Milwaukee man charged in dismemberment death pleads not guilty

SOUTH MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man is accused of killing and mutilating a woman whose body parts washed up on a beach along Lake Michigan.

Maxwell Anderson, 33, of Milwaukee, has entered a plea to charges of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and arson in the death of Sade Robinson, 19.

Anderson waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He is due back in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on May 16, local news media reported.

The court appearance was Anderson’s first since his arrest on April 4, two days after a leg believed to be Robinson’s was found by a passerby on a cliff at Warnimont Park on Lake Michigan in Cudahy. The leg was cut off just below the hip.

A torso and an arm believed to belong to Robinson were found Thursday morning along a remote stretch of tree-lined beach in south Milwaukee, about a quarter mile (400 meters) from an apartment complex, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Anderson is being held on a $5 million bond.

A telephone message seeking comment was left Monday evening for one of his attorneys, Anthony Cotton.

Robinson was reported missing by a friend on April 2. An employee at the building where Robinson lived told police that Robinson was excited about a date she had planned for April 1, according to the complaint.

Surveillance footage from a restaurant showed Robinson and Anderson sitting together at the bar on the evening of April 1. Her burnt-out car was found the next morning.