MILWAUKEE — Jurors will return to court Friday for Day 4 of the trial of Maxwell Anderson, the man accused of killing and dismembering 19-year-old Sade Robinson after a first date last year.
Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson of property other than a building, and hiding a corpse.
Surveillance video, photos presented as evidence
On Friday, the court resumed with more witness testimony.
Casey Donahue, a Milwaukee police detective, was the first to take the stand, continuing the state’s questioning from Thursday.
Prosecutors presented surveillance video from a business on Lisbon Avenue showing witnesses discovering Robinson’s car on fire, before a person wearing dark pants, a hooded sweatshirt, and a tan backpack is seen walking from the direction of the fire.
Prosecutors also reviewed surveillance footage showing a dark blue Honda Civic driving down West Walnut Street about an hour before the person in dark clothing is seen walking away from the scene.
The defense asked if there was any video of the car stopping at Galena Park, or any video identifying the gender or race of the person driving. Donahue said there was not.
The defense also asked if any blood was visible on the backpack. Donahue said there was not.
Prosecutors also showed photos from the scene near 31st and Galena, where human remains were discovered.
Second witness takes the stand
The second witness, Jose Flores, a Milwaukee police detective who took part in the search of the playground near 31st and Galena, took the stand and described the moment law enforcement officers discovered human remains. He said they then contacted the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The third witness, Cassandra Lindert, a Milwaukee police sergeant, took the stand. Lindert was a detective in the homicide division at the start of the investigation.
In court, Lindert recounted searching Galena Park on April 6, 2024, when she was approached by family and friends conducting their own search of the area.
She testified that the family presented Sade’s blanket, which they said was found in a wooded area of the park.
Lindert described the blanket as dirty and said more human remains were found a few feet away. She said it appeared it had been intentionally covered.
More footage presented of Robinson’s car
Before breaking for lunch, several Milwaukee police officers who were called to help investigate Robinson’s disappearance took the stand.
Justin Sokolowski, a homicide detective dispatched to 31st and Galena, said he was flagged down by two people who indicated there were human remains.
He testified that after searching the area, he found what appeared to be a hip joint.
Jurors were also shown several videos of Robinson’s car. When questioned by the defense, Milwaukee police detective Michael Braunreiter said the driver of the car could not be determined from the footage.
Thaddeus Schimmels, another Milwaukee police detective, was shown more surveillance video of Robinson’s car.
In several clips, the windows of the car appeared foggy as it drove through.
MPD Detective Rachel Smith testified regarding surveillance video obtained from a house on Walnut Street. The video shows someone traveling on foot from the area the car was burned.
The subject was wearing dark clothing, a hoodie, light-colored backpack and white-soled shoes.
Smith noted the footage was a screen record of the surveillance taken by a cellphone. She acknowledged that the footage was grainy.
Smith was shown multiple clips taken from different cameras on the same home. The subject went out of view after crossing North 32nd Street heading toward North 35th Street.
During cross examination, Cotton asked the detective if the person was "just walking leisurely," to which she replied, "correct."
The next witness, MPD Detective Scott Shmitz testified regarding information authorities received that Anderson had boarded a bus at 35th and Lisbon, which is the area the subject in the surveillance footage was headed.
Schmitz was shown more surveillance footage — this time from a store at the corner of 35th and Lisbon. The footage showed a male wearing a dark hoodie and carrying a tan backpack boarding a bus.
MPD Detective Ryan Bergmann was called to testify regarding videos obtained from the Milwaukee County Transit System.
The first videos showed a subject wearing dark clothes and carrying a light-colored backpack walking away from the area where the car was on fire.
Video from the bus route that stopped at 35th and Lisbon showed a subject on the bus wearing dark clothes and carrying a light-colored backpack.
Bergmann was asked if he could identify the subject on the bus, and he identified Anderson.
When asked if there were any objections, defense attorney Cotton responded, "I'm not going to comment on that."
Bergmann was later shown a picture of Maxwell and the subject on the bus. When asked if they appeared to be the same person, Bergmann said, "Yes."
During cross examination, Bergmann noted that the bus video does not show the subject walking away from the car fire — only walking near the fire.
The 35th witness called by the State was Angela Sawyer, the woman who discovered body parts at a South Milwaukee beach. She became emotional as she described finding a torso and an arm. She said she first called her partner. When they arrived, she called law enforcement.
Witness testimony, new evidence presented Thursday
On Thursday, the prosecution focused on the arson charge, presenting evidence including the damaged car of Sade Robinson and burnt clothing found inside it. A detective testified that some of the clothing matched what Sade was last seen wearing.
The defense countered by noting the absence of any trace of Anderson in the car.
Prosecutors also showed surveillance video of a man wearing white-soled shoes walking near the area where Sade's car was set on fire. However, the man could not be distinctly identified as Anderson.
A disagreement also arose in court over the relevance of untested pills found in Robinson’s apartment. The judge ruled they were pertinent to the case.
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