Wisconsin tuber who kicked off brawl that ended with Nicolae Miu stabbing five teens admits lying about seeing the 54-year-old 'film little girls': 'There was a lot going on'

A witness to a Wisconsin river stabbing that killed a teenager admitted he falsely claimed the attacker had been 'filming little girls', which triggered the chaotic scenes. 

Footage of the July 30, 2022, attack circulated widely this week as it was shown at the murder trial of engineer Nicolae Miu, 54, showing him stabbing Isaac Shuman, 17, to death and knifing four others. 

Miu was accused by the group of being a 'pedophile', and witness Larrion Davis later told investigators that he saw the attacker 'taking pictures of girls' in the area. 

However, as he took the stand last week, Davis appeared confused over this claim, and admitted he wasn't sure what he saw because 'there was a lot going on.'

Witness Larrion Davis was grilled by accused murderer Nicolae Miu's attorney over his claims that he saw him 'taking pictures of little girls' before the horror July 2022 stabbing 

Miu of Pior Lake, Minnesota, claimed that his lethal stabbing was 'self-defense' after the group of tubers claimed that he was 'looking for little girls in the Apple River 

Isaac Shuman, 17, died after Miu stabbed him in his chest. Shuman's best friend broke down in court this week as he said that he tried his best to stop the bleeding and save him 

As he took the stand, Davis was questioned by Miu's attorney over his claims to investigators during a March 2024 interview, almost two years after the attack took place. 

'You also said to the police, (Miu) came out of the bushes and he was taking pictures of little girls?' the prosecutor asked. 

'Yes, I said that,' Davis responded. When asked if he 'saw that', he responded, 'I said that.' 

'I understand you said it, did you see it?' they asked again. 

Seemingly confused, Davis responded 'Yes', before the attorney asked him to clarify whether he witnessed Miu 'with his camera that afternoon, taking pictures of little girls... that's what you're telling this jury?' 

David responded: 'Oh, no, no, no, that's what I said.'

'Like I said, I understand you said it, is it true?' the attorney continued, to which David replied: 'Oh, I don't know.'

When questioned why he would tell investigators something that he wasn't sure is true, Davis said there was 'a lot going on.' 

The attorney repeats the version of events again in an attempt to clarify his remarks, asking Davis: 'That's not true is it?'

At that point, Davis admits, 'I guess so.'

He continued: 'It's hard to say, because like that's what I recall from the day that it happened, that's what I was telling the officer.'

The attorney reminded Davis that when he was initially interviewed by detectives, he never mentioned Miu 'taking pictures of little girls', and he only made these claims in the interview almost two years later. 

'I don't remember that... that was a month ago that I said that though,' Davis concluded.  

Miu was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after Isaac Shuman, 17, died and four others were injured. He was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for their injuries

Video then shows the chilling moment another member of the group stumbling into the river while a pool of red water emerged around him

Miu is seen approaching the group (left). Someone is see with their arms near Miu's neck during the incident (right)

Miu's wife Sondra told detectives that the violent altercation began after Miu, whose group was farther up the river, went back to find a 'phone that was lost' while wearing snorkeling gear

During the first week of trial on April 1, the court reviewed a video that captured the intense moments leading up to and during the stabbing. 

Miu was seen aggressively approaching the tubers, including the person recording, as they heckled him and laughed at him - telling him to 'walk away.'

The twenty-somethings reportedly approached Miu first, however, after spotting him chatting to a group of teenagers who looked 'uncomfortable,' as he was allegedly asking for the numbers of 'young girls.' 

A woman then approached Miu ordering him to go away from the group, while one of the boys shouted 'he was looking for little girls.'

The video then showed the group push Miu down into the water repeatedly and hit him while he scrambled to get up.

Members of the group then began to shout: 'He hit a woman?'

The woman clutched her side in shock as blood began to pour out, and it became apparent that she had been stabbed. 

The DA's Office said that there was 'enough blood in the river that water turned a red tint in places.' 

Video then showed the chilling moment another member of the group stumbled into the river as a pool of red water emerged around him. 

Chaos ensued as the group quickly dispersed. The cameraman screamed 'this isn't real' as more blood stained the water. 

The distressing footage then suddenly cut out. 

When the stabbing unfolded, Miu's wife Sondra told detectives that the violent altercation began after Miu, whose group was further up the river, went back to find a 'phone that was lost' while wearing snorkeling gear.

While he was looking, Sondra said a 'group of guys got off their tubes and started hitting' him.  

The group apparently accused Miu of 'looking for little girls' and being a 'child molester' after he had been snorkeling between two groups on each side of the river looking for the phone, according to a video viewed by the St. Croix DA's Office in Wisconsin.  

Owen Peloquin, 19, testified in court on Monday during the second week of the trial, as he detailed the moment engineer Nicolae Miu, 54, attacked the group with a knife on July 30, 2022

Nicolae Miu looks on during his murder trial, Friday, April 5, 2024

It comes as another of the teenagers in the group described watching his best friend stabbed to death in Wisconsin's Apple River. 

Owen Peloquin, 19, testified in court on Monday during the second week of the trial, as he detailed the moment engineer Nicolae Miu, 54, attacked the group with a knife after they heckled him and called him a 'pedophile.' 

'He just weirdly like sprinted at us, just made us all super uncomfortable,' Peloquin said before cell phone video of the 2022 encounter was shown in court. 

Peloquin was heard in the video saying 'Yo, get away,' but he said that Miu didn't listen and instead grabbed onto their water tubes. 

Miu of Prior Lake, Minnesota, claimed that he stabbed them in 'self-defense' after the group of tubers claimed that he was 'looking for little girls' on July 30, 2022. 

He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after Isaac Shuman, 17, died and four others were injured. He was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for their injuries. 

During his testimony, Peloquin said that he regretted calling Miu a 'pedophile' and wished that he and his friends acted differently that day. 

When Shuman was attacked by Miu, Peloquin said that he didn't see him get stabbed but rushed over to him and brought him to shore with his other friend Alex. 

'I tried my hardest to stop the bleeding,' Peloquin said as he became visibly emotional. 

Schuman was then taken in an ambulance to the Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater where he was pronounced dead.

As the witness testimony went on, Mui's defense attorney, Corey Chirafisi  showed pictures from the incident and questioned Peloquin's reactions. 

With his mouth wide open as he stood in the river, the teen said that he was in 'pure shock' when he saw the knife in Miu's hand. 

After that, pictures showed him step forward as a prosecutor asked him what he was doing. Peloquin said that he was reaching to grab Ryan Nelson, another friend of his that was in the group. 

Chirafisi asked the teen: 'Do you believe your actions there with the rest of your friends are taunting him?' 

'It could be considered that, yeah,' Peloquin replied.  

Chirafisi has maintained that on the day of the attack, his client was provoked by the group. 

Ryhley Mattinson, A.J, Martin, Dante Carlson and Tony Carlson were the other four teenagers stabbed that day

Chirafisi said that the group recorded Mui on their phones when they had the decision to leave him be. 

As he asked Peloquin questions about the moment of the attack, Chirafisi said: 'You wanted to see it finish because it was on tape right?' 

'Jawahn Cockfield was videotaping this entire thing, isn't he? You wanted to see how this tape played out.'

Cockfield was another teenager that was with the group at the lake that day.  

Ryhley Mattinson, A.J, Martin, Dante Carlson and Tony Carlson were the four other teenagers stabbed that day. 

Besides Peloquin, others testified in court on Monday morning, including doctor Brian Myer who treated the four surviving teens at Region Hospital. 

He said that Mattinson had to have emergency surgery and when she arrived her blood alcohol level was at 0.09. 

As he dealt with her injuries, Myer was notified that Martin was being flown to the hospital and that his heart stopped multiple times along the way. 

Martin also required emergency surgery and follow-up procedures. His blood alcohol level was not taken at the time, Myer said. 

Carlson suffered penetrating trauma from his stab sounds and had to have a hernia repaired, Myer said. His blood alcohol level was 0.09. 

During an interview, Miu told him that he 'ran away' from the group and said Schuman's group 'produced two weapons.'  

He claimed the group taunted him after he had asked them if they had seen his friend's phone and that one of the boys tried to 'pull his trunks down,' according to the complaint. 

Miu said he noticed the 'the kid had a knife on him' and someone else had a 'longer knife' that looked like a kitchen knife. 

The engineer said he 'poked' the knife off the boy during the altercation after twisting his arm. He claimed 'they attacked me' and that he was 'in self-defense mode.' 

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2022 and his attorney's have argued that the man stabbed the teens in an act of self-defense.