Testimony: Nicolae Miu appeared shocked, scared after fatal Apple River stabbing
Friends tubing with Nicolae Miu the day he allegedly slashed five people during a confrontation on Wisconsin's Apple River said Miu was shocked and silent afterwards.
Their testimony Friday began day five in Miu's trial which is expected to continue into next week in St. Croix County Circuit Court. Witnesses have shared gruesome detail about the incident, including chaos that accompanied rescue efforts and witnesses' struggle to document what happened. Wisconsin prosecutors charged Miu with intentional homicide and four counts of attempted intentional homicide for the July 2022 incident which left 17-year-old Isaac Schuman dead and others seriously injured.
Gilma Constanza testified Friday that she was in the group tubing with Miu on the Apple River. Constanza told police she saw Miu toss something towards the river bank after the fight, adding that he appeared scared when returning.
Authorities recovered a pocket knife from the river bank that day which may have been used in the assault.
At least six people were in Miu's group that day, which drifted close to another group including Schuman as they searched for a friend's lost phone. Sergio Ruiz-Leyva said he was part of Miu's group, adding that some of them abandoned the search because they figured insurance would pay for the phone.
But Miu, who reportedly brought a snorkel and goggles to search for jewelry in the river, kept searching.
Days after the stabbing, Ruiz-Leyva told police that Schuman's group surrounded Miu as a blonde woman in a black swimsuit told Miu to leave.
"Nic went up and pushed her," Ruiz-Leyva said in interview transcripts read aloud Friday. Ruiz-Leyva said she didn't recall much of the incident after that, but said Miu and others sat in silence. When they asked what happened, Miu told them: "They had taken the knife away."
"We didn't talk about anything else," Ruiz-Leyva said, adding that Miu donned the hat, jacket and sunglasses he wore before entering the river. "[Miu] looked pale when he got to us. His eyes wide open –he just sat there and didn't talk anymore."
He did not recall seeing injuries on Miu.
Further testimony suggests that Miu's group stayed "for a long time" after the incident to try and help those who were injured.
Miu was arrested an hour later near the river exit, telling St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson that he heard, "somebody got stabbed … and I fit the description."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Staff writer Matt McKinney contributed to this report.
