Lawyers for accused killer Maxwell Anderson are still trying to get their hands on a cellphone belonging to Sade Robinson that was recovered after her brutal death in April.
The revelation came Friday during a status hearing that focused on instructions for potential jurors and a checklist of expert witnesses expected to testify.
Anthony Cotton, one of Anderson’s attorneys, said he received a phone containing cloud data from Robinson, but it was encrypted, so his office has not had a chance to examine its contents. A warrant was obtained in September, but the device was not decrypted until earlier this month.
Maxwell Anderson, left, sits with one of his attorneys, Jason Findling, in Judge Laura Crivello’s courtroom Friday during his jury status hearing in Milwaukee County Court. Anderson is accused of brutally killing and dismembering a Milwaukee student.
A report on its contents was expected to be available by the end of the day on Friday.
Anderson is accused of killing and dismembering Robinson, a Milwaukee Area Technical College student he met for a date on April 1. Prosecutors believe he killed her in his Milwaukee home, dismembered her and disposed of her body parts.
Anderson was in the courtroom Friday for the hearing but did not speak.
Cotton and Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan told Circuit Judge Laura Crivello that the cases remain on schedule for the Dec. 9 trial. However, another scheduling conference is scheduled for Dec. 2 to finalize the questionnaire that will be given to potential jurors.
Vance-Curzan said a DNA and imaging report in the case was completed in October and sent to the defense, but a crime lab report on what was discovered during a search of Anderson’s home remained open Friday. He said he expected the report to be available before the trial.
Prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan, right, leaves the courtroom following Maxwell Anderson’s jury status hearing in Milwaukee County Court on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Anderson is accused of brutally murdering and dismembering a Milwaukee student.
Vance-Curzan said he plans to bring in several scientific experts to testify, including a medical examiner, an anthropologist, a fingerprint analyst and a DNA expert. A person with expertise in collecting and processing data from cell phone towers can also be brought in.
Cotton said he plans to introduce a representative from Garrett Discovery in his client’s defense. Garrett, based in Orlando, Florida, is a digital forensics firm whose work played a role in debunking 2022 claims that Elon Musk fired a Twitter executive around the time the billionaire was closing in on buying the social media platform.
Cotton said his team plans to argue that someone other than their client killed Robinson.
Robinson, 19, worked at a pizza restaurant on Milwaukee’s east side while driving herself to school. She was just weeks away from graduating college when police said she was murdered during a first date and her body dismembered.
Anderson, 33, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and other crimes in connection with her death. He has pleaded not guilty.
Robinson’s mother Sheena Scarbrough appeared in court for the hearing wearing a knitted sweater embroidered with images of her daughter, with the words “Justice for Sade Robinson” written in cursive across the front.
The trial is scheduled for December 9. Jury selection is expected to start that day.
Crivello has said she expects a jury of about 80 people to consider the case. Typical jury pools consist of approximately 30 to 40 people.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maxwell Anderson’s lawyers want to investigate Sade Robinson’s cell phone
