How the seat position in a murdered teen’s car linked to her killer
A Milwaukee, Wisconsin, detective had an unconventional idea on how to help solve the murder of 19-year-old college student Sade Robinson.
It all started in April 2024, when the charred remains of Robinson’s car were found behind an abandoned building in Milwaukee. At the time, first responders were not immediately alarmed about his safety.
Sade Robinson / Credit: Sheena Scarbrough
(Sheena Scarbrough)
“An abandoned car… on fire does not necessarily mean that the driver is in danger?” asked correspondent Anne-Marie Green on “Sade Robinson and The Secret Beach,” an all-new “48 Hours” airing Saturday, Feb. 21 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
“No, no,” replied Senior Detective Jo Donner of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
But then the fire investigator noticed that the passenger side of the vehicle smelled strongly of petroleum distillate.
It was arson.
An image taken from security camera footage of Sade Robinson leaving her apartment on the morning of April 1, 2024. That night, she would meet Maxwell Anderson for their first date. / Credit: CBS 58/Test pool
Law enforcement learned that the night before the car burned, Robinson had gone on a first date but had not been seen since.
Donner and his team examined Robinson’s damaged car for clues. Although the fire destroyed any chance of obtaining DNA or fingerprints, investigators were able to recover crucial evidence.
“Under the driver’s seat, Sade’s purse was hidden,” Donner pointed out. “To me, that definitely eliminates a theft, right?”
Detective Jo Donner of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, left, and
The position of the car’s driver’s seat caught Donner’s attention.
“I noticed the level of fire damage…is going to block that seat,” the detective said. “This seat position is sort of frozen in time.”
This made Donner and his team wonder if anyone else had driven Robinson’s car to this abandoned building. Donner decided to carry out an experiment.
“We take note of the seat position, because that will give height indicators,” Donner explained. “I was able to determine how far away this seat was. Then I went to a dealership and found an identical model.”
With the driver’s seat in the same position as that of Robinson’s vehicle, Donner found a deputy who was about Robinson’s height.
A sheriff’s deputy who was about the same height as Sade Robinson sat in the same position as the driver’s seat of Robinson’s vehicle. The MP’s arms were outstretched and her feet could not touch the pedals. / Credit: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
“And when she was sitting in the car, she couldn’t touch the pedals. Her arms were outstretched and she was like, ‘There’s no way. I can’t drive like that without perching right on the edge of the seat,” Donner said.
Donner also had a larger detective sitting in the car.
A taller detective sat in the same position as the driver’s seat of Sade Robinson’s vehicle and appeared to fit comfortably. / Credit: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
“It was a very comfortable sitting position for him,” Donner said.
Based on his experience, Donner says the last person to drive Robinson’s car had to be at least 6 feet tall.
“There’s no way Sade is the last person in the driver’s seat,” Green said.
“No way. No, no,” Donner confirmed.
As investigators worked to find Robinson, they quickly tracked down the man she went out with on that date: a 6-foot-1 bartender named Maxwell Anderson.
On April 12, 2024, law enforcement confirmed that Robinson had been killed. The same day, Anderson was charged with Robinson’s murder.
Anderson would later say he had nothing to do with Robinson’s death.
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