Sentencing of Nicolae Miu underway in Apple River stabbing Case

Nicolae Miu, 54, was convicted of fatally stabbing a teen and knifing four others during a violent encounter in July 2022.

Nicolae Miu hailing from Prior Lake stood before the St. Croix County District Court in Hudson on Wednesday morning to receive his sentencing in the tragic stabbing death of 17-year-old Isaac Schuman, a young man from Stillwater, during an encounter in July 2022 along the Apple River.

Nicolae Miu entered the Hudson, Wis., courtroom on Wednesday morning to face the verdict for the slaying of Isaac Schuman, a teenager from Stillwater, whom he fatally wounded during a chaotic altercation at the Apple River two summers prior.

Nicolae Miu :

Clad in prison orange and restrained by shackles at both hands and feet, Miu appeared at his sentencing hearing at the St. Croix County District Court promptly at 8:30 a.m. The session, presided over by Judge R. Michael Waterman, began with poignant statements from the victims before the judge delivered the sentencing decision.

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Isaac Schuman’s mother, Alina Hernandez, initiated the victim impact statements with deep emotion.

“I think about Isaac every single day” Hernandez expressed. “Losing Isaac, my child, has devastated me and shattered my soul.”

Hernandez implored Judge Waterman to impose the maximum possible sentence on Miu. “He shows no remorse. He portrays himself as the victim. It makes me sick,” Hernandez stated. “Judge, I implore you to sentence him to the fullest extent.”

Before the sentencing, Miu addressed the court, expressing his sorrow to Schuman’s parents.

“My soul is broken; my heart feels unbearably heavy,” Miu lamented. “I never intended for this tragedy to happen.”

Miu, 54, spoke while standing, momentarily unsteady due to the restrictive ankle shackles. His attorney guided him to address the judge, but Miu first turned briefly to acknowledge Schuman’s parents, seated behind and to the left.

Miu faces a potential sentence exceeding 100 years in prison, following his conviction for reckless homicide in Schuman’s death, along with additional charges for reckless endangerment involving four other individuals, and other offenses. Wisconsin law provides judges with considerable discretion in sentencing. On Wednesday morning, prosecutors sought a 70-year prison term—45 years for the murder of Schuman, six years for each of the other stabbings totaling 24 years, and one year for a battery charge.

“It’s difficult to articulate the graphic and horrific nature of this incident,” said Karl Anderson, the St. Croix County District Attorney. He recounted Miu’s actions post-attack—discarding his knife on the riverbank, failing to call 911, changing into a hat, shirt, and sunglasses, and initially feigning ignorance when questioned by Sheriff Scott Knudson about the event.

Nelson, Miu’s defense attorney, acknowledged the profound loss suffered by the Schuman family and other victims, advocating for a “measured response” in sentencing.

“Vengeance is not a goal we should strive for or encourage others to pursue,” Nelson argued. “Justice differs fundamentally from vengeance.”

Anderson also pointed out Miu’s apparent lack of remorse, referencing a recorded prison phone call in which Miu described the teenagers as “bastards.” Nelson countered that the conversation, conducted in Romanian, was mistranslated, asserting that the term Miu used meant “unfortunates.”

The sentencing came just one day after the two-year anniversary of the Apple River incident, a late-July weekend in 2022 at a popular summer spot frequented by inner-tubers from the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.

Both Miu and Schuman were part of separate groups; a cell phone video captured the confrontation where Miu, reportedly searching for a lost cell phone, was taunted by Schuman and his friends, leading him to draw a knife and start stabbing.

Miu’s legal defense argued at trial that he acted in self-defense, feeling threatened.

During the victim impact statements, Schuman’s father and stepfather also shared their grief. “His death has left a deep and painful void in our family,” Scott Schuman stated. “I wake up every day with a profound sense of loss and sadness. Everyday tasks that once brought joy now seem meaningless.”

Donny Hernandez, Schuman’s stepfather, spoke of the privilege of raising the boy as his own, describing the loss as “indescribable.”