Apple River stabbing: Nicolae Miu sentenced to prison

HUDSON, Wis. (FOX 9) - A Wisconsin judge has sentenced Nicolae Miu to a total of 20 years in prison for the 2022 Apple River stabbing that left one person dead and several others injured. 

Nicolae Miu's sentence

Miu was convicted on April 11 of first-degree reckless homicide in the killing of Isaac Schuman, four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety in the stabbings of A.J. Martin, Dante Carlson, Anthony "Tony" Carlson and Ryhley Mattison, and battery of Madison Coen on the Apple River on July 30, 2022. 

Appearing in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles, Miu was sentenced on July 31 — two years and a day after the fatal fight on the river — to 20 years in prison, with his sentences for each count running concurrently. Miu faced decades behind bars, but with no sentencing guidelines in Wisconsin, St. Croix Circuit Court Judge Michael Waterman had full discretion. 

Here's a breakdown of his sentence: 

• Count 1: First-degree reckless homicide of Schuman: 20 years in prison, with six years of extended supervision
• Count 2: First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Tony Carlson: Five years in prison, five years of extended supervision
• Count 3: First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Dante Carlson: Five years in prison, five years of extended supervision
• Count 4: First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Martin: Six years in prison, five years of extended supervision
• Count 5: First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Mattison: Five years in prison, five years of extended supervision
• Count 6: Battery of Coen: 270 days of jail

Miu has credit for 732 days served. His sentence will run concurrently. 

Judge Waterman said Miu made a series of "very poor" decisions but said there is more to Mr. Miu than his worst acts. Waterman said he believes Miu is sorry. Waterman said Miu doesn't need rehabilitation and doesn't have a criminal history. 

"There is a lot more to Mr. Miu than what he did on July 30," Waterman said, noting more goes into what he did at his lowest moment. "Despite the seriousness of Mr. Miu's crimes, the evidence does not show he that poses an imminent risk to the public."

Prosecutor, defense statements

The state requested 70 years in prison to "protect the public," Karl Anderson, St. Croix County District Attorney, said in court. The breakdown Anderson said is 45 years for the murder of Isaac, 24 years for recklessly endangering safety (six years for each victim) and one year for the battery conviction.

Miu’s defense attorney, Aaron Nelson, hoped for some humanity for the now 54-year-old man. In court on Wednesday, Nelson said whatever the judge decides for a sentence, to use his wisdom and craft a sentence that gives the community what they want and that allows Miu to get back out to live some period of his life. During his statement, Miu shed a couple of tears. 

"Mr. Miu was, is a good man," Nelson said.  

Miu makes a statement

Through tears, Miu apologized to Isaac's family and asked the judge for compassion. He said he is sorry for the outcome of the events. 

Victim impact statements

During the hearing, Schuman's mother Alina Hernandez was the first to share her victim impact statement. Through tears, she described how her life was forever changed and her heart shattered. She said she regretted letting him go tubing down the Apple River that day, noting he wasn't part of the confrontation until he saw what was happening — he was a peacemaker. She said she hopes the monster suffers every day until he goes to hell.

She asked the judge to sentence Miu to the "fullest."

Martin was seriously injured in the stabbing. He spoke at the sentencing hearing, saying he was clinging to life with a breathing tube. 

"I was gutted," and died for 9 minutes, he said, noting his scars hurt all the time he's self-conscious of them. 

Martin said his doctor described his injuries as straight out of a war movie. 

Mattison, who was hurt in the stabbing, spoke via Zoom at the hearing and said every conversation always circles back to the nightmare on the Apple River. She is jumpy, noting hypervigilance is exhausting. Her work is affected because of persistent pain, she is self-conscious, foggy and distant. She has depression and anxiety. 

The Apple River stabbing trial

This case continues to garner national headlines because of Miu’s claim of self-defense, his lies to authorities, and cell phone video capturing the deadly confrontation. 

The case was defined by cell phone video that captured much of the escalating confrontation and divided the community. Schuman’s pal Jawahn Cockfield shot the more than three-minute recording. It also sparked a debate on the limits of self-defense.

READ MORE: Key players in Nicolae Miu's trial

In riveting testimony, Miu took the stand at his April trial and continued to justify his actions and his fears. But prosecutors exposed a series of lies Miu told authorities in the aftermath of the deadly encounter.

It took the jury less than seven hours to reach unanimous verdicts on half a dozen charges, including reckless homicide for Schuman’s death as well as four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety for those who survived their stab wounds. Miu was convicted of the following charges: 

• First-degree reckless homicide of Schuman
• First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Martin
• First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Dante Carlson
• First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Tony Carlson
• First-degree recklessly endangering safety of Mattison
• Battery of Coen

"I feel like justice was served," one anonymous juror told FOX 9 after the trial, explaining he believed Miu could have avoided the confrontation. "I mean, it is not like anybody was, had a fence behind him or they were holding him there. He could of went, even if it was the wrong direction, he could have walked away."

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, Ariel Chaguez Leyet's, cell phone in the river but was confronted by tubers who said he was acting sketchy. 

The encounter escalated, and another group of tubers came over. He apparently punched Coen 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, 2022, which indicated there were potentially four or five victims with wounds to the mid to upper body. 

READ MORE: Timeline of what happened

Martin, Anthony Carlson, Dante Carlson and Mattison were injured in the attack, but 17-year-old Schuman died from his injuries.   

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," charging documents said.