North Dakota College Student, 18, Found Stabbed To Death in Her Bed: "Final Chapter No One Saw Coming"
College student Anita Knutson was found stabbed to death in her bed in Minot, North Dakota. “It’s just something you never, ever can prepare yourself for,” her aunt Karen Leier said.
College student Anita Knutson was found stabbed to death in her bed in a haunting mystery that would take nearly two decades to be resolved.
The 18-year-old’s shocking death in Minot, North Dakota, and the relentless pursuit by her loved ones to find justice will be explored in an all-new Dateline, airing Friday, May 2 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC, titled “Murder in Minot.”
According to the official synopsis of the episode: “Beloved 18-year-old college student Anita Knutson is found stabbed to death in her apartment. The case takes nearly 18 years and the undying commitment of friends, family and investigators to reach resolution.”
There are still reminders of Knutson’s shocking death in Minot, all these years later.
“The town is mostly quiet now, but you’ll see them, these weather-worn pink ribbons, a faded photograph of a young woman — reminders of a mystery that spanned nearly two decades,” Dateline correspondent Blayne Alexander said in voiceover in a preview of the episode.
What happened to Anita Knutson?
Knutson was discovered stabbed to death in her apartment in Minot in June of 2007.
“It’s just something you never, ever can prepare yourself for,” her aunt Karen Leier told Dateline.
The shocking murder rocked the usually quiet area as investigators tried to piece together who could have wanted the vibrant college student dead.
"At that time, anybody and everybody is a suspect to me,” Anna Knutson, the victim's sister, told Dateline.
For years, there were no answers as Knutson's friends and family continued to put pressure on police.
“We did everything we could think possible to keep her memory alive,” her friend Tyler Schmaltz told Dateline.
According to Alexander, the case ended with a “final chapter no one saw coming.”
The two-hour broadcast also includes interviews with Sergeant David Goodman, Police Chief John Klug, and more of Knutson’s friends, Amber Nix, Larissa Rau, and Lauren Laessig.
To find out how the case ends, watch Dateline Friday May 2, 2025 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC or stream the episode on Peacock after it becomes available the next day.
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New Dateline also airing on Sunday May 4, 2025
Friday's episode won’t be the only new Dateline mystery on this weekend. There will also be a new one-hour episode, titled “Secrets of the Sliding Door,” airing on Sunday, May 4 at 10/9c p.m. on NBC.
The episode will explore the shocking death of Staten Island teacher Simeonette Mapes-Crupi, who was found dead in her home on July 5, 2012.
"Beloved Staten Island teacher Simeonette Mapes-Crupi is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in the home she shared with her husband Jonathan," a synopsis of the episode reads. "An unknown number in her cell phone leads investigators to reveal troubles in her seemingly idyllic life — and to ultimately unearth her killer."
Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison spoke with Simeonette’s parents, Theresa and John Mapes, and her brother John Mapes III, along with her former students Carmencita Majeed and Von Steven De Valle, for the episode.
The broadcast will also include commentary from former Richard County Assistant District Attorney Wanda DeOliveira, defense attorney Mario Gallucci, and detectives Joe Metsopolous, Michael Burdick and Mike Consenza.
For even more Dateline, sign up for the show's official newsletter and check out its podcast.
