The trial of Nicolae Miu, charged with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide for a 2022 stabbing on the Apple River, continued on Wednesday with gripping testimony from one of the victims, A.J. Martin.
Martin recounted the events leading up to him suffering catastrophic injuries when Miu allegedly attacked a group of tubers on July 30, 2022, killing 17-year-old Isaac Schuman.
According to Martin, he saw Miu strike Madison Coen in the face, prompting someone in the group to retaliate by hitting Miu into the water. As Martin attempted to break up the altercation, he was stabbed by the 54-year-old defendant.
“My stomach was open and my intestines were in my hands,” Martin vividly described of his wounds to the stunned courtroom.
He testified to telling his friend Dante Carlson that he thought he was going to die from the grievous injuries. Martin was hospitalized for 27 days and required follow-up surgeries as well as a temporary feeding tube.
Holding up his scar for the court to see, the young man provided chilling testimony about the toll of the violent confrontation that took Schuman’s life on the Apple River.
Prosecutors allege the stabbings occurred after Miu, who claimed to be searching for a phone in the river, was confronted by the tubing group who thought his behavior was suspicious. The encounter quickly escalated before turning deadly.
While Miu has claimed self-defense, he faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges related to the brutal attack that traumatized the victims and their families that fateful summer day.
Footage Of Apple River Stabbing
The video of the Apple River stabbing was subsequently released as the court trial commenced. The footage which was recorded by one of the boys covered the entire events leading from the verbal confrontation, physical assault, and stabbing.
Watch the video below: