MILWAUKEE — Defense attorney Patrick Cafferty provided legal analysis following new developments revealed Monday during Maxwell Anderson's trial. Anderson is accused of killing 19-year-old Sade Robinson after a first date.
Anderson's downstairs neighbor testified, telling the jury that while he had complained about noise from Anderson's apartment "50, if not 100 times," he could not recall hearing anything suspicious the night Robinson was allegedly killed.
Cafferty said this testimony helps Anderson's case.
"The defense has basically said that the state has no evidence whatsoever that any homicide or violent act occurred in Maxwell Anderson's home. There's no physical evidence. There's no DNA. Now we have the neighbors saying that there are no sounds that would have been consistent with a violent act at Maxwell Anderson's home," Cafferty said.
Watch: Local attorney says Monday testimony could help Maxwell Anderson's case
Medical examiner testimony revealed Robinson's body had stab wounds, but the doctor could not determine if that was the ultimate cause of death. The medical examiner believes Robinson was already dead when she was dismembered.
The medical examiner faced challenges determining the cause of death because investigators do not have Robinson's entire body. Her head and neck are missing, making it impossible to conclusively determine how she died.
"For the defense, it's a good fact that the state cannot establish beyond a reasonable doubt the manner of death or the cause of death," Cafferty said.
He explained that the defense strategy will likely focus on reasonable doubt regarding the homicide charge.
"From the defense perspective, what they're going to say is you may have proven beyond a reasonable doubt the arson, the concealment of the corpse, the mutilation of the corpse. But compare your confidence level on reasonable doubt on those three counts versus what your confidence level is on the homicide count," Cafferty said.
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