The Minnesota man who claimed self-defense after fatally stabbing a teenager during a violent fight over inner tubes on a Wisconsin river has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Nicolae Miu shed a tear and kept his head bowed before receiving his punishment for the 2022 murder of high school honor student Isaac Schuman.
Before his sentencing, Miu, dressed in orange prison garb and shackled to the floor, addressed the St. Croix County District Court.
“My soul is broken and my heart is very heavy,” he said. “I never wanted this tragedy to happen.”
Schuman, 17, was with a group on the Apple River near Somerset, Wisconsin, when they confronted Miu, who was apparently searching for a lost cellphone using a snorkel and goggles.
The 54-year-old engineer was approached by a group of young men and women, ages 17 to 24, who accused Miu of being a pedophile and “looking for little girls” in the water, KARE 11 reported, citing a criminal complaint.
Miu, who was tubing with another group, including his wife, told investigators he went into “self-defense mode” and was “attacked” during the fatal encounter.
A cellphone video recorded by one of Schuman’s friends shows Miu slowly pulling out a Swiss Army knife, which he said he had been carrying to cut the rope for the planned water tubing adventure.
Footage then showed the group moving toward Miu, who fell into the water, before stabbing the teen and attacking four others, according to court documents obtained by KARE 11.
The four non-fatal victims — three men and a woman, all in their 20s — suffered serious to critical injuries to their torsos, MPR News reported.
After eight hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Miu in April of first-degree manslaughter, four counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of battery.
St. Croix County Prosecutor Karl Anderson had sought a 70-year sentence, but state law gives judges broad discretion in sentencing decisions and does not provide guidelines for homicide cases.
“It’s hard to describe in words how graphic and horrific it was,” Anderson told the court, according to the StarTribune.
St. Croix County District Court Judge R. Michael Waterman sentenced Miu, arguing that Miu was not acting in self-defense but also did not intend to stab his victims.
“The court’s sentence must show that this was a reckless and unintentional act,” Waterman said, reflecting the jury’s conclusion in April, the outlet reported.
“Mr. Miu is much more than what he did on July 30,” Waterman told the court, saying he believed Miu’s apology to the Schuman family was sincere.
Waterman then detailed Miu’s life story and how he came from Romania, learned English, got his education and built his career as an engineer.
In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Waterman also handed down five-year sentences to Miu for each of his four other victims.
Miu will serve the additional sentences concurrently with the 20 years in prison and will be credited for nearly two years already served behind bars.
He will be 72 when he is released and will remain under extended supervision for another six years.
Schuman’s parents had hoped that Miu would receive a longer sentence.
“I feel like justice was served,” Issac’s father, Scott Schuman, told reporters outside the courtroom.
In her victim impact statement, Issac’s mother asked Waterman for the maximum sentence of 100 years, saying she thinks about her son every day.
“I think about Isaac all day, every day,” Alina Hernandez told the court. “Losing Isaac, my baby, has devastated me and broken my heart.”
“(Miu) has no remorse. He is playing the victim. It makes me sick,” the heartbroken mother added. “Judge, I ask you to sentence him to the maximum sentence.”
