Toxic Roommate Murder Trial: Nichole Rice Acquitted

The toxic roommate murder trial has come to a close. Nichole Rice, a North Dakota woman, was found not guilty in the murder of her roommate, Anita Knutson, almost 20 years ago. In 2022, Rice was arrested and charged with felony murder of her roommate, who was discovered stabbed to death on June 4, 2007. Her trial lasted less than a week, and on day 6, a jury acquitted her of all charges. Upon hearing the verdict, Rice sobbed with her friends and family in the courtroom. 

Toxic Roommates

In 2007, Nichole Rice and Knutson were roommates who appeared to have a strained relationship. Their friends were not as aware of it as Knutson’s parents seemingly were. Sharon Knutson, Anita’s adoptive mother, testified after opening statements that her daughter was scared of Rice. She was so scared that she had her father install a lock on her bedroom door of the apartment to have a sense of privacy and feel secure. 

Knutson’s father testified to finding his daughter that fateful day in 2007. She was lying on her bed with multiple stab wounds to the chest. The police were called to the scene and noted that Knutson was cold to the touch, indicating she had been dead for a while. Upon further investigation, they determined the murder was not from a robbery gone wrong and were suspicious of Nichole Rice.  

However, due to the lack of evidence, police could not make an arrest. The case went cold for almost two decades before Oxygen released an episode attempting to discover the murderer. The producers asked the Minot Police Department for information on the case, such as forensics and other key details. This prompted the police to reopen the case, leading to the arrest of Knutson’s toxic college roommate, Nichole Rice. 

Criminal Investigation

What was most concerning about Rice in this case was her demeanor and her lack of care for the death of one of her friends. Another was the number of statements she made to the police and her acquaintances, which were all inconsistent. The defense called a criminal investigation expert to the stand to testify. Doug Kouns began his initial investigation of the murder in June 2023. He agreed that the findings of her statements were inconsistent and concerning. However, he argued they were not enough to find her guilty.

He also noted the lack of evidence linking Rice to the murder and that there was nothing to condemn her for this crime. Although she allegedly admitted to the murder several times, they were made while she was intoxicated and should not be considered admissible evidence. Attempting to convict Rice of felony murder was a long shot from the beginning. After so many years, evidence begins to fade away, and it becomes difficult to discover any new information. 

Another Cold Case

The public may never know if Nichole Rice is truly innocent or not. If she is innocent, the jury did a good job of acquitting her. However, if she is guilty, the jury is not to be blamed in this instance. The blame would fall on the police and the state for not doing their due diligence for Anita Knutson and her family. Unfortunately, this murder remains unsolved and will go cold again with the unlikelihood of ever being brought back to the public eye again. 

Thousands of cold cases are still out there, not just Knutson’s. Some even date back as far as the early 1900s. It is incomprehensible to understand the pain of those individuals and their loved ones who will never know the truth. Although the police might still be investigating to solve the homicides, the clearance rate is never a hundred percent.