SOMERSET, Wis. (FOX 9) - The trial of Nicolae Miu, the man accused of the fatal 2022 stabbing on the Apple River, began on April 1. Here's a look at the key players in the trial.
Nicolae Miu, 54, is facing charges of first-degree intentional homicide for the death of 17-year-old Isaac Schuman and multiple counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide for his alleged role in the stabbings on July 30, 2022.
WATCH LIVE: How to watch Nicolae Miu's trial
Here are the key players in the case. This list will be updated as the trial progresses.
Nicolae Miu
Nicolae Miu (St. Croix County, Wisconsin)
Miu is the defendant. The now-54-year-old man is a mechanical engineer from Prior Lake, Minnesota. He has been in jail since the stabbing. He claims self-defense.
RELATED: Apple River stabbing suspect: Who is Nicolae Miu?
Sondra Miu
Sondra Miu, Nicolae Miu's wife, testifies on April 3, 2024.
Nicolae Miu's ex-wife. She filed for divorce in March 2024. She was tubing with him on the day of the stabbing and told authorities her husband had a knife in his pocket. She was the 14th witness to testify in Miu's trial.
Isaac Schuman
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Apple River stabbing: Visitation for Isaac Schuman Monday, funeral Tuesday
A celebration of life for Isaac Schuman, who was fatally stabbed on the Apple River in Wisconsin in July, will be held on Tuesday in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Isaac Shuman is the 17-year-old victim who was killed in the stabbing. He is fondly remembered by friends and loved ones.
Ryhley Mattison
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Apple River stabbing victim shares story from hospital bed | KMSP
FOX 9's Paul Blume speaks with 24-year-old Ryhley Mattison as she shares her story of being stabbed while tubing down the Apple River on Saturday.
Ryhley Mattison is one of four surviving stab victims. She spoke to FOX 9 from her hospital bed in the days that followed the stabbing. She was the 11th witness in the trial, testifying on Wednesday, April 3.
A.J. Martin
A.J. Martin shows his scar in court during the Apple River stabbing trial. (FOX 9)
A.J. Martin was stabbed on the Apple River and badly injured. He was the 12th person to testify. He testified on April 3, describing his gruesome injuries in court.
Alexander Vang
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Apple River stabbing trial: Emotional testimony from witness
Alexander Vang testified in the trial of Nicolae Miu. Vang says he witnessed the death of his friend Isaac Schuman. Nicolae Miu, 54, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and multiple counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide that could send him to prison for life if he is convicted. He is accused of killing Stillwater, Minnesota, native 17-year-old Isaac Schuman and wounding four others on July 30, 2022.
Alexander Vang is a friend of Isaac Schuman's. He testified on the second day of the trial.
Madison Coen
Madison Coen was struck by Miu during the fight on the Apple River. She testified on the second day of the trial.
Jawahn Cockfield
Jawahn Cockfield, Isaac Schuman's friend, testifies during Nicholae Miu's first-degree intentional homicide trial on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
Jawahn Cockfield shot cell phone video of the entire encounter. The video runs approximately 3 minutes and 20 seconds. It will provide the jury with the critical evidence. Cockfield was good friends with Isaac. He testified on April 2, the second day of the trial, during which he broke down on the stand.
Alina Hernandez
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Apple River stabbing trial: Victim's mother testifies
Alina Hernandez, mother of Isaac Schuman, took the stand today in the trial of Nicolae Miu. Miu has been in jail since the stabbing. He claims self-defense.
Alina Hernandez is Isaac Schuman's mother. She testified on the second day of the trial.
Isaac Schuman's family reacts to evidence in the Apple River stabbing trial. (Elizabeth Flores, Pool via Star Tribune)
Ryan Nelson
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Apple River stabbing trial: Victim's friend takes stand
Ryan Nelson, a witness to the Apple River stabbing and friend of Isaac Schuman, took the stand today in the trial of Nicolae Miu.
Ryan Nelson is Isaac Schuman's friend. He testified on the first day of the trial.
Quinton Carlson
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Adult witness recounts Apple River stabbing
Quinton Carlson, a witness to the stabbing on the Apple River, took the stand.
Quinton Carlson was with a group of friends tubing down the Apple River. He witnessed the fight on the river, sending his two sons over to the fight in hopes of calming the situation. His two sons, Dante and Tony, were stabbed.
Dante Carlson
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Apple River stabbing trial: Dante Carlson testifies [FULL]
Dante Carlson, a witness who punched Miu and was stabbed, testifies in the Apple River stabbing trial.
Dante Carlson, the son of Quinton Carlson, testified on the second day of the trial. He said he punched Miu after Miu hit Madison Coen. He was stabbed during the fight, as was his brother, Tony Carlson.
Anthony ‘Tony’ Carlson
Anthony 'Tony' Carlson, who testified on April 3, 2024, in the Apple River stabbing trial.
Tony Carlson is the son of Quinton Carlson. He was stabbed on the Apple River, as was his younger brother, Dante Carlson. Tony Carlson testified on the third day of the trial.
Landon Weyer
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Apple River stabbing trial: Friend of victim testifies
Landon Weyer, friend of victim Isaac Schuman, took the stand in the Apple River stabbing trial today. The trial of Nicolae Miu, the man accused of the deadly stabbing on the Apple River in 2022, continues Tuesday with witness testimony, a day after a graphic video was shown in court of the deadly fight on the Wisconsin river.
Landon Weyer, who was tubing with Isaac Shuman's group, testified on the second day of the trial.
Gabriella Khazraeinazmpour
Gabriella Khazraeinazmpour testifies during the Apple River stabbing trial.
Gabriella Khazraeinazmpour was the 13th witness to testify. She was tubing with the Carlson group and called 911 the day of the fight on the river.
Larrion Davis
Larrion Davis testifies in the Apple River stabbing trial.
Larrion Davis, a tuber on the Apple River and witness, was the 15th person to testify in the trial. He recorded some cell phone video of the Apple River incident — he was taking selfie Snapchat video as the Miu encounter was happening behind him.
Sheena Lowell
Sheena Lowell testifying at the Apple River stabbing trial.
Sheena Lowell, the 16th person to testify, was a tuber on the Apple River with the Carlson group.
Eric Von Williams
Eric Von Williams testifying during the Apple River stabbing trial.
Eric Von Williams was tubing down the river with Nicolae Miu's group, but he'd met Miu the day they got to the river. He is the 17th person to testify.
Janell Duxbury
Janell Duxbury is the 18th person to testify in the Apple River stabbing trial.
Janell Duxbury is the 18th person to testify in the trial. She was part of the Carlson tubing group.
Andrea Baldazo
Andrea Baldazo, a registered nurse, who was tubing on the Apple River and stopped to help Isaac Schuman after the stabbing. She testified at the trial on April 4.
Andrea Baldazo is the 19th person to testify. She is a registered nurse out tubing with her family that day. She realized someone was hurt and then jumped to assist Isaac Schuman.
Karl Anderson and Brian Smestad
Karl Anderson and Brian Smestad are prosecuting the case. Anderson is the St. Croix County, Wisconsin, District Attorney.
Aaron Nelson and Corey Chirafisi
Aaron Nelson is a notable, local trial attorney based in Hudson, Wisconsin. Corey Chirafisi is a Madison-based attorney and notably successfully defended Kyle Rittenhouse.
Judge Michael Waterman
Judge Michael Waterman, who presided over the Apple River stabbing trial. (Elizabeth Flores, Pool via Star Tribune)
Judge Michael Waterman is a judge in the St. Croix County Circuit Court. He'll be presiding over Miu's trial. He teaches in the advocacy program at Mitchell-Hamline School of Law in St. Paul.
Sheriff Scott Knudson
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Apple River stabbing trial: Video of suspect detained
More body camera was released in the Apple River stabbing trial that shows Nicolae Miu in the backseat of a police vehicle.
Sheriff Scott Knudson spoke to Miu for a short time at the scene of his arrest along the Apple River. Some of that material is suppressed because Miu was not properly informed of his rights.
Lt. Brandie Hart
Lt. Brandie Hart of the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office conducted the jailhouse interview with Miu in the hours following the stabbing. Miu's legal team attempted to toss out his statements, arguing he was not properly given access to an attorney. The trial judge rejected their claims.
Apple River stabbing: What happened
According to court records, the stabbing took place on the Apple River near the Sunrise Bridge in Somerset, Wisconsin, which allegedly started after Miu was apparently looking for a friend's cell phone in the river but was confronted by tubers who said he was acting sketchy.
The encounter escalated, and he apparently punched a female on the left side of her face before Miu was punched, eventually leading to the stabbing.
Witnesses began calling 911 at 3:47 p.m. on July 30, which indicated there were potentially four or five victims with wounds to the mid to upper body.
A 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota, a 20-year-old and 22-year-old man from Luck, Wisconsin, and a 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota, were injured in the attack. But, 17-year-old Schuman died from his injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Miu claimed the attack was self-defense. He said he was "so fearful" for his safety, adding he wasn't sure what the people in the river were going to do to him, and "everything happened so fast."