Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of Nicolae Mui, who claims he acted in self-defense when he fatally stabbed a Stillwater teen and wounded four others during a confrontation with two groups of tubers on western Wisconsin’s Apple River in 2022.
Jurors were given the case just before 12:30 p.m., following closing arguments Wednesday in St. Croix County Circuit Court in Hudson. Deliberations were to begin after the lunch hour.
Over the eight days of the trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys relied heavily on a cellphone video to try and make their case.
“One of the things the defense said at the beginning of trial and in their opening was they’re glad there’s a video,” District Attorney Karl Anderson said in the state’s closing argument. “So are we.”
Isaac Schuman’s mother, Alina Hernandez, takes the stand during the second day of the trial against Nicolae Miu at the St. Croix County Circuit Court in Hudson, Wis., on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (Elizabeth Flores / Pool via Star Tribune)
Miu, 54, of Prior Lake, testified that his “fear scale” kept growing during the confrontation with two groups of tubers in Somerset on July 30, 2022. He said he feared for his life when he stabbed 17-year-old Isaac Schuman in the chest and seriously injured Ryhley Mattison, then 24, of Burnsville; A.J. Martin, then 22, of Elk River; and brothers Dante Carlson and Tony Carlson, both in their early 20s, of Luck, Wis. All five were stabbed once. Schuman bled to death.
Prosecutors tried to get across to jurors the confrontation began when Miu ran up to Schuman’s group while he was looking for his friend’s lost phone and that he had opportunities to walk away, despite Schuman’s group calling him a “pedophile.” They said it turned violent after he became angry and punched a woman in the face — an alleged assault that was not caught on video — and then lashed out with his pocket knife.
“Nikolae was not in fear, he snapped,” Anderson said in the closing argument.
The defense tried to portray a scene in which Miu was surrounded by a drunk angry mob who called him a “pedophile” and attacked him.
New charges added
Late Tuesday, the state added lesser charges against Miu to go along with the original charges of first-degree intentional homicide, four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and one count of misdemeanor battery.
Miu now also faces second-degree intentional homicide; first- and second-degree reckless homicide and four counts each of attempted second-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree reckless homicide and attempted second-degree reckless homicide.
Jurors will consider the intentional murder charge first, then stop there if they find him guilty. If not, they move to the other charges.
If convicted of the intentional murder charge, Miu could be sentenced to life in prison.
This is a breaking news story, check back for updates.
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