A 54-year-old Minnesota man was convicted Thursday of killing a high school student and killing four others who were tubing on a western Wisconsin river.
A Wisconsin circuit court jury found Nicolae Miu guilty of first-degree reckless homicide, four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of battery, Minnesota Public Radio reported. No sentencing date has been set.
Isaac Schuman, 17, of Stillwater, Minnesota, was stabbed to death in late July 2022 while he and the other victims were tubing along the Apple River in St. Croix County, which lies along the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Two men from Luck, Wisconsin, a woman from Burnsville, Minnesota and a man from Elk River, Minnesota, were injured.
Miu, of Prior Lake, Minn., attacked the group after people accused him of approaching children in the water, investigators said in court documents. Miu told investigators he acted in self-defense.
Miu was snorkeling down the river with his wife and several others, according to a copy of a criminal complaint obtained by Minnesota Public Radio.
Miu told investigators he was using a snorkel and goggles to search for a lost cell phone. Videos and witness accounts indicate that bystanders accused him of approaching children in the water. Witnesses said Miu was disturbing a group of minors and others told her to leave, according to the complaint.
Instead of leaving, Miu punched a woman and a fight ensued, according to the complaint. The video shows him falling into the river, coming out with a knife and then stabbing a person.
Miu told investigators he was provoked, according to the complaint. “They attacked me,” he said. “I was in self-defense mode.”
Prosecutors had argued that Miu had the option to deescalate the situation or walk away.
Defense attorney Aaron Nelson told reporters Thursday he was surprised and “respectfully disappointed” by the verdict. Nelson said Miu was “sad, visibly disappointed with the outcome. And, you know, contemplating his future life.
Schuman was starting his senior year at Stillwater High School when he was killed. His family described him as an honor roll student who was preparing to apply to several universities to study electrical engineering.
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