Maxwell Anderson trial, Sade Robinson killed: Monday, June 2
Week 2 of Maxwell Anderson's trial kicks off
Testimony in the trial of Maxwell Anderson, the Milwaukee man accused of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson, resumed on Monday, June 2.
MILWAUKEE - Testimony in the trial of Maxwell Anderson, the Milwaukee man accused of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson, resumed on Monday, June 2 – and it provided our first look at Anderson's arrest.
In Court
What they're saying:
On April 4, 2024, sheriff's detectives spotted Maxwell Anderson's car, started tailing it as Anderson made his way back toward his home on Milwaukee's south side, and ultimately made a traffic stop.
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"Mr. Anderson was sitting in the driver's seat physically shaking," said Det. John Guillot of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
Maxwell Anderson trial enters second week
The trial of Maxwell Anderson, accused of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson in April 2024, enters its second week. Testimony continued, and more surveillance video was showed, including that from the bar where Maxwell and Sade went to.
That stop was a ruse. Investigators wanted to stop Anderson before he got home. They already had a warrant to search it.
Pete Worbington (not pictured) lived in Anderson's lower unit. Worbington said Anderson, a bartender, often had people over after bar close.
"How often have people over?" asked prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan.
"Two to three times a month. Couldn't get to sleep until 3 am. Drunk people over all the time, hearing people knocking stuff off the walls," Worbington said.
Legal expert Julius Kim talks Maxwell Anderson trial day 5
The trial of Maxwell Anderson, accused of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson in April 2024, enters its second week on Monday, June 2.
Worbington said Anderson kept tools in the basement and did projects around the property, making a lot of noise. But Worbington said he does not remember hearing anything of note the night prosecutors say Sade Robinson came back to Anderson's house or when prosecutors believe Anderson left to dispose of her body.
"Did you hear anybody ever scream?" asked Anthony Cotton, Anderson's defense attorney.
"I didn't even know he was there. It was that quiet," Worbington said.
Later that same day, a leg was found along the lake near Warnimont Park in Cudahy.
Breaking down day 5 of the Maxwell Anderson trial
Testimony in the trial of Maxwell Anderson, the Milwaukee man accused of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson, resumed on Monday, June 2.
"Irregular incise wounds. The raggedness of the skin. Multiple cuts were made," said Dr. Lauren Decker of the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.
A medical examiner testified that Sade Robinson's body parts were likely dismembered after death. There was evidence of knife cuts and possible stab wounds. There was caffeine in Robinson's system and no detectable levels of alcohol or other drugs.
How Robinson died is still a mystery. But the medical examiner said her death was at the hands of someone else.
"Fact there is dismemberment and attempt to conceal body by disposing in different locations, all is objectively suspicious and most consistent with homicide," Decker testified.
Monday witnesses
Robinson killed, dismembered
The backstory:
Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson of property other than a building. He is accused of killing Robinson after a date, dismembering her and dumping her body parts across Milwaukee County. One of her arms was later found on an Illinois beach.
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Prosecutors said Anderson and Robinson showed up at a Menomonee Valley bar on April 1, 2024 – the night she was last seen or heard from. The next day, Robinson's burned-out car was found near 30th and Lisbon in Milwaukee. Surveillance photos show a man investigators believe is Anderson walking away from the area, and who was later seen on a bus heading back towards his home on the city's south side.
Anderson had planned to kill Robinson weeks before her death, according to a statement from a "confidential informant" noted in court filings FOX6 News obtained. A search warrant also revealed prosecutors believe Anderson tried to cover up Robinson's death with a text message.
Sade Robinson homicide; Timeline of events leading to criminal charges
It's been more than a year since body parts surfaced throughout Milwaukee, which prompted a massive search for a missing teenager, Sade Robinson.
Complete coverage
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News is streaming the entire Anderson trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV.
- Open Record: Maxwell Anderson trial
- Day 4: Video from Milwaukee, discovery of Sade Robinson's remains
- Day 3: Testimony resumes; law enforcement, friends of Sade Robinson take stand
- Day 2: Opening statements, testimony begins
- Day 1: Jury selected in single day
- Sade Robinson homicide: Timeline of events leading to criminal charges
- Sade Robinson homicide: Parents navigate grief ahead of trial
- Sade Robinson homicide: The psychology behind the murder
- Sade Robinson homicide: Lasting legacy, from tragedy to advocacy
- Open Record: A Date With Death
The Source: FOX6 News was in court for the Anderson trial. Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court, and prior FOX6 coverage of the case.