Anita Knutson was a college freshman whose vibrant personality and promising future captivated those around her. Tragically, her potential was cut short, a haunting narrative chronicled in Dateline: Unforgettable. Anita’s story became one of heartbreak and mystery when she was murdered in 2007, with the case lingering unsolved for years.
The grim discovery was made on June 4, 2007. At just 18 years old, Anita was a student at Minot State University. Her father’s concern grew when she didn’t respond to family messages, prompting him to visit her off-campus apartment. It was there that Gordon Knutson stumbled upon an unimaginable scene: his daughter lying face down, having been stabbed twice in the chest.
What happened to Anita Knutson?
The investigation revealed few clues. A cut window screen suggested a possible point of entry, yet evidence remained scant. An autopsy provided further chilling details, uncovering superficial cuts on Anita’s neck. These markings implied that her attacker had held a knife to her throat, a detail that led Sergeant David Goodwin to speculate, “We felt it was somebody that she knew.”
There, he found his daughter on her stomach, fatally stabbed twice in the chest.
Though a window screen at her apartment had been cut, police had little evidence pointing to a suspect.
An autopsy later revealed superficial cuts to Anita’s neck, suggesting the killer held the knife to her throat. As Sergeant David Goodwin shared, “We felt it was somebody that she knew.”
Persons of interest emerge in the case
Four people had a key to Anita’s apartment, including Anita, her roommate, Nichole Thomas, the manager, and a maintenance worker.
But the investigation began to focus on the maintenance man and Nichole, who was known to have a strained relationship with Anita.
In addition, police considered Tyler Schmaltz, Anita’s high school prom date with an admitted crush on her, and Michael Vann, a man she texted with shortly before she was killed.
Devin Hall, a 17-year-old picked up for breaking into an apartment who carried a knife, also came onto investigators’ radar.
Still, despite so many names, no one was charged, and the case went cold for many years. Then, in 2013, Anita’s young brother, Daniel, died by suicide.
“The person who killed my sister,” said Anita’s sister Anna, “certainly was a catalyst for Daniel making the choice that he made.”
Nichole Thomas Rice arrested
When Oxygen’s Cold Justice offered to help Minot Police Department Chief John Klug, the focus once again turned to Nichole, who was now married.
Investigators learned that about a year after the murder, she allegedly made a drunken confession, according to a former boyfriend. Her story of her whereabouts at the time of the murder was inconsistent.
In March 2022, Nichole was arrested for felony murder. After various delays, the trial began three years later in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The prosecution argued that Nichole had access and a key and that bad blood between the two roommates turned deadly. However, the defense team poked holes in the prosecution’s circumstantial case.
In the end, the jury found Nichole not guilty. The homicide remains unsolved.
Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.
