Watch live: Apple River stabbing trial continues with witness testimony Tuesday

HUDSON, Wis. — Day two of the trial for the deadly stabbing on the Apple River in Wisconsin is underway Tuesday morning.

Nicolae Miu is accused of killing a teen and injuring four others in July of 2022.

The prosecution is trying to prove that Miu was the aggressor. They expect to call more than 40 witnesses to the stand.

The defense is arguing Miu stabbed the five people in self-defense.

Isaac Schuman’s mother tests

The trial began Tuesday with emotional testimony from Alina Hernandez, the mother of Isaac Schuman. Schuman, 17, was the only person to die of their injuries in the stabbing.

“Isaac had a lot of hobbies. He loved his family and traveling. We love to travel. And he had his own business, and he had recently started. He detailed boats and cars,” Hernandez said. “He loved to golf.”

Hernandez says she was having lunch with her sister-in-law in downtown Stillwater when she got a call from one of her son’s friends, who was “screaming that Isaac was stabbed.” She said she ran out of the restaurant, got into a vehicle and went to the scene.

She said she saw her son on the river bank with CPR being performed on him and ran to him. She said it was clear that he was dead.

Hernandez says her son hoped to go to college for engineering.

Legal expert Joe Tamburino, who’s not affiliated with the case, said it was a good defense tactic to not cross-examine Hernandez.

“Also, the defense is getting the upper hand so far in this trial. They have more emotion and fire than the prosecutors,” Tamburino said. “The prosecutors should have objected more to the defense opening statement because it was filled with arguments which are not proper for opening. Argument is for closings. The prosecutors better step it up today.”

Jawahn Cockfield tests

Jawahn Cockfield, Schuman’s friend and the young man who filmed the two videos of the altercation, became emotional on the stand while talking about his slain friend.

The defense peppered Cockfield with questions about his behavior towards Miu, highlighting Cockfield’s large physical stature. Cockfield stated when he first encountered Miu and asked him what he was doing near his group, Miu allegedly said he was “looking for little girls.”

Cockfield agreed with the defense that the statement wasn’t captured on tape, but he underlined that Miu was acting strange, especially when he ran up to them and grabbed their tubes.

The defense repeatedly asked why Cockfield chose to call Miu names. Cockfield insisted he wasn’t necessarily trying to humiliate Miu.

“Any other explanation as to why you point and taunt (Miu) other than humiliate him? asked the defense.

“No,” Cockfield replied.

Cockfield was asked if he remembered a member of his group threatening Miu that he had “10 seconds” to get away from them. Cockfield denied hearing it, then the defense played a brief clip where the threat could be heard. Cockfield said he didn’t hear that threat in that clip.

The defense tried to hammer home that Cockfield didn’t feel threatened by Miu since the other group of tubers came over, and that Miu’s path back to his group was blocked.

Prosecutors then turned that around, showing a still where only two women are confronting Miu, with open water behind him.

Prosecutors then asked Cockfield if he was happy he recorded the confrontation, which Cockfield affirmed.

Madison Cohen tests

Madison Cohen elected not to have her testimony recorded, which is allowed by Wisconsin state law.

WCCO will have live coverage throughout the trial, which you can watch via CBS News Minnesota, Pluto TV or the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV.

Day one recap

Among the first witnesses was Ryan Nelson, the best friend of Schuman. Nelson said he was positive that Miu started the fight when he hit one of the victims.

During an intense cross-examination, defense attorneys were quick to challenge Nelson’s memory of events.

The prosecution also showed two cellphone video clips, less than four minutes in total, detailing much of what happened that day on the Apple River.

In the first video, which is just nine seconds long, someone is heard saying Miu was “looking for little girls.” The defense was quick to note there were not little girls near him in the video.

In another three-and-a-half minute clip, Miu can be seen running toward the group of tubers and underlying audio can be heard indicating Miu was asked more than 20 times by the groups to go away.

Then the physical confrontation begins, with pushing and shoving and, ultimately, the stabbings.

Tamburino said now it’s up to both sides to call witnesses that will help give these clips context.

“What they’re also going to point out is what led up to parts of the video,” Tamburino said. “You see at the beginning when the video is played, all we see is Mr. Miu basically running toward these young men and we don’t know why, and that’s where witness testimony will be very important so it can explain, where did he come from? Why was he coming near the young men? What was he saying, what was he doing? All of that’s not on the video.”