Rice, Nichole

A district court judge has approved expanded media coverage of the trial of Nichole Rice for the 2007 murder of Anita Knutson.

Judge Richard Hagar approved two requests for expanded media coverage on Friday afternoon, allowing gavel-to-gavel coverage by television network CourtTV, and giving permission for other local and national outlets to record via Zoom or through pooled coverage provided by CourtTV.

Hagar’s order was made despite objections from both Rice and Ward County prosecutors. Hagar previously had rescinded a standing expanded media order put in place after Rice was initially charged in March 2022.

Hagar ordered CourtTV to abide by the provisions included in its request, which sought to place two to three remotely operated robotic cameras in the courtroom. Hagar ordered CourtTV to meet with the court prior to the equipment being set up at a time to be determined on Monday morning.

The network stated in its request the cameras would likely be placed to capture the witness and bench, another to show the parties, and possibly a third to record the attorney during witness examinations. It was determined at a hearing held on Wednesday in Minot that the courtroom in Grand Forks was outfitted with a modern audio system, which would make it unnecessary for the network to place microphones of its own.

Rice’s attorneys sought a denial of expanded media coverage, arguing it could possibly taint the jury pool and infringe Rice’s right to a fair trial. Attorney Jack McDonald pushed back against that concern in a response filed Thursday, arguing CourtTV’s pooled coverage would diminish the presence of the media in the courtroom.

“The Court continually admonishes jurors not to read or watch news coverage of the trial, and not to discuss the trial with others. That does not mean the media cannot cover the trial. As a practical matter, the high interest in this case is in Minot. The main coverage will be from the media in Minot. It is doubtful there will be major coverage in the Grand Forks area,” McDonald said in his response.

Knutson’s murder received considerable media coverage for more than a decade even after the case went cold, and this interest was reignited following Rice’s arrest on March 16, 2022. A subsequent broadcast of the cable documentary series “Cold Justice” offered a behind the scenes look at the investigation, which culminated in Rice being charged with Class AA felony murder.

Rice’s trial was originally to take place at the end of July 2024, but both parties jointly requested a change of venue after responses to juror questionnaires indicated the intense media scrutiny the case received had made it extremely difficult to empanel an impartial jury in Ward County.

The jury trial is scheduled to commence with jury selection at 9 a.m. on Monday in Grand Forks.