Updated: 1:35 pm
A jury on Thursday found a Minnesota man guilty of all charges for stabbing a teenager during a summer 2022 tubing trip in western Wisconsin.
Nicolae Miu, now 54, was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 17-year-old Isaac Shuman of Stillwater during a collision in Apple River. The verdict was read shortly after 11 a.m. at the St. Croix County Courthouse in Hudson, Wisconsin.
“We’ve been waiting 21 months for Isaac Michael Schuman to get justice, and today we got it,” said Shuman’s father, Tony Hernandez. Said outside the court after the verdict.
Nicolae Mayu was convicted of killing 17-year-old Isaac Schuman (photo) with a knife and injuring four other people.
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Mew was found guilty of four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety in connection with the four people injured in the stabbing: Alexander Martin, Dante Carlson, Anthony Carlson and Riley Mattison.
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Miu was also found guilty of one count of assault.
He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
But KARE 11 still reports that the jury had the option to convict Miu of the lesser charges of reckless homicide and recklessly endangering safety — and used that option in its verdict.
Miu’s defense attorney, Aaron Nelson, told reporters outside court that he was surprised and “respectfully disappointed” by the verdict. Speaking on behalf of his client, he said Miu was “sad and disappointed as a result and, you know, thinking about her future life.
District Attorney Carl Anderson said he was “repentant” for Shuman’s family and the other victims, and said he hoped a jury would convict Miu.
“When we looked at all the evidence, it was clear to us that he was angry, not scared,” Anderson said of Mew’s state of mind at the time of the stabbing.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Even if convicted of less serious charges, Maeve could still face significant prison time, Anderson said. Sentencing is up to the judge.
According to the criminal complaint, Miu told investigators she was wearing a snorkel and goggles to find the missing cellphone. Videos and witness accounts of what happened next show that bystanders accused him of walking toward the children in the water — starting a scuffle.
The video shows Miu falling into the river, holding a knife and stabbing a man, the complaint said.
Defense attorney Nelson said Miu was looking for a lost phone and tried to leave but was surrounded by dozens of angry people. Miu claimed he acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors argued that Miu had no reason to take the knife and was given the opportunity to diffuse the situation or leave.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday afternoon and continued Thursday.
Several cellphone videos of the collision and its aftermath were shown during the trial. Jurors on Wednesday asked to watch a video again, which they did in court Thursday morning, about three hours before the verdict was read.
