Man accused of stabbing Wisconsin tubers charged with homicide
A Minnesota man accused of stabbing multiple people while tubing in a Wisconsin river has been charged with homicide, CBS Minnesota reports. A 17-year-old was killed and four people were wounded in the incident Saturday.
Nicolae Miu, 52, was charged in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of attempted first-degree homicide on Monday. The station reports bail was set at $1 million — double the amount requested by prosecutors.
In court, Miu's lawyer described the incident as a "chance encounter."
Miu is accused of stabbing five individuals while tubing down Apple River in Somerset, Wisconsin, not far from the Minnesota border. According to police, Miu was tubing in his own group next to the group of victims on the river. Witnesses saw the stabbings and took a photo of Miu, which allowed police to capture him following a 90-minute search and evacuation of the river.
At the time of the incident, the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office said they were unsure what started the confrontation. CBS Minnesota reports that according to the criminal complaint, multiple videos that have been taken into evidence which show Miu interacting with the group, who can be heard telling him to go away. The video shows Miu appearing to look for something, but the complaint says some of those on the scene believed he was "looking for little girls," and accused him of being a child molester.
According to an interview Miu gave to police, he claimed he was "fearful for his life" and was only looking for a cellphone he believed he had lost in the water. Miu also claimed the knife belonged to another person on the scene was apologetic about how the situation "ended up," CBS Minnesota reports.
The deceased victim has been identified by officials as a student at Stillwater High School. The survivors ages range from 20 to 24; their names have not been released. At least two of the individuals have since been released from the hospital, according to police.
Miu is being held at the St. Croix County jail.