The last text messages between murdered Milwaukee, Wisconsin, college student Sade Robinson and accused killer Maxwell Anderson are revealed in the criminal complaint.
The multi-page complaint, which you can read here in full, painstakingly details the investigation into Robinson’s disappearance on April 1, the discovered of a severed leg and foot at different locations, and then the arrest of Anderson, with whom she had a “first date,” prosecutors say.
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, around 5:29 p.m. members of law enforcement including the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and Cudahy Police Department “responded to Warnimont Park located at 5400 S. Lake Drive to a report of a human leg located on the beach,” the complaint says.
“DNA analysis supports the preliminary conclusion that the leg belongs to Sade C. Robinson,” it adds.
It charges Anderson, 33, a local bartender at Victor’s Nightclub and other establishments throughout the years, with homicide and mutilation of Robinson’s body.
Authorities executed a search warrant for Anderson’s resident and discovered blood “located on bedding in one of the bedrooms and on the walls leading towards the basement. Several gasoline containers were located in the garage/storage area,” the complaint says.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Text Messages Show Maxwell Anderson & Sade Robinson Setting Up a ‘First Date’ at a Milwaukee Restaurant, the Complaint Says
Milwaukee policeSade Robinson.
At approximately 9 p.m. on April 2, 2024, “a walk-in report was made by AJ at the Milwaukee Police
Department District 5 station. AJ reported that her friend, Sade C Robinson, had not been returning
AJ’s calls and had not showed up for work,” the complaint says.
Milwaukee police conducted a welfare check but could not make contact with Robinson. Robinson’s friend said the last contact with Robinson was a Snapchat message showing Robinson was at Duke’s on Water along East Juneau Avenue on Milwaukee, on the evening of April 1. After learning about the severed leg, the Milwaukee police officer contacted the Sheriff’s Department to report that she was missing, the complaint says.
Robinson told her building secretary that she was “excited for a date she had” on the evening of April 1, the complaint says. video footage showed her leaving the building wearing a black puffy coat and blue jeans,” the complaint says.
On April 2, at about 7:32 a.m., firefighters responded to the area of West Lisbon Avenue and North 29tj Street for a vehicle fire. They found a 2020 Hondo Civic that registered to Robinson, it says.
Detectives obtained cell phone records for Robinson and discovered a text message conversation between 4:15 p.m. and 5:18 p.m. Authorities said Anderson provided the 416 phone number when booked the complaint says.
Here is that exchange, per the complaint:
Robinson: “Where are we meeting”
Robinson: “I can do 5”
2624164874 “Hmm downtown somewhere?”
Robinson: “Ok”
2624164874 “Brathouse on 3rd?”
Robinson: “Perfect ”
2624164874 “Okay Im going to shower quick ill probably get there more around 515”
2624164874 “Are you hungry? Im need to stop at twisted fisherman to pick up my w2 from last year and we could eat there first”
Robinson: “Ok and yes ”
Robinson: “Are we eating at the brat house or the other place ”
2624164874 “Lets eat at twisted Im feeling seafood”
Robinson: “Yes I love seafood ”
2624164874 “Sounds good Im about to leave ill be there soon”
Robinson: “\0O\0k\0 =M<\0 "
2624164874 "Just got to twisted"
Robinson: "Ok are u inside?"
2624164874 "Yes"
Detectives obtained surveillance video from Twister Fisherman, and they saw Anderson enter the Twisted Fisherman around 5:09 p.m., the complaint says. At 5:20 p.m., Robinson entered the restaurant and sat next to Anderson, and they ate and had drinks together until leaving around 6:24 p.m., the complaint says.
The restaurant's owner told police Anderson was a former employee. Anderson told the bartender he was meeting a female for a "first date," according to the complaint.
Authorities Found the Leg in a Local Park Near the Warnimont Pump House, the Complaint Says
IN COURT: Maxwell Anderson. He’s facing charges of first degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson in connection to 19-year-old Sade Robinson’s disappearance. Investigators say her remains have been found in multiple places across Milwaukee County.
The day after the “first date,” authorities located a severed leg in a Milwaukee park, the complaint says.
“First responders were led by the citizen who called police to the leg. Responding deputies located the right leg of what appeared to be a black female,” it says. “The leg was severed just below the hip socket and appeared to have been sawn off. The toes on the feet had pink nail polish. The leg did not appear to be decomposing.”
Deputy Leon Martin “was one of the first responding Sheriff’s deputies. Deputy Martin spoke to EM who
discovered the leg,” the complaint continues. “EM stated he was meeting his friend at the park. EM stated he and his friend were walking towards the beach/water and then saw the leg just north of the Warnimont pump house at the shoreline.”
Deputy Martin “reports that the area where the leg was located contains a bluff that is approximately 100
feet tall. The leg was originally found about 2/3 of the way down the bluff, towards the water’s edge,” the complaint continues.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Detective Nathan Spittlemeister “searched the area of the park for any cameras that may have captured something related to the discarding of the leg,” the complaint says. “Detective Spittlemeister located a video from Cudahy High School that shows the parkways nearest to the pump house at the shoreline.”
The video footage shows, at approximately 2:53 a.m., a vehicle “entering the video frame heading eastbound on the parkway towards the road to the pump house. The video shows that vehicle did not make a southbound or northbound turn once reaching the intersection nearest to the service road,” the complaint says. “The vehicle disappears from the video footage, consistent with the vehicle driving down the road that leads to the pump house.”
Complainant “knows this service road to the pump house would be the furthest that a car could go to get near Lake Michigan in that area,” it adds.
On April 2, “employees of the Cudahy Water Department reported that the service gate had been struck by a vehicle,” according to the complaint. ” The damage to the gate was done after the evening of April 1st, and
before the morning of April 2nd, 2024—this is consistent with when the vehicle is seen on video driving
onto that service road.”
Detective Joseph Blanchar from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office “went to the pump house gate and recovered broken pieces of a vehicle that were determined to belong to a Honda Civic. These damaged pieces would be consistent with the vehicle ramming the gate to get through,” the complaint says.
Detective Spittlemeister “also recovered video from the pump house that faces north, in the direction of
where the severed leg was recovered,” the complaint continues. “At approximately 3:02 a.m., a human figure can be seen descending the bluff to beach level. This figure appears to make multiple attempts to walk between the beach and the service drive for the pump house.”
At approximately 4:31 a.m., the vehicle “that entered the closed gate leaves and ultimately leaves the park, heading westbound, the complaint says. The leg was recovered and transported to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office and was examined by Dr. Lauren Decker,” the complaint says.
“During the examination, based on the size of the leg, Dr. Decker estimated the height of the person to be approximately 5 feet tall,” it adds. “There were multiple cutting impressions around the amputation point as well as sharp force trauma to the exposed femur bone, however the top of the femur bone appeared to have been snapped off. The leg appeared to have been intentionally severed with a sharp instrument, including the bone being sawn halfway through.”
Sade Robinson’s Life360 App Shows Her Phone Was in the area of Maxwell Anderson’s House & Video Footage Showed Him on a Bus Near the Scene Where Her Car Was Set on Fire, the Complaint Says
#SadeRobinson disappeared on April 1. Now, authorities have preliminarily identified a severed leg found as belonging to the missing 19-year-old.
Maxwell Anderson remains in custody charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
A friend told police she accessed Robinson’s Life360 app after she was reported missing and noticed the phone “appeared to be in Warnimont Park around 4:33 a.m. on April 2, 2024,” the complaint says. Detectives traced Robinson’s travel through her Life360 records, and they showed the phone went to a location near the Duke’s on Water bar before traveling to the area of Anderson’s house (remaining there for three hours and 19 minutes) and then the area where the leg was found, the complaint says. Video also showed Anderson and Robinson “hanging out at Duke’s on Water,” it says.
On April 6, Milwaukee police officers canvassed the area where Robinson’s Honda Civic was set on fire and located a human foot in a wooded area near train tracks. They also found “another piece of what appeared to be human flesh in the same area,” the complaint says.
Detective Ryan Bergemann “obtained video from the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus traveling
westbound on Lisbon Avenue (MCTS route 57),” the complaint says. The bus stopped at a corner near where the car was set on fire, and Anderson was observed carrying a tan colored backpack. A second person tried to flag people down and shouts “he did that” while pointing at Anderson, who yelled for “someone to call the Fire Department,” the complaint said.
The witness told police she was “walking down Lisbon Avenue with her friend and saw a white male exit the driver’s door of Robinson’s Honda Civic. She then observed the white male light a lighter and toss it into the driver’s door window of the Honda, then begin walking in LAD’s direction, and last saw this white male walking westbound on Walnut Street from 30th Street,” the complaint says. According to the complaint, Anderson walked away and got onto the bus.
In the burned car, police discovered the clothing Robinson was wearing on the date and remnants of her cell phone, the complaint says.
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