Isaac Schuman: Trial, Verdict, Sentence, and Civil Lawsuit

Isaac Schuman, a 17-year-old from Stillwater, Minnesota, was fatally stabbed during the Apple River tubing attack on July 30, 2022, in Somerset, Wisconsin. The man who killed him, 54-year-old Nicolae Miu, was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide and sentenced on July 31, 2024, to 20 years in prison, with concurrent sentences on four counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of battery.¹

What Happened on the Apple River

Miu, a mechanical engineer from Prior Lake, Minnesota, was tubing with his wife and friends near the River’s Edge Campground in St. Croix County when he became separated from his group. He was using a snorkel and goggles to search the riverbed for a friend’s lost cell phone.²

During that search he encountered a group of young tubers. Members of the group accused him of “looking for little girls” and called him a “child molester.” A verbal argument turned physical. Miu punched Madison Coen, and Dante Carlson testified that he punched Miu in return after seeing him strike Coen.³

At about 3:47 p.m., the first 911 calls went out reporting a mass stabbing near the sunrise bridge in Somerset. Miu had produced a knife and stabbed five people.⁴ Isaac was one of them. His family later said he had been trying to stop Miu from hurting others.⁵ Deputies found him without vital signs, and he was later pronounced dead at Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater.

Four others were wounded: Alexander “A.J.” Martin, Dante Carlson, Anthony “Tony” Carlson, and Ryhley Mattison.⁶ Martin’s injuries were the most severe; his heart stopped twice during transport, once for nine minutes, and he was hospitalized for 27 days.⁷ Mattison suffered a punctured lung and damage to her diaphragm and stomach, requiring emergency surgery.⁸

Video footage showed Miu continuing to tube down the river with his group after the stabbings, wearing a jacket, until police encountered them at the exit point. When detained that evening, he told police he had been in “self-defense mode” after being attacked.⁴

Who Isaac Schuman Was

Isaac was a student at Stillwater High School who had been set to begin his senior year in the fall of 2022. He was an honor-roll student and an avid golfer, described by friends as kind and compassionate. His mother, Alina Hernandez, said he had an “incredible work ethic” and “a style all his own.”⁹ He is survived by his parents, Alina and Donny Hernandez and Scott Schuman; his brother Jakob; his sister Alexis; and his girlfriend, Alyssa Lord.¹⁰

Days after his death, about 500 people gathered for a candlelight vigil on the 14th green of Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater. Many wore orange, his favorite color.⁹

The Charges and Trial

Two days after the stabbing, the St. Croix County District Attorney’s Office charged Miu with one count of first-degree intentional homicide for Isaac’s death and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the surviving victims. Judge R. Michael Waterman set bond at $1 million cash.¹¹

Trial began on April 1, 2024. Over eight days, more than three dozen witnesses testified, including Miu and several surviving victims. Jurors watched cell-phone videos of the confrontation, body camera footage, and recordings of Miu’s police interview.¹²

The Self-Defense Claim

Miu’s attorneys, Aaron Nelson and Corey Chirafisi, argued that he acted in self-defense after being surrounded and harassed. Miu testified that the group taunted him, threw his snorkeling gear into the water, tried to pull down his swim trunks, and called him a child molester. He said he feared for his life, citing a 2020 quadruple bypass surgery, and claimed he had disarmed one of his attackers before using the knife.⁷ Nelson emphasized that Miu had turned away from the group twice before the violence erupted.¹

The Prosecution’s Case

St. Croix County District Attorney Karl Anderson argued Miu was the aggressor and had multiple chances to walk away. Prosecutors showed video of Miu pulling the knife from his own pocket, contradicting his account that he had taken it from an attacker. Anderson called Miu a “skilled and prolific liar” after Miu admitted on the stand that he had lied to police about the attackers carrying weapons.⁷ The state introduced jailhouse calls in which Miu referred to the teenagers as “demons” and “baboon bastards,” and entered a large machete found in Miu’s vehicle into evidence.¹

The Verdict

After roughly one day of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict on April 11, 2024. Miu was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide for Isaac’s death, four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety for the surviving victims, and battery for punching Madison Coen.¹³

The jury rejected the original intentional homicide charges but convicted on the lesser reckless counts available to them. That distinction mattered. The jury concluded Miu’s conduct was reckless rather than intentional, which carried significantly lower maximum penalties.⁶

The Sentence

Prosecutors asked for 70 years: 45 for the homicide and 24 for the endangerment counts.¹⁴ The defense asked for probation.¹

On July 31, 2024, Judge Waterman imposed 20 years in prison for the reckless homicide, with concurrent sentences of five to six years on the four endangerment counts and 270 days on the battery. He added six years of extended supervision and credited Miu with 732 days of time served.¹

Waterman said Miu was “genuinely sorry” and had been, outside of this incident, a “non-violent, peaceful man” who had escaped communist Romania with his family. The judge said a fair sentence “takes into account the complete person, not just his worst acts.”¹ He also said Miu “left the scene, leaving his victims to die while casually floating past them and emergency workers as if nothing had happened,” and that “he broke the social compact.”²

The Family’s Reaction

In court, Alina Hernandez told the judge, “He stole Isaac’s life and he stole my life.” Donny Hernandez called Isaac “a hero, preserving life.” Scott Schuman said his son “was trying to stop the defendant from hurting anyone else on the day he was killed.”⁵

After the 20-year sentence was announced, the family publicly called it “unjust” and “nauseating.” Alina Hernandez said it “didn’t make sense to any of us” and that “hundreds have reached out saying they can’t believe it either.”¹⁵ Scott Schuman said he had expected “maybe double what he got.”¹⁴

Civil Lawsuit by the Surviving Victims

In February 2025, the four surviving victims — Mattison, Martin, Dante Carlson, and Tony Carlson — filed a civil suit against Miu and his insurance company in St. Croix County Circuit Court.¹⁶ The suit alleges Miu’s negligent conduct caused physical injuries, pain and suffering, and psychological harm. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial; no specific dollar amount was stated.¹⁷ Isaac’s family is not among the plaintiffs listed in the reporting on the civil case.

The Isaac Schuman Foundation

Isaac’s family established the Isaac Schuman Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to honor his memory. Its mission is to “keep Isaac’s kind, generous and hard-working spirit alive by helping people overcome hardships and empower them to achieve their dreams.”¹⁸ Its main program awards scholarships to young people; in 2024, the foundation gave scholarships to five recipients, spending about $9,800 on the program.¹⁹

1
CBS News Minnesota. Nicolae Miu Apple River Sentencing
2
CNN. Nicolae Miu Sentencing, Wisconsin River Stabbing
3
CBS News Minnesota. Nicolae Miu Apple River Wisconsin Stabbing Trial Continues
4
FOX 9. Apple River Stabbing: Timeline of What Happened
5
CBS News Minnesota. Nicolae Miu Victim Impact Statements, Isaac Schuman
6
MPR News. Apple River Stabbing Case Verdict: Nicolae Miu Guilty of Killing Isaac Schuman
7
Court TV. WI v. Nicolae Miu: Apple River Stabbings Trial
8
FOX 9. Apple River Stabbing Victim Story: Ryhley Mattison
9
San Diego Union-Tribune. Hundreds Attend Vigil for Minnesota Teen Killed While Tubing
10
Bradshaw Funeral Home. Isaac Schuman Obituary
11
Wisconsin Public Radio. $1M Bond Ordered for Suspect in Fatal Apple River Stabbing
12
CBS News Minnesota. Nicolae Miu Apple River Stabbing Trial, Week 2
13
FOX 9. Apple River Stabbing Trial: Nicolae Miu Verdict
14
The Amery Free Press. Nicolae Miu Sentenced to 20 Years
15
NewsNation. Apple River Stabbing Victim Parents: 20-Year Sentence Unjust
16
KARE 11. Apple River Stabbing Survivors File Civil Suit Against Nicolae Miu
17
FOX 9. Apple River Stabbing Victims Lawsuit Against Nicolae Miu
18
Isaac Schuman Foundation. Isaac Schuman Foundation
19
GuideStar. Isaac Schuman Foundation Profile