Milwaukee man charged in dismemberment death pleads not guilty

SOUTH MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee man charged with killing and mutilating a woman whose body parts washed up on a beach along Lake Michigan pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Monday.

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

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

The court appearance was Anderson’s first since his arrest on April 4, two days after a leg believed to belong to Robinson was found by a passerby down a bluff at Warnimont Park along Lake Michigan in Cudahy. The leg had been severed 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 of a mile (400 meters) from an apartment complex, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Anderson is being held on a $5 million bond.

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

Robinson was reported missing April 2 by a friend. An employee of 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 video from a restaurant showed Robinson and Anderson sitting together at the bar on the evening of April 1. Her burned car was found the next morning.