not well at their place. Knutson's friends told police the two did not get along. Anita would later say that her daughter was afraid of Rice and asked her father to install a lock on her bedroom door.

On June 4, 2007, Gordon went over to his daughter's place and was met with a horrifying sight. Through Knutson's bedroom window, the distraught father saw his daughter lying face down on her bed. He went over to the resident manager's apartment looking for a key. Laura Knapp was home with her partner, Marty Annell, who happened to be the maintenance man. Annell was the one who first noticed the screen to Knutson's window on the ground near the apartment. It was bent and had been cut.

When Gordon entered his daughter's room, he could see she wasn't alive. Knutson had been stabbed multiple times, reported NBC News. A bloody knife was left in a sink, and nothing appeared to be missing apart from Knutson's iPod. The case went cold until police arrested Rice in March 2022.

Rice was always a person of interest, but there was no evidence connecting her to Knutson's murder until March 2022, per the Associated Press. Per an affidavit, Rice told a former boyfriend that she had killed Knutson. When law enforcement spoke with Rice as well as members of her family, they gave conflicting statements.

Three years after she was arrested, Rice was standing trial for murder. Sgt. David Goodman was the first officer on the scene, and he testified that because it didn't look like there was a struggle, Knutson most likely knew her killer, reported Court TV. Although Knutson's iPod was missing, her purse, along with some cash, was still in the room, so he ruled out the idea that it was a robbery. In fact, it was Rice who noticed that Knutson's iPod was gone. The state rested its case on March 24, 2025.