Jury deliberations got underway Wednesday in the trial of Nicolae Miu, the man accused in a deadly stabbing on the Apple River in Wisconsin in July 2022. Deliberations will continue Thursday morning.

The 54-year-old Prior Lake man is facing homicide, attempted homicide and lesser charges, including battery, stemming from the incident, which killed 17-year-old Isaac Schuman and hurt four others.

Prosecutors say Miu pulled a knife from his pocket and lashed out at a group that was tubing on the river following a confrontation. Miu and his attorneys say he was just looking for his cellphone and the group of people attacked him, forcing him to defend himself.

Miu took the stand on Tuesday and, at one point, admitted that he lied about the knife involved in the encounter and said he feared for his life.

He said he was “absolutely not” trying to kill anyone and explained his reaction to teens saying he was looking for young girls rather than a phone.

“I felt frustrated, I felt annoyed, they kept saying it over and over,” Miu testified.

Jurors heard closing arguments Wednesday morning, the eighth day of the trial, before they were handed the case just before 12:30 p.m.

The defense used its time during closing arguments to emphasize that it was 13 against one that day on the river and pointed to the end of the cellphone video played throughout the week to say it’s a case of self-defense.

“You have to look at those 14 seconds through Nic Miu’s eyes,” Miu’s attorney Corey Chirafisi told jurors. “He thought he was going to die. He thought he was going to suffer serious bodily injury.”

St. Croix County District Attorney Karl Anderson called Miu’s actions that day, “absolutely senseless, horrific acts of violence,” adding, “all Nicolae Miu had to do was walk away.”

Additionally, the defense reiterated that Miu was in shock afterward while prosecutors said he was just looking out for himself.

“While it is your duty to give Mr. Miu the benefit of every reasonable doubt, you are not to search for doubt,” the judge told jurors. “You are to search for the truth and give Mr. Miu the benefit of any reasonable doubt that remains after carefully considering all the evidence in this case.”

The jury briefly came back into the courtroom Wednesday afternoon and asked to watch a video of the encounter. Jurors had another video request at around 4:30 p.m. and then were dismissed for the day by the judge.

The jury will resume deliberations at 8 a.m. Thursday.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is streaming the trial live each day. Check back for updates.

RELATED: Nicolae Miu takes the stand in his trial, says he feared for his life

For complete coverage of the Apple River stabbing, CLICK HERE.