(KXMB) – An arrest has been made in the 15-year-old cold case murder of Anita Knutson in North Dakota.
Minot police said Nichole Rice was in custody Wednesday and is believed to have been responsible for Knutson’s murder.
“It was a relief,” Police Chief John Klug said of the arrest, “But there’s still a lot of work to do.”
Rice, Anita’s roommate at the time she was killed, is charged with murder and is being held at the Ward County Jail. She was working at Minot Air Force Base as a civilian employee at the time of her arrest, Klug said.
Anita Knutson was 18 years old when she was found murdered at her Minot home on June 4, 2007. Her father called police when he hadn’t heard from her in a couple of days, which was unusual for them.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Knutson dead in her bedroom. She was lying face down on the bed, covered with a large housecoat. She has been stabbed to death.
For more than a decade after Anita’s murder, there was no person of interest, little evidence and a murder victim with no justice. Four years later, a break was made.
At a press conference Wednesday, police said they weren’t able to share details of the break that led to Rice’s arrest, but would release more information at a later date.
