Authorities relied on text messages, witnesses, surveillance videos and phone records to build a case against a man accused of killing and dismembering a Milwaukee woman he was on a date with, court records show .
Maxwell Anderson, 33, also of Milwaukee, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and arson in the killing of 19-year-old Sade Robinson. The two had an appointment on April 1, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said in a criminal complaint. complaint filed last week.
A severed leg found the next day has been tentatively identified as belonging to Robinson, the complaint said. The right leg with painted toes was found near a 100-foot cliff at the water’s edge in Warnimont Park.
A woman who identified herself as Robinson’s grandmother said Wednesday afternoon that she was too distraught to talk about the teen. No one else from Robinson’s family could be reached for comment.
Anderson remains in the Milwaukee County Jail in lieu of $5 million bail, according to jail and court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Anderson’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. His relatives could also not be reached.
‘The toes of the feet had pink nail polish’
According to the complaint, someone reported finding the leg on April 2 around 5:30 p.m.
“The leg was cut just below the acetabulum and appeared to be sawed off. The toes of the feet had pink nail polish on them. The leg did not appear to be decomposed,” the complaint states.
One of Robinson’s friends went to Milwaukee police that evening to report on the phone that Robinson was not her and was not showing up for work. The friend said Robinson’s last known activity was a Snapchat post the night before about her being at a bar, according to the complaint.
The city’s fire department found Robinson’s 2020 Honda Civic on the morning of April 2 with heavy interior damage from a fire, the complaint alleges.
Four days later, on April 6, Milwaukee police found a human foot next to train tracks and human flesh in the same area where the car was discovered. The foot and right leg found days earlier appeared to belong to the same person because of skin color, size and “having matching pink nail polish,” the complaint said.
‘Yes, I like seafood’
Investigators also focused on forensic data before Anderson was charged. Evidence included text messages that Robinson and Anderson exchanged on April 1.
Using these texts, along with tracking data from Robinson’s phone, investigators pieced together a timeline of what they believe were her final hours.
In text messages, Robinson and Anderson discussed meeting at a seafood restaurant where Anderson worked. Robinson responded, “Yes, I like seafood,” according to the complaint.
Video from the restaurant showed the pair eating and talking for about an hour before moving to a bar, officials said. According to the complaint, video from the bar shows Robinson leaving her car while Anderson leaves from the passenger side.
They stayed at the bar until about 9:20 p.m., when data from Robinson’s phone placed her near Anderson’s residence, the complaint said. Her phone remained in that area until about 12:45 p.m., officials said.
Investigators used a location sharing app on the victim’s phone to track the victim’s whereabouts for the next four hours until the battery died.
Robinson’s phone was found to be in the park where the severed leg was found from 3 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. April 2, the complaint said.
Videos, a car on fire and bloody bedding
In addition to witnesses, text messages and telephone data, investigators also collected other video footage.
Video from the area near where the severed leg was found shows a “human figure” descending the cliff toward the beach just after 3 a.m., the complaint said.
Hours later, around 7:30 a.m., video from a bus and a convenience store captured a man walking away from a burning vehicle, officials said. A witness walking by the area told investigators she saw a man get out of Robinson’s car from the driver’s side and throw a lit lighter inside, the complaint said.
Anderson was reportedly seen shortly after boarding another bus headed toward his home, the complaint said. The man in the second bus was wearing the exact same clothing and backpack as the man seen walking away from the car fire, officials said.
Anderson was arrested April 4 during a traffic stop. A search of his car revealed a hooded jacket that appeared to be the same as the one he wore on the bus, the complaint alleges.
Officials say they collected evidence during a search of Anderson’s home.
“[B]The flooding occurred on bedding in one of the bedrooms and on the walls leading to the basement. There were several gasoline containers in the garage/storage area,” the complaint states.
Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball thanked her detectives and the Milwaukee Police Department in a statement for their work on the case.
“With little rest and a lot of pressure, they have remained focused and ruthless 24 hours a day. Their efforts to carefully build this case with a host of other partners to locate and piece together evidence will go a long way toward bringing justice and, hopefully, peace to the family and loved ones of Sade Robinson.”
If convicted of murder, Anderson could be sentenced to life in prison, according to the indictment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
