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Nicolae Miu trial-Day 5: Miu’s friend says he asked defendant to bring knife to the river
Ernesto Torres, who calls the defendant his best friend, told jurors his group knew nothing of the stabbing and said it was the first time he saw Miu scared.
HUDSON, Wis. — A man who calls Nicolae Miu his “best friend” took the stand in the trial to determine whether Miu is innocent or guilty in the death of a teen and the wounding of four others on the Apple River in July of 2022.
Due to challenges with witness availability due to the prosecution being ahead of schedule, the defense began calling its key witnesses Friday. Among them was Ernesto Torres, who told jurors through an interpreter that he met Miu at work 10 years ago and has since become close to the defendant, calling him “my best best friend” after taking the stand late Friday morning.
Torres testified that Miu is known in their circle as a handyman with a knack for fixing things around his home, and those of his friends. Torres said he called Miu before the river trip and asked him to bring his knife, for the purpose of cutting rope to tie their tubes together. “I don’t have one,” he told the courtroom.
“Who’s the guy who tends to have a pocket knife in your group of friends?” asked defense attorney Aaron Nelson.
When asked about Miu’s character, Torres agreed that his friend has a character of peacefulness, and said there was no reason to worry about Miu having a knife while on the river.
Torres testified that the group was floating down the river when one of the tubers, Ariel Chaguez, dropped his phone in the water. He says at that time, Nicolae Miu took his mask and snorkel and began to look for it. He didn’t realize Miu had encountered another group and became engaged in a confrontation until Miu’s wife Sondra told the group, “Nic is in trouble.”
“I looked down where people were, and I saw Nic in the water,” Torres recalled for the jury. “I stood up, and tried to get there. He was in the water, and there were people around him.”
When asked how many people there were around his friend, Torres responded ” I don’t know, maybe there were 10, 15, I don’t know.” He testified that people were yelling at Miu, “but didn’t see anyone hit him.” He tried to get over to help his friend but lost his shoes in the river.
Torres said he told Miu to come back to the group and he eventually did, but with someone from the other group following him. Torres said that person approached and pointed at him, and he yelled, “stay there, stay there, stay there” in an effort to stop the trouble.
When Miu got back to the group, Torres said he was pale and looked worried and wide-eyed, even scared. When asked by Nelson if he looked like he was in shock, the witness said yes, and offered that he was worried about him.
Torres insisted no one in the group knew what had happened during the altercation, and had no idea anyone had been stabbed. He testified that their crew stayed in their tubes right near the scene of the altercation for an estimated 30 or 35 minutes before floating off down the river.
When the reached the river exit, Torres said he saw a number of police officers. When the group got out, he said an officer approached. “One of them came and said “he has to come with us.” We didn’t know why they detained him, we didn’t know what had happened.”
On cross-examination, the prosecution began poking at inconsistencies between Torres’s testimony and what he told police immediately after the incident. Prosecutor Karl Anderson showed the witness still images taken from video that showed him and Miu in the process of walking back to their tubes, and noted that there was no one following the men or pointing at Torres as he testified.
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Protesters were calling on the University of Minnesota to divest from companies that support Israel.
MINNEAPOLIS — Protests continued at the University of Minnesota Tuesday after 11 people were arrested the night before after barricading themselves inside Morrill Hall, and damaging the building.
Across town, outside the Hennepin County Justice Center, those involved in last night’s protest were waiting out front for the 11 individuals arrested, to be released.
“We don’t want our money to be sent to contribute to a genocide,” said student organizer Juliet Murphy. “Especially for those of us who have family that live in Lebanon, live in Palestine.”
Murphy is a sophomore at the U, and part of Students for a Democratic Society. She says Monday’s occupation was needed for students to get their voices heard. Students have been calling for the university to divest from companies that support Israel. They also want the university to divest academically and stop study abroad programs in Israel.
“We have gone through all of the ‘right channels’ and this seemed like the logical next step since there are so many escalations happening across the world from us right now,” Murphy said.
Around 5 P.M. on Tuesday, while the protest was going on, The University of Minnesota sent out a safety alert saying that buildings surrounding the campus mall were locked until further notice.
Protesters deny that they held any staff inside Morrill Hall against their will Monday, but the University says some employees were unable to exit. University President Rebecca Cunningham said in a statement that this was a “terrifying experience for many of our employees.”
Steve Hunegs, the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relation Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, says he’s grateful for the response of President Cunningham, and feels that Monday’s occupation was about stoking fear into University staff.
“Everybody should be against the behavior that was conducted yesterday on campus,” Hunegs said. “This is not about free speech, this is about intimidation, this is about vandalism.”
At this time, KARE 11 is not naming the 11 people arrested as they have not been charged yet. According to organizers of the occupation, all 11 arrested are either current students or recent graduates at the U.
The teen had been last seen around 5 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Forest St. and 4th Ave. E. in St. Paul’s Dayton Bluff neighborhood.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A missing teenager in St. Paul has been found safe, according to a brief news release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Ke-Andre Oliver-Butler had been last seen around 5 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Forest St. and 4th Ave. E. in St. Paul’s Dayton Bluff neighborhood. Officials announced he was found in an update Tuesday evening.
“Thank you to all who helped search for him or shared the information,” Minnesota BCA said on social media.
Student organizations on campus began protesting certain University policies last year after the Hamas-Israel war began.
MINNEAPOLIS — The aftermath of students taking over Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota has protesters standing firm in their push for the University to divest in financial connections to Israel. On Tuesday, a group of students from the U of M Divestment Coalition waited for 11 students and alumni to be released from jail after being arrested Monday night.
In a statement, University President Rebecca Cunningham called the occupation of the building where administrative offices are held, “a terrifying experience for many of our employees.” She went on to discuss the University’s rich history and commitment to free expression.
“We think there is an extreme lack of urgency from the university on some of our demands,” Juliet Murphy, a protester from Students for Democratic Society (SDS) said.
The SDS organized the occupation of Morrill Hall on Monday. Murphy says they do not regret their actions of barricading the doors shut and spray painting the indoor security cameras.
“The First Amendment does not give us the right to destroy property however strongly we may feel about our cause,” University of Minnesota media ethics and law professor, Jane Kirtley said.
Kirtley supports peaceful protests, as they have been a part of the University for decades, including at Morrill Hall. The administrative building was occupied peacefully for an entire day by students advocating for Black students’ rights during the Civil Rights movement in 1969.
“The challenge is to balance the First Amendment rights of the protesters and the rights of the other students to go about their business on the regular day,” Kirtley said.
Which the Jewish Communications Relations Council feels students could not do on Monday night, especially Jewish students.
“Intimidation, vandalism, occupation is not free speech, it’s about stoking fear and interfering with the life of the University,” JCRC executive director, Steve Hunegs said.
Students apart of SDS chose to protest because of the University of Minnesota’s neutral stance on investments and financial ties to Israel, particularly the Consolidated Endowment Fund. This has been a debated topic since protesters from the U of M Divestment Coalition formed with SDS, Young Democratic-Socialists of America (YDSA), and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
This coalition was behind the encampment from the end of April last year that lasted through May 2. It closed down several buildings, including the most visited library during final exams.
The protesters agreed to remove the encampment after having a formal meeting with university leaders, including the interim president, Jeff Ettinger. Here is the list of commitments the University agreed to and say they have made progress on nearly completely them all.
