Another Milwaukee Madman?
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

All she knew was that he was white, and that was enough!

On April 1, Sade Carleena Robinson told an employee who worked at her apartment building she was excited for a date that night.

A day later, the 19-year-old’s clothes were found in the trunk of her car, which was set on fire, in Milwaukee. And a human leg, now believed to belong to her, was found in a park near the shore of Lake Michigan in Cudahy.

As law enforcement officials still search for remains, prosecutors Friday filed charges against her date: 33-year-old Maxwell S. Anderson. The charges include first-degree intentional homicide, which comes with a life sentence if convicted, and mutilating a corpse.

The criminal complaint uses surveillance footage, witness statements and phone tracking records to piece together the movement of Anderson, Robinson, her phone and her car for a 16-hour period beginning with their dinner together April 1.

Here’s a timeline of events, according to the complaint:

April 1: A first date for Sade Robinson and Maxwell Anderson

4:15 p.m.: Robinson sends text messages to a phone number later determined to belong to Anderson. The two arrange to meet at Twisted Fisherman restaurant, 1200 W. Canal St., for dinner. Anderson mentions he also needs to pick up a W2 form there since he used to work there.

5:20 p.m.: Robinson meets Anderson at the restaurant and the two have food and drinks at the bar. Anderson arrived first and told a bartender he was there for a first date. Staff later repeat this to investigators and confirm that Anderson used to work there.

6:30 p.m.: The two leave the restaurant and arrive in Robinson’s car at Duke’s on Water, 158 E. Juneau Ave. While there, Robinson sends a SnapChat to a friend. The two leave the bar at 9:06 p.m.

9:24 p.m.: Robinson’s phone is located in the area of Anderson’s home, on the 3100 block of South 39th Street. Surveillance video shows two human figures arriving at the house in the night.

April 2: Human remains are found as Sade Robinson is reported missing

12:48 a.m.: Robinson’s phone leaves Anderson’s home. It travels through Milwaukee’s downtown and the area of Robinson’s apartment before continuing north.

1:33 a.m.: The phone travels to Pleasant Valley Park, along the Milwaukee River in the city’s Riverwest neighborhood.

2 a.m.: The phone leaves that area and heads to Warnimont Park in Cudahy, arriving at 2:45 a.m.

2:53 a.m.: Surveillance cameras from Cudahy High School show a car heading toward the pump house at Warnimont Park.

3:02 a.m.: Surveillance cameras capture a human figure descending the bluff to the beach level.

4:31 a.m.: The vehicle leaves the Warnimont Park area. Minutes later, Robinson’s phone loses battery.https://www.usatodaynetworkservice.com/tangstatic/html/pmjs/sf-q1a2z330306dc3.min.html

7:29 a.m.: Surveillance cameras capture a white male walking away from a car fire burning in a parking lot on the 1800 block of North 29th Street. A witness later tells law enforcement he saw the male exit the vehicle and toss a lighter into it before walking away. The male was wearing a gray hoodie and a tan backpack.

7:32 a.m.: The Milwaukee Fire Department responds to the fire. The vehicle is a 2020 Honda Civic and belongs to Robinson. Clothing she was seen wearing April 1 is found in the trunk, along with remnants of a cellphone.

8:35 a.m.: Video footage from a Milwaukee County Transit System bus shows Anderson, in a gray hoodie with a tan backpack, getting off a bus near his home. Surveillance footage shows him arriving at the house at 8:43 a.m.

Sometime that morning: Cudahy city workers report that it appears someone used a car to ram open a gate to a service road leading to the pump house. Police later recover a broken piece of a vehicle that belonged to a Honda Civic.

5:29 p.m.: Someone finds a human leg, appearing to belong to a Black female, at Warnimont Park. The leg was found about two-thirds of the way down a 100-foot bluff, toward the shoreline and near a pump house. More than a week later, preliminary test results would suggest the leg belongs to Robinson.

9 p.m.: A friend of Robinson’s reports her missing to Milwaukee police after she fails to return phone calls and show for work.

April 3: Police and sheriff’s office connect to look for Sade Robinson, investigate human remains

Milwaukee police visit Robinson’s apartment building and learn from staff that she was last seen April 1. She told staff she was excited for a date that night.

Robinson’s friend says she last heard from Robinson when she sent a SnapChat from Duke’s on Water the night of April 1. After seeing news reports of Robinson being missing, another friend tells investigators that she tracks Robinson’s location using the Life360 app. The app reported Robinson was in Warnimont Park at 4:30 a.m. April 2.

Sometime that day, Milwaukee police contact the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, which was investigating the leg found in Cudahy, about Robinson being missing.

April 4: Maxwell Anderson is arrested and his home is searched

1:16 p.m.: Law enforcement pull over Anderson in his car and arrest him blocks from his home. A hoodie found in his car matches the hoodie of the suspect who torched Robinson’s car.

Sometime that day, law enforcement execute a search warrant at Anderson’s home. Officers find blood in one of the bedrooms and on the walls leading to the basement. Several gasoline containers are also found.

April 6: More human remains found

Milwaukee police canvass the area of North 31st and West Galena streets, near where Robinson’s car was found. Officers find a human foot that appears to match the leg found in Cudahy. Other human flesh was also found in the area. The remains haven’t yet been identified.