52-Year-Old Man Arrested, Charged For Death Of Teenager In Wisconsin

A 52-year-old man from Minnesota was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and four counts of attempted first-degree homicide while water tubing in Wisconsin.

The suspect was identified as Nicolae Miu who claims that he acted in self-defense in the encounter that stemmed from a lost cellphone on Saturday, July 30.

Miu was with his wife and several others at that time at a popular water tubing station, Apple River. He allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old honor student, later identified as Isaac Schuman.

But in a report by MPR News citing a criminal complaint, the 52-year-old claimed that he was attacked first and that he went into self-defense mode.

According to reports, Miu was searching for a lost phone in a water-tight container using a snorkel when he came across some people. For some reason at some point, Miu was accused of looking for little girls and being a child molester.

In a report from KARE 11, the juveniles allegedly surrounded Miu after the man grabbed their water tubes. Some videos showed the group moving in on the 52-year-old man.

Miu eventually fell into the water according to a complaint. Before a tuber could shove him again, the suspect stabbed him with a knife and then attacked others.

An unnamed witness claimed that Miu swam up to the group and looked at them weirdly. Two young people also said that the altercation became physical because the 52-year-old punched a young woman.

However, prosecutors say that Miu could have just walked away from the situation before it escalated.

Miu also claimed that the knife that was used in the attack was not his. His lawyer called the incident a “chance encounter.”

The other victims who survived the incident were reportedly in their early 20s.

“We are all heartbroken and devastated beyond words that his future has been tragically and senselessly cut short,” the family of Schuman stated.

Miu is being held on a $1 million bond after appearing in court on Monday. He could face life imprisonment if he is convicted.