The Misery Machine - The Case of Sade Robinson

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Starting point is 00:01:30 not guarantee future results. First dates are supposed to be special. A time when you have butterflies in your stomach and worry, will it make a good first impression? It's a time to put yourself out there, an opportunity to get to know each other and figure out if you're compatible. But sadly for the woman in today's story, there would be no second date. The fear that lingers in the back of every woman's mind when they go out with someone they don't truly know became a reality. Her first date wasn't something from the pages of a romance novel. It was something torn straight from the darkest of horror stories. Shadee Carlina Robinson was a bright and beautiful young woman

Starting point is 00:02:10 born on May 10, 2004 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to parents Carlos Robinson in Sheena Scarborough. Though her parents never married, they raised her together, co-parenting from separate homes. Not long after her first birthday, Shadee moved to Milwaukee with her mother. It would become this city that shaped most of her life. As a toddler, Shade struggled with hearing issues.

Starting point is 00:02:35 She underwent a minor procedure to have tubes placed in her ears. It caused speech delays, but she kept going. With the support of speech pathologist and her own quiet strength, she overcame any challenges she had. As a child, Shade loved Dora, Brats, Winnie the Pooh and Hello Kitty. Kara Quinell, her friend from kindergarten, She was the most beautiful girl in the world. Her laugh was contagious. She was confident in the best way possible. She was unstoppable and not an arrogant way. Shade was enrolled at Craig Montessori

Starting point is 00:03:08 School in Milwaukee while living with her mom and grandparents. Later they moved to the city's east side. There she lived with her mother, younger sister, and stepfather. Summer, she would pack a bag and fly south to visit her dad in Florida. Shaw Day was a busy person. She joined the girl, Girl Scouts, played soccer, and took part in mad, hot ballroom and tap, subsequently dancing in school gyms and community halls. In the seventh grade, she moved to Florida full-time to live with her father. There, she picked up new hobbies, crocheting and caring for her birds. Aside from some fish, they were her only pets. She even got her first job at 14 years old working at a car wash. But in the middle of her sophomore year, something shifted. Her mother noticed a decline in

Starting point is 00:03:54 Shade's mental health. Her daughter was becoming a danger to herself while living in an unstable house with her father. So she stepped in, intervened, and brought her back to Milwaukee. Now 15-year-old Shade enrolled at Riverside High School and picked up a new job at Pizza Shuttle. She balanced everything, school, work, life. She didn't brag about it. She just did it. And in December of 2021, she managed something not many do. She graduated from high school early, a full semester ahead. After graduating high school, she enrolled at Milwaukee Area Technical College to pursue a degree in criminal justice. She had earned a full promise scholarship straight out of school and she wasn't going to waste it. She saved whatever she could,

Starting point is 00:04:40 not just for school, not just for rent, but for life. At first, she traveled. Eventually, she bought her first car, a Honda Civic. She named it Coco Chanel, not after the French fashion designer, but after her godmother's dog who had passed away, she loved that car. Shade's younger sister, Adriana Reams, remembered how they used to fight when they were little, just like many siblings do. But as they got older, they became inseparable. Shade looked out for her. Even while working back-to-back shifts, she would come home and still find the time to cook and check in. Adriana said that she could put a smile on anyone's face. Her mother remembers her the same way, a loving daughter,

Starting point is 00:05:23 cherished sister, and dear friend. Shade wasn't just holding her own. She was holding others together, too. At home, she was the glue. At Pizza Shuttle on Milwaukee's east side, Shadee stood out. Her manager, Justin Romano, put it simply. Very outgoing.

Starting point is 00:05:40 She would talk to everybody here. She was always there to lighten the mood. Co-workers said the same. She was kind, welcoming, funny, smart, and considered a hard worker. But Shade had big plans and bigger dreams. Her mother said she started thinking

Starting point is 00:05:55 about joining the U.S. Air Force after college. She wanted to serve and she wanted to fly. But life got harder too. When she turned 19, tensions grew at home. Chaudet and her mother began to argue a lot. When they weren't able to find common ground, Chaudet found herself without a place to stay. After moving around,

Starting point is 00:06:15 she eventually landed at a riverfront apartment in Brewer's Hill. For a few months, she also picked up a job bartending. At this point in life, she had begun to receive a lot of male attention. She was beautiful and often sought after, but her experiences with dating were not the best. After being cheated on and even essayed, her trust began to unravel and she closed herself off, understandably so. Still, she decided to give someone new a chance, and his name was Maxwell Anderson. Maxwell was 33 years old and was born and raised in Waukesha County.

Starting point is 00:06:51 In 2009, he graduated from Pewaukee High School and was a suburban kid from an ordinary town. He owned a brick duplex on South 37th Street, not far from West Oklahoma Avenue in Milwaukee. Modest property, it was red brick two stories on a quiet street. Maxwell was a popular guy. In Milwaukee's downtown scene, his name meant something. He worked at Victor's Nightclub, once one of the city's most popular dance clubs, and at the Raven Eagles Ballroom where he took shift. as both bartender and a security guard.

Starting point is 00:07:24 He was part of the nightlife, the kind of person you saw at the door, behind the bar, talking loud over music, laughing with people he barely knew. Vic Jones, his former manager at Victor, said of Maxwell, he was well-liked and a good worker. But at home, it was a different picture. Neighbors said that Maxwell kept to himself. It was quiet. He kept a low profile. He walked his dogs now and then, and he moved around a lot, living in various points in

Starting point is 00:07:50 Acona Milwaukee, Sister Bay, and even Boulder, Colorado. What followed him around, though, was his criminal record, one that began in 2014. That year, he was visiting family in Delafield. A relative returned home to find him sweating, agitated, and unresponsive to questions. Then things started to escalate. He started yelling, throwing things. He locked his relative inside a room when tried to call his father. When deputies arrived, Maxwell stole the relative's car and later crashed it into a patio. He was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. In October of 2014, he pled guilty and paid a $416 fine. That same year in Waukesha County, Maxwell was also charged with drunk driving, to which he also pled guilty. His license was suspended, he paid a $350 fine,

Starting point is 00:08:37 and was sentenced to a year of probation. A year later in June of 2015, Maxwell was living in a basement apartment in Egg Harbor. He'd been staying there for about two months with relatives who had taken him in, but things weren't going well. He was not following the house rules. He came and went without notice. He didn't clean up after himself. It was restless, distant, disconnected. And one of his relatives suggested that maybe he should consider mental health counseling. And Maxwell exploded at this. He lashed out. He smashed both of their phones. When they tried to call for help, he made sure that they could not. There was no landline, no way to call from inside the house. The relatives had to run to a neighbor's house just to reach the police.

Starting point is 00:09:21 Damage inside the home totaled over $1,300. This time, Maxwell was charged with four misdemeanors. In October, he pled guilty to three. Criminal damage to property, intimidating a witness, and disorderly conduct with a DV modifier. He was sentenced to a year of probation. But it did not end there. He did not turn himself around. In September of 2019, he was back in Milwaukee, this time on the 2300,

Starting point is 00:09:46 block of West Wisconsin Avenue. A dispute with a woman turned physical. A bystander stepped in and Maxwell turned on him. A video later confirmed it. Maxwell was on top of the man punching him repeatedly. He pled guilty again, paid over $7,000 in restitution and received yet another year of probation. The following year, he purchased the home he had been living in on Milwaukee's south side, and came 2022. In January, Maxwell was pulled over by the West Dallas Police. He'd been driving 70 in a 30 mile per hour zone and ran a red light. He admitted to officers that he had been drinking, and his breathalyzer confirmed it. His blood alcohol content was well over the legal limit.

Starting point is 00:10:29 Later that same year, he was cited again, this time in Ozaki County, for driving while his license was still suspended. At a court hearing that month, his probation officer reported that Maxwell had tested positive for coke, weed, and alcohol use, which violated the terms of his probation. A judge ordered him to remain completely sober as a condition of release. In March of 2023, Maxwell was officially discharged from probation despite his numerous violations. A year later on April 1, 2024, Maxwell and Chadee went out on their first date. That day, Chadee shared her excitement with someone who worked at her apartment building. She was ecstatic. Wearing ripped jeans and a white shirt, Chade left the apartment and made her way to work.

Starting point is 00:11:12 At 4.15 p.m., she texted Maxwell that she was feeling seafood. The two met at The Twisted Fisherman, a seafood restaurant on 1,200 West Canal Street. Maxwell had worked there before. Well, at the bar, he mentioned that he also needed to pick up a W-2 form. They sat together, ordered food and drinks, and spoke to the bartender. Shaw Day was served drinks here despite being underage. She was never even IDed. Recognizing a former coworker behind the counter,

Starting point is 00:11:41 Maxwell leaned in and told him that this was their first date. An hour later, they left the restaurant and drove to Dukes-on-Watery downtown Milwaukee bar at 158 East Juneau Avenue. While there, Shadey snapped a picture and sent it to a friend on Snapchat. Here too, she was served drinks without being asked for her ID. By 9 p.m. they had left the bar. From there, the two decided to head back to Maxwell's place. The next part of our story relies heavily on testimony from a confidential informant who later told the police that Maxwell had planned this all along, though it's unclear why they never contacted the police prior. What we do know is that evening, Maxwell put on an episode of Netflix's Love, Death, and Robots. It was the final episode of Season 2 titled The Drowned Giant, in which the gigantic naked corpse of an unknown man washes up on the shore.

Starting point is 00:12:35 months later, the remains of the giant appear in various parts of the town. During this time, Maxwell took pictures of Shade face down on his couch. Some of these pictures were graphic in nature and showed Shade in various states of undress or with Maxwell touching her. With the help of the testimony from the confidential informant, we can... Introducing Taco Bell's new jalapino citrus salsa with bright citrus, real red jalapinos, guahillo chilis. Usually, you add sauce to the food.

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Starting point is 00:14:10 Chosen foods. And pieced together what might have been Shade's final moments. According to the informant who had previously been inside of Maxwell's home, the basement was something out of a nightmare. One room was completely covered in a plastic painter's tarp. A sanitation sink sat ominously in the corner and three saws were laid out in plain view. It was like a scene straight out of Dexter. In the garage and nearby storage area, there were. several gas containers stored.

Starting point is 00:14:38 And the basement was set up like a dungeon, equipped with a bondage slaying restraints and handcuffs. The walls and even the small basement windows were wrapped in plastic sheeting, blocking any view from outside. Floor to ceiling, everything was covered, creating a sealed off soundless chamber. Somebody had to take hours and hours to do this. This was a place designed to trap someone in utter silence. The informant would later tell investigators that it was Maxwell's plan.

Starting point is 00:15:05 to pull a gun on Shaide to get her to comply with his commands to go down into the basement. It was here that investigators believed that Sha De was killed and subsequently dismembered into multiple pieces using possibly a knife or a saw. What was left was scattered remains of her body, because of which her exact cause of death could not be confirmed by the coroner. No one knows what Maxwell's motive was. What is known, what no one disputes, is that this was clearly a cold-blooded and planned murder. Maxwell picked up what was left of Shadez's body and walked out the front door at 1 a.m. No hesitation, no delay.

Starting point is 00:15:48 Loading Shades remains into her own car. He drove off into the night. Downtown Milwaukee was quiet. The streets were empty. And Maxwell moved through them as if nothing had happened. He passed the area near her apartment and then kept going north. Next, he reached Pleasant Valley Park near the Milwaukee River in River West. Around 2 a.m., he left that area and head south to Cudahey.

Starting point is 00:16:15 There, he rammed through a gate along a service road leading to a pump house. A piece of the vehicle broke off in the process, left behind at the scene. But that's not all. He dumped Chade's foot along with other pieces of flesh. 45 minutes later, Maxwell reached Warnamont Park. There, about two-thirds of the way down, a 100-foot bluff near the shoreline, he dropped off her leg. And then, he left. That same morning, surveillance cameras caught him, but this time he was on the 1800 block of North 29th Street.

Starting point is 00:16:52 Wearing a gray hoodie and carrying a tan backpack, Maxwell stepped out of Shade's 2020 Honda Civic. He lit a flame. He tossed a lighter, and then he walked away. By 7.29 a.m., the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Minutes later, the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived. The car was unrecognizable, but they knew it was a 2020 Honda Civic, Shade's beloved car. In the trunk, they found her clothes that she had been wearing the night before. Ripped jeans, a black puffer jacket, white shoes, remnants of a cell phone were also recovered, burnt and broken, buried beneath the ash. An hour later at 8.43 a.m., Maxwell was seen stepping off a Milwaukee County Transit System bus near his home, still in the same hoodie. He was carrying the same tan backpack. It actually ended up being a camouflage backpack.

Starting point is 00:17:45 He walked the final stretch back to his house alone. There was one more thing, though, one final cover-up. Maxwell sent Shade a text message that morning, knowing that she was already gone. He was trying to create an illusion that she was still alive, a manufactured alibi. But the timing was just too clean, and the intent was too obvious. At 529 p.m., someone came across a human leg near the shoreline at Warnamont Park in Cudahey. It was resting just off of a steep, wooded path close to the pump house, halfway down a 100-foot bluff, exactly where Maxwell left it. No one knew at the time who the leg belonged to. Not yet. The remains were recovered and the scene was cleared. More than a week would pass before preliminary test results would suggest what many feared.

Starting point is 00:18:37 It was Shade's. That same day, concern was spreading. Shade hadn't shown up to work at Pizza Shuttle. For those that knew her, it didn't make sense. She never missed a shift. Her manager noticed first, then her coworkers, and soon her friends grew concerned as well. Nobody had heard from her. There was no calls, no text, and no replies.

Starting point is 00:18:58 By 9 p.m., her coworker contacted the Milwaukee Police Department to report her missing. On April 3rd, the search for Shaide began. The police visited her apartment building where staff told officers that she had last been seen on April 1st. They were told her date with Maxwell. Chaudet's friend told investigators about the Snapchat photo, the one she had taken at Dukes on water, just hours before she stopped responding. Maxwell was already a suspect. Another friend came forward.

Starting point is 00:19:26 She had seen the news reports and reached out to the police. She explained that she had used the Life 360 app to track Shotde's phone. According to the data, Shadey's location had pinged in Warnamont Park at 4.30 a.m. on April 2nd. Later that day, Milwaukee Police contacted the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. That department was already investigating the discovery of the leg. On April 4th at 116 p.m., the police located Maxwell. According to Detective John Giot of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, Mr. Mr. Anderson was sitting in the driver's seat physically shaking.

Starting point is 00:20:00 The guilt was all over his face. He was driving near his home when officers pulled him over and took him into custody. Inside the car, investigators found a gray hoodie. It was the same hoodie seen in the surveillance footage, worn by the person walking away from the burning car, shot A's 2020 Honda Civic. Later that day, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Maxwell's home on South 39th Street. Inside, they found bloodstains in one of the bedrooms

Starting point is 00:20:26 and along the walls leading down to the basement. Several gasoline containers were also recovered from the property. Downstairs, officers found a basement room. The space had been converted into a BDSM dungeon. Although blood was found, it was later determined that it was not Chaudet's. Two days later, the search widens. Police canvassed the area around North 31st Street in West Scalena, not far from where Chaudet's car had been discovered.

Starting point is 00:20:54 There, officers found a huge. human foot. It matched the leg recovered earlier in Warnemont Park. More remains were also recovered in the area. On April 9th, Maxwell made his first court appearance. Pending DNA results, he was to be held for 72 more hours. The same day, Shade's family would conduct their own search in Warnamont Park and find another dismembered piece of their child, a bone. Throughout the investigation, Maxwell remained in custody, and on April 12th, he was formerly charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson. Less than a week later, there was another discovery.

Starting point is 00:21:36 Along the Lake Michigan shoreline, a passer-by found a torso and an arm. Testing confirmed the remains were Shades. Nearly a month later, a human arm also believed to be hers washed ashore at Waukegan Municipal Beach. By mid-June, Shade's family received conference. from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office that DNA testing confirmed the arm found in Waikagan, Illinois was that of Shaw days. Maxwell's trial began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27th, 2025, and would go on for nine days. He stood charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson of property

Starting point is 00:22:15 other than a building, and hiding a corpse. Maxwell was represented by attorney Anthony Cotton, while Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance Curzon represented the state. The court was presided over by Judge Laura Cravello. Jurors heard from those closest to Shadei. Friends who had known her for years, who had texted her, who waited for her replies, and never got them. Among the items introduced as evidence was a photo taken the day Shade went missing. In it, she's wearing ripped jeans, a black puffer jacket, and white shoes. The same clothing was later recovered from the trunk of her burned out car. The jury also heard from those who handled shot A's remains.

Starting point is 00:22:55 At Warnemart Park, Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office Detective Joanne Donner helped recover her leg. On the stand, she stated that it had looked like a sharp tool had been used to saw it off, something that left a zigzag pattern. This just proved that Maxwell had been planning this for a long, long time. It's day two of the Maxwell Anderson trial. He's accused of killing and dismembering 19-year-old Shadee Robinson after a first date, in April of 2024. Today, both the prosecution and defense

Starting point is 00:23:26 delivered opening statements preparing to make their cases to the jury. And then Maxwell Anderson attempted to make her disappear from this world by discarding her body into body parts into Lake Michigan and then taking her car and burning it behind an abandoned building.

Starting point is 00:23:45 It's horrible what happened to Shadeh. It's horrible. Nobody deserved that. And what the state wants you to do is use the emotion of that, along with this phrase like common sense, and use that emotion to convict Mr. Anderson. Fox 6 is Brea Jones is here in the studio. Brea, new evidence was shown in the courtroom today. That's right, Kim and Ben from body camera and surveillance video of Warnerment Park to cell phone

Starting point is 00:24:14 records. The prosecution started to share the timeline of how they believed Maxwell Anderson killed Shawnee Robinson as the defense argued grainy video and cell phone records from only one phone aren't enough to prove Anderson is guilty. That's some shoday coming off the elevator. Emotional testimony on day two of Maxwell Anderson's trial for the murder and mutilation of 19-year-old Shawnee Robinson. Robinson's former leasing agent took the stand. This is obviously very hard for you, Mr. Duda, right? It is. This clear surveillance image shows Robinson leaving her Brewer's Hill apartment building on April 1st, 2024.

Starting point is 00:24:55 She would never return. The next day, her severed leg washed ashore at Warnamut Park found by Osiris Terrell and a friend. We were walking down there and there was a severed leg. In court, prosecutors showed never before seen body camera video from that rainy day in Warnhamut Park. Prosecutors also present a video of what investigators say as Maxwell Anderson. on a bluff more than 13 hours prior. The silhouette was seen near Lake Michigan for over an hour from around 3 a.m. to 4.15. Graney images. Yes. Going in the tree line area.

Starting point is 00:25:32 Correct. Which doesn't show us really anything other than some human figure going up and down in that area, right? Yes. You can't make out even that the person has a body part that they've discarded, can you? Detective Alexis Crucich of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department took the stand. She opened evidence bags one by one. Inside, the jury saw ripped jeans, a black jacket, underwear, and white shoes. All of it was charred.

Starting point is 00:26:03 Cross-examination, Detective Crucic acknowledged a key detail. There was no direct indication that Maxwell had been inside the vehicle. A black puffy jacket, underwear and ripped jeans inside out, and a pair of partially charged shoes. These are remnants of shot. a Robinson's outfit. Investigators say were recovered from the trunk of her torched car the morning after her date with Maxwell Anderson. Is there anything upon looking at that that strikes you as unusual? I think looking at how these were recovered, it could be consistent with somebody assisting in the removal. Were there any identifiers for Maxwell Anderson in that car?

Starting point is 00:26:43 No. Any any identity ID cards or anything like that? No. Super weird because that engine still looks like it's in Christine condition. New body camera from the morning of April 2nd, 2024 shows officers responding to the car fire near 30th in Lisbon. They snap photos of the scene and canvass the area for surveillance video. He did that. Prosecutors say videos show Maxwell Anderson walking away. after setting the car on fire. And a witness statement was reported that they had seen an individual walking away from the 2020 HOTA Civic after throwing what the witness claimed appeared to be a lit lighter into the driver window. Before that, they say Anderson seen on surveillance camera driving Robinson's vehicle in the area near Galena playground where some of her human remains were located.

Starting point is 00:27:37 This right here is going to be a bridge that goes over the train tracks. And then the playground is located directly on the other side of that just to the south. That playground and that area, would you later be involved in recovering human remains from there? Yes, that was. We also heard testimony that the driver's seat appeared to be too far back for Robinson at the time of the fire. They showed these photos of an experiment, comparing the height of two deputies who are about the same height as Anderson and Robinson. The defense introduced a new angle, suspected drugs found in Shot A's apartment, which would be entered into evidence. It's important to note that no drugs were actually found in shot A's system, and the alleged drugs were never sent to the state crime lab for testing.

Starting point is 00:28:26 The prosecution objected and said the drugs were irrelevant. Or into Verona Swannigan, the Robinson family attorney, this is not a case about drugs. The police testified that the drugs were irrelevant, that the murder was not in any way associated with drugs. The investigation flushed out. It was not related to drugs and to bring up drugs that have never been tested. So we don't even know if they actually were drugs. It is highly prejudicial to the victim and it's a red herring to the jury. However, the judge sided with the defense.

Starting point is 00:28:57 That is where we begin at five. We're seeing new evidence for the first time in the trial of Maxwell Anderson. He's accused of killing and dismembering shot A Robinson, getting rid of her body parts and torching her car in just the last hour. A motion has flooded the courtroom. Can you describe what the torso looks like? I don't know how to describe it. As you can see, there are a witness asked to describe Shottie Robinson's torso,

Starting point is 00:29:32 and really she has no words. Court is finished for the week, set to pick back up Monday. Bill Niston is live with a strong reaction to today's evidence. Yeah, and the evidence introduced at the end of the day was graphic photos of shot A Robinson's torso and arm. And Robinson's mother had an outburst in court after those photos were shown. And I can't repeat it verbatim on TV, but she walked over towards Maxwell Anderson. And I'm paraphrasing here, called him a devil and told him to burn in hell.

Starting point is 00:30:08 Now this, after a parade of detectives, took the stand testifying to evidence recovered and video recovered after Shot A Robinson's car was found burning near 30. in Lisbon. Do you see that person in court today? I do. You see it at the defense counsel's table wearing a blue button-up shirt with a white t-shirt underneath it. Any objection? I'm not going to comment on that. A detective walked the jury through surveillance video saying it shows Maxwell Anderson boarding a bus near 35th in Lisbon the morning of April 2nd, just 30 minutes earlier. What she's yelling is he did that, call the fire department, call the ambulance. Two women, saw a person walking away from a car fire near 30th in Lisbon.

Starting point is 00:30:58 Prosecutors say that person is Maxwell Anderson. A person walks towards 31st in Galena, a playground near railroad tracks. Can you see blood on the backpack? No. Under cross-examination, a detective said it's a high crime area. Days later. What happened? We were notified that human remains were discovered in the wooded area, just east.

Starting point is 00:31:24 of the playground. Pieces of flesh and a foot, as well as bone. Family members had called our dispatch center, saying that they went to the park after seeing the police there the night prior in a news article that were searching for evidence. Specifically on the sixth, the family stated that they had found a blanket that belonged to Shade A. Robinson. The next day, police found more human remains.

Starting point is 00:31:47 It appeared to be more cleanly cut at the ankle. Detectives said the area was hard to search, Illegal dumping is common. The defense pointed out during cross-examination, the general public had access to the area between the two searches, and police initially missed Robinson's blanket at the scene. What about the windows? They're all fogged up. Detectives recovered cameras from the neighborhood surrounding the park and where Robinson's car was found burning. The video shows Robinson's car circling in the neighborhood, beginning shortly before 5 a.m. when it later pulls into an alley shortly before 730 and is set on fire. Court adjourned for the weekend and resumed the following Monday, June 2nd. First witness was Maxwell's tenant Pete Warbington. He'd been living in the lower unit of the duplex for two years, and he had no Maxwell since childhood. Pete described him as a difficult landlord.

Starting point is 00:32:41 The house, he said, was scattered with tools, projects that were half finished, holes that were dug in the back and side yards. He said Maxwell often had guests over late. They were noisy, drunk, and a menace to a man. man with a normal sleep schedule. He said the basement held most of Maxwell's tools. Noise was constant. When asked if he remembered hearing anything on the night, Shadei is believed to have died, or when Maxwell allegedly left to dispose of her body, he said no. Tonight at five, we're getting our first look at Maxwell Anderson's arrest after prosecutors

Starting point is 00:33:14 say he killed and dismembered Shadee Robinson. As Anderson's homicide trial continues in its second week, prosecutors are still building their case for jurors. Bill Miston is live with testimony from a key witness today, Bill. Yeah, good evening, guys. We heard from Anderson's former tenant who lived downstairs in his house on South 39th Street, and this tenant moved out about a week after Anderson was arrested. Now, even though the prosecution called him to the stand, the defense hopes what he heard or didn't hear sticks with the jury. No. On April 4th, Sheriff's detectives spotted Anderson's car. What's going on? Started tailing it as he made his way back toward his south side home and ultimately made a traffic stop. Mr. Anderson was seated in the driver's seat physically shaking. The stop was a ruse, but investigators wanted to stop Anderson before he got home. They already had a warrant to search it. Knocked on the door. I opened the door. I said, hey, what's going on? I don't know what you're here for, but I know it's not me. So what can I help you with?

Starting point is 00:34:17 Pete Warbington lived in Anderson's lower unit. It was not uncommon then for you to hear noises coming from his apartment. Not uncommon at all. Particularly even at night. Even at night, yes. He said Anderson, a bartender often had people over after bar close. Two to three times a month there was probably a night where I didn't get any sleep until 3 o'clock in the morning.

Starting point is 00:34:38 Because why? Because of the noise and the carrying on, I mean, drunk people coming over, falling down the stairs. Warbington said Anderson kept tools in the basement and did projects. around the property, making a lot of noise. But Warbington said he doesn't remember hearing anything of note the night prosecutors say Shot A. Robinson came back to Anderson's house or when prosecutors believe Anderson left to dispose of her body. Did you hear anybody ever scream? I've heard absolutely nothing. I want to share with the court. I didn't even know that he was there. It was that quiet. It was that quiet. Later that day, a leg was found along the lake near Warrenmont Park.

Starting point is 00:35:16 irregular in-sized wounds along the amputation margin. A medical examiner testified Chatey Robinson's body parts were likely dismembered after death, evidence of knife cuts, possible stab wounds. There was caffeine in her system and no detectable levels of alcohol or other drugs. How Robinson died is still a mystery. But the medical examiner said her death was at the hands of someone else. Dismemberment of the body and an attempt to conceal the body by disposing of it in different locations, also in the water, all of that is objectively suspicious and is most consistent with the

Starting point is 00:35:55 homicide. The following day court was somewhat uneventful with the focus on a search of Maxwell's home and the recovery of the clothing that he wore on his date with shot A. According to the investigators, they never found all of the clothing that he was seen wearing after he torched the car. According to Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office Detective Caleb Burkey, Maxwell's camouflage backpack and shoes have never been recovered. Well, new tonight, they searched Maxwell Anderson's home several times today. The jury got to see exactly what they found. The man accused of killing a dismembering 19-year-old Shadey Robinson had dozens of knives and prosecutors say he dumped some of his clothes. Brea Jones is here in studio, Brea, what the defense says was missing, Shadee Robinson's

Starting point is 00:36:36 DNA inside that home. That's right, Ben, the prosecution continued its case today, building the timeline of events leading up to Robinson's death and what they said Anderson did afterwards. Today they focused on the ends and outs of Anderson's house. Brand new video in court Tuesday shows Maxwell Anderson returning home the morning of April 2nd, 2024. The clothing is consistent with the subject that we saw exit the bus. Prosecutors say before Anderson got off the bus, he had killed and dismembered 19-year-old Shonda Robinson after a date. and then set her car on fire. Anderson was arrested April 4th. Detective searched his home multiple times. These are images from their findings that include photos

Starting point is 00:37:21 of a gun, power tools, and knives. How many knives were found? A total of 51 just from the kitchen. Just from the kitchen were there knives elsewhere? There were. On Wednesday, June 4th, investigators walked the jury through video evidence of when Shadez Honda Civic and cell phone left Maxwell's home. In addition, some new evidence was presented to the court, DNA. Our big story tonight at nine, new developments in the Maxwell Anderson trial. He's accused in the death and dismemberment of Shawday Robinson. Prosecutors, they revealed a major piece of evidence, DNA. Foxx is Brea Jones here in studio, Brea. This is something the defense says has been missing all along. That's right. Ben, today we learned that some of Shawnee Robinson's

Starting point is 00:38:05 DNA was found on two of Maxwell Anderson's jackets, including. the sweatshirt investigators say he was wearing when he torched her car. Now, while DNA kid not, you cannot dispute DNA, the defense says it's unclear how it got there. How about the swabs from the zipper pull from that jacket? That is a single source female profile that is consistent with the standard from Sharday Robinson. New DNA evidence links Shawnee Robinson to two clothing items from her accused killer Maxwell Anderson, including the sweatshirt found in a garbage can after detectives say the 34-year-old killed, dismembered, and set the 19-year-old's car on fire last April.

Starting point is 00:38:48 Again, we don't know how Ms. Robinson's DNA would have gotten there, right? I don't know how the DNA got there, no. And you don't know when it got there, correct? That's correct. Things heating up on day seven of the trial. As prosecutors tracked Anderson and Robinson's possible whereabouts through cell phone records, the Live 360 app and surveillance video. one showing Robbins's vehicle passing by her apartment building on Commerce Street after leaving Anderson's home just after 1 a.m. on April 2nd, 2024.

Starting point is 00:39:17 There's no evidence at all that Max had ever been there. Yeah, none. Or even that he knew where she lived. I don't have any evidence that he knew where she lived. Defense attorney Anthony caught jousting with Joanne Donner. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office lead detective on the case as she said, on the witness stand yes they could have easily talked about it nothing else defense sure could could could have could have could have but we don't know that they did correct okay that's all because because

Starting point is 00:39:50 one of the people in those conversations is no longer with us right correct nothing else well that that that's one that's one reason another reason is there's no evidence that they talked about it because she said and i can't ask her on date of the trial the prosecution and defense read their closing statements and Maxwell's fate was placed in the hands of the jury. Prosecutors urged jurors to consider the totality of the evidence while the defense argued the state had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their client had killed Chaudet. Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance Curzon told jurors to use common sense and search for the truth. June 6, 2025, the day that we are recording this episode, Maxwell Anderson was found guilty

Starting point is 00:40:33 on all counts. It only took the jury 45 minutes to render their verdict. He's due back in court for sentencing on August 15th, 2025, and could face a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. Following the verdict, Shade's mother, Sheena Scarborough, addressed the media in a press conference outside of the courtroom. She will be forever remembered as an angel, a light worker who has touched so many souls, so many lives in the Milwaukee community. She is our hero. She is forever leaving an imprint. She walks in her own paths, her own light.

Starting point is 00:41:14 She solved her own case. My baby solved her own case. That's how I raise my kids. We don't give up. We are fighters. I demanded justice. I stand tall. I stand affirmative.

Starting point is 00:41:28 Shade will continue to walk. with me daily and right beside me. Please continue to support us by walking in how you move every day, like live by your principles, live in your true spirit. That's how Shade is remembered from every job, from every stranger, from every person she touched. On May 19th, 2024, just weeks after her life was taken, Milwaukee Area Technical College awarded Shade Robinson a posthumous degree in criminal justice. Her family accepted it at the school's commencement ceremony. A seat was left empty. Her name was read aloud. She should have been there. Across the city, people mourned, some quietly, others publicly, makeshift memorials began to appear, outside Pizza

Starting point is 00:42:23 Shuttle where she had worked. Outside the house were the man accused of killing her once lived. They were covered in pink, pink balloons, pink flowers, pink posters, her favorite color. On Maxwell Anderson's front lawn, several people gathered for a pink out. They turned the space into a tribute with balloons, messages, stuffed animals, drawings. Her name spelled out in bright colors. It wasn't about where he lived. It was about where she should have been allowed to keep living. Even Maxwell's father came forward.

Starting point is 00:43:00 He expressed sympathy, offering condolences to the Robinson family. In September of 2024, a mural of Shadee Robinson was painted near the entrance of Pizza Shuttle, her last place of work. A permanent image brushed onto brick so she would not be forgotten. But without a body to lay to rest, Shade's family had no place to grieve. Shade's family had pieces of her. Her mother, Shina, made a request. She asked Milwaukee County officials to sponsor a public memorial in her daughter's name, a place for them to visit, a place to remember.

Starting point is 00:43:35 You don't have all of my baby's remains. We still don't have all of my baby's remains. We don't have a grave site to go to. This is still the hardest thing I've ever done. The proposed memorial would cost $7,000. It was to be placed in Warnemark Park, the same park where part of Shade had been found. But less than a week before the trial was set to begin, the resumed. was withdrawn. Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez, who had been in communication with the family, pulled the proposal during a county committee meeting. He said he had received an influx of racist emails. Messages so hateful, so overtly violent that some supervisors asked to have their names removed. The resolution was gone, but remained with silence and grief all over a bunch of threats and hate mail. But then the community stepped in. When news of the withdrawal,

Starting point is 00:44:27 became public, an outpouring of support followed. One of the first to respond was Omar Sheikh, co-owner of the Carnivore Steakhouse and Third Street Market Hall. The plan was simple, a private dinner to raise the remaining funds for her memorial. But the response was louder than expected. After receiving messages of support from across the city, Sheik announced a public fundraising event instead held on February 16, 2025 at Third Street Market Hall. The funds would go to Shade's Memorial, towards Chate's Voice Foundation, a legacy in her name. Now the fundraising efforts will do more than build a memorial. Shadei's Voice Foundation is a nonprofit created by her family to carry forward what she no

Starting point is 00:45:09 longer can. According to the Foundation's GoFundMe page, the organization was created to carry out her legacy by speaking out for primarily underserved black, indigenous people of color, individuals who are missing, murdered, and whose cases have been neglected and mishandled by media and law enforcement. As of the date of this recording, the GoFundMe is still open. We will be making a donation to it, and it will be down below in the pin comment and the description if you want to make a donation yourself. After her daughter's death, Sheena made a decision.

Starting point is 00:45:40 Shade's voice wouldn't be buried with her. She launched the foundation alongside family and supporters. The foundation has a clear mission. The foundation plans to offer self-defense training, community resources, a space for advocacy, a space for grief, to fight, to protect, to remember. Shade's name will not fade.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Sade Robinson

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