The trial of a Prior Lake man accused of killing a teenager and stabbing four others on Wisconsin’s Apple River nearly two years ago began Monday morning.
According to investigators, a video from July 2022 shows Nicolae Miu being pushed and attacked by a group of tubers on the river before stabbing five people and killing 17-year-old Isaac Schuman. The victims varied in age from 17 to 24 and were from Wisconsin and Minnesota.
According to witnesses, Miu was first in the Apple River, wearing goggles and a snorkel. A group of tubers accused him of staring at young girls underwater, but Miu claimed detectives he was seeking for a lost cell phone.
The prosecution claims Miu was the aggressor by stabbing five individuals. Schuman died on the spot, while four others were stabbed in the torso and hospitalized. Officers seized a knife thought to be Miu’s on the riverbank.
Miu’s attorneys claim he was surrounded by a number of women who accused him of harassing them. His counsel claims he did not become aggressive against the group until he felt threatened. They claim he was acting in self-defense.
Miu, who is charged with one first-degree homicide and four attempted first-degree homicides, pled not guilty in September 2022.
If convicted, Miu could face life in jail.
Once a jury has been selected, WCCO will broadcast opening statements on CBS News Minnesota, Pluto TV, or the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV at 1 p.m. on Monday.
The trial will be held at the St. Croix County Courthouse in Hudson, Wisconsin.