MILWAUKEE — Monday marked the beginning of the second week in the Maxwell Anderson trial. Monday’s witnesses included the tenant renting the bottom unit of Anderson’s house, the medical examiner who supervised the autopsy of Sade Robinson’s remains, and the surveillance footage of the date that occurred in the last few hours of Robinson’s life.
Living in Anderson’s house
The first witness of the day was Pete Worbington, who rented out the lower unit of Maxwell Anderson’s home for two years – 2023 and 2024.
Worbington express disdain for Anderson as a landlord, but said he stayed because the rent was cheap and Anderson was lenient on payments. He also testified that he knew Anderson as a child, and that Anderson’s father was the coach of a t-ball team.
He also detailed Anderson’s various unfinished “home improvement projects” and collection of tools.
When cross-examined, Worbington shared that he is a light-sleeper. He testified that he did not hear anything in the middle of the night on April 1 or 2. Heowever, he shared that he did hear something getting dragged down the stairs on one of the mornings between April 1 and 4, when the home was searched. Worbington said it sounded like a suitcase, and it was around 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. because he was getting ready for work. He could not verify which day.
Sade Robinson’s Autopsy
The day continued with Dr. Lauren Decker, the supervising medical examiner for Sade Robinson’s autopsy.
She testified that she started to receive body parts on April 3, 2024, and received them until June 19, 2024. She called these circumanstances “very unusual.”
Anderson appeared visually emtional during this part of the testimony, crying while looking at the photos.
Robinson’s family was also emotional, her father and grandmother unable to look, while her mother did not look away.
She testified that Robinson’s dismemberment occurred post-mortem, and most likely with a knife. She also said she found broken bones. She could tell Robinson was not dismembered while alive because of the lack of blood.
“When the blood is pumping, it will continue to pump until it doesn’t have enough blood,” says Decker. “In the post-mortem setting, there might not be very much blood.”
Additionally, she testified that the toxicology report only tested positive for caffeine in her system, and that no drugs or alcohol was found in her blood or muscle tissue.
Deckler concluded that there was no definitive way of knowing how Sade Robinson died due to the fact that her head and neck have not been located. However, the manner of death is ruled a homicide.
Surveillance Footage from the Twisted Fisherman and Duke’s on Water
The second half of the day focused on the timeline of surveillance footage of the “first date” that occurred in the last hours of Robinson’s life.
Surveillance footage shows that Anderson and Robinson met at the Twisted Fisherman for a drink and some food. The pair then walk to Robinson’s car, where she is seen driving them to Water Street. They then spend several hours inside of Duke’s on Water, where Anderson is seen to be drinking signficantly more than Robinson, who is refusing shots and guarding her single drink. Anderson is seen to consume several shots and several more drinks than Robinson.
They also are seen to have been playing beer pong, before leaving the bar around 9:03 p.m.
What’s Next: The Maxwell Anderson trial resumes Tuesday, June 3, at 8:45 a.m.
