Apple River stabbing trial: Witness breaks down crying on stand
Apple River stabbing witness takes the stand
Jawahn Cockfield took the stand in the trial of Nicolae Miu. Jawahn Cockfield shot the cell phone video of the entire encounter. The video runs approximately 3 minutes and 20 seconds, and was shown in court on Monday. He calls himself one of Isaac's best friends, and was on the river with the group of friends on July 30, 2022.
HUDSON, Wis. (FOX 9) - Jawahn Cockfield broke down crying on the witness stand Tuesday while watching the video he shot during the deadly stabbing on the Apple River in Wisconsin in July 2022.
Nicolae Miu is on trial for 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.
WATCH LIVE: Apple River stabbing trial
Apple River stabbing trial: Witness breaks down on stand
Jawahn Cockfield got emotional when recounting the events that led up to the fatal stabbing on Apple River. 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.
Cockfield recorded cell phone video of the deadly fight on the river that day, which was shown in court on Monday and again on Tuesday when he was on the stand. In a portion of the video, Cockfield is saying, "This isn't real," and then begins screaming when he sees his best friend Isaac had been stabbed.
In the courtroom, Cockfield is in tears talking about his friend and the incident, dabbing his tears with a tissue.
Earlier, Cockfield testified he specifically recorded the video of Miu on the river that day. Prosecutors played the video again, noting Cockfield was the one speaking. Cockfield said he started recording because Miu was acting suspiciously. He said Miu made a comment about "little girls" but noted there were no little girls in his group or nearby. After he called Miu a "Raper," Miu came closer to their group and a fight ensued.
Apple River stabbing
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.
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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."