Bail set at $1M for man charged in stabbing on Apple River that killed Stillwater teen
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A suspect in a stabbing on the Apple River in Wisconsin over the weekend has now been formally charged.
Nicolae Miu, 52, of Prior Lake, is charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
He made his first court appearance in St. Croix County on Monday afternoon and a judge set his bail at $1 million. He’s also not allowed to have any dangerous weapons and can’t contact any of the victims.
Miu’s accused of stabbing five people who were tubing on the river Saturday: a 17-year-old Stillwater boy, who died; two men ages 20 and 22 from Luck, Wisconsin, who were released from the hospital Monday morning; a 22-year-old Elk River man and a 24-year-old Burnsville woman who both remain hospitalized.
In a statement shared with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, family members identified Isaac Schuman as the boy who died in the attack.
Schuman was an honor roll student at Stillwater High School and was about to start his senior year. He had dreams of pursuing a degree in electrical engineering after graduation.
Miu made his first court appearance in St. Croix County on Monday afternoon and a judge set his bail at $1 million.
Family described Schuman as an avid golfer who was “becoming quite an impressive young entreprenuer,” having started a business in the past year detailing boats and cars.
“Isaac entered every room with a big smile, infectiously positive aura, and lifted everyone around him up,” Schuman’s family stated. “He had an incredibly bright future ahead of him and we are all heartbroken and devastated beyond words that his future has been tragically and senselessly cut short. We very much appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from our friends, Isaac’s friends and the Stillwater Community.”
The family stated a GoFundMe has been set up.
As of Sunday, authorities said the other victims — whose torso and chest injuries range from serious to critical — were considered to be in stable condition.
St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said the four victims had been transported to Regions Hospital for their injuries.
“The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the agencies that responded to assist with this traumatic incident and express our gratitude to the citizens that stepped in to provide care and comfort to the victims,” the sheriff said.
RELATED: St. Croix Co. Sheriff: Teen dead, 4 adults in critical condition following stabbing on Apple River
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According to the criminal complaint, authorities spoke with a woman who said she and her husband, identified as Miu, arrived at Rivers Edge Campground, planning to join a group in floating down the river.
The woman said Miu left the group to try to find a lost phone belonging to one of the members of their group. While he was reportedly searching for that phone, a confrontation involving Miu and a different group of people tubing on the river ensued.
“Witnesses described Nicolae as punching or slapping a female that was in the group confronting him, Nicolae was then punched by a male and fell into the river,” the complaint states. It’s alleged Miu then began “stabbing multiple individuals who were near him.”
The complaint also reports investigators have obtained video captured at the scene; an investigator involved with the case reported in the complaint that “The video and elapsed time shows opportunity for Nicolae to leave the confrontation.”
In a hearing Monday afternoon, a prosecutor described footage of the incident, telling the court, “there is a partial video of this attack on these victims, it does appear to be violent in nature.”
Another portion of the complaint states that during an interview, Miu told an investigator he had a snorkel and was looking for a cell phone lost in the river. Miu told investigators his response in the confrontation “was self-defense” and that he couldn’t recall all of what happened, stating he was “‘so fearful’ for his safety.”
“Nic said he didn’t know what happened other than “they attacked me” and “I was in self-defense mode”,” the complaint states.
Anyone with video during or leading up to the incident is asked to send it to john.shiltsjr@sccwi.gov or call investigator John Shilts at 715-381-4319.
Miu’s next court appearance is set for Aug. 5, with another hearing set for Aug. 12.