Apple River stabber Nicolae Miu to be sentenced on July 31
HUDSON, Wis. — Nicolae Miu, the man convicted of reckless homicide and other crimes after stabbing five people on Wisconsin's Apple River in 2022, will be sentenced this summer.
Miu's sentencing is scheduled for July 31, according to court records. Last week, a jury found Miu guilty of one count of first-degree reckless homicide, four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of battery.
Miu, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, stabbed five people on the Apple River on July 30, 2022, killing 17-year-old Isaac Schuman and injuring four others. According to witness testimony and evidence presented at the trial, Miu was looking for a lost phone in the river when Schuman's group began taunting him. Others on the river joined the confrontation, which turned physical and ended when Miu pulled out a knife and began stabbing.
Miu's trial lasted eight days and more than three dozen witnesses took the stand. The jury deliberated for about a day before handing down its verdicts.
St. Croix County District Attorney Karl Anderson, who prosecuted Miu, said he could face up to 97 years in prison. Miu's defense attorney Aaron Nelson said he faces "substantial, life-changing penalties."
Miu's defense argued he acted in self-defense in using his knife, while the prosecution sought to prove he was the aggressor. Miu was originally charged with intentional homicide and other, more serious crimes, but was convicted on lesser charges.
"[The jurors] couldn't agree on intentional, they agreed unanimously that it was reckless, that he showed utter disregard for human life," Anderson said.