Second autopsy says Maple Grove teen's 2009 death was a homicide

A second autopsy has determined that a Maple Grove teen's death more than a decade ago was a homicide, and his mother is hoping the finding will lead to criminal charges.

Sandra Cikotte Anderson had the body of her 19-year-old son, Robbie, exhumed in November and hired an independent medical examiner to offer a determination on his death. The original autopsy, conducted in 2009 by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, listed the cause as "sudden unexplained death."

The new autopsy concluded that Robbie Anderson died of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

"My gut feeling is now validated," Cikotte Anderson said. "I knew this from the first moment I saw my son's beaten and battered face at the hospital where he was declared dead. I sure hope and pray that the new [Hennepin] county attorney, Mary Moriarty, will charge this case as it should've been 13 years ago. I have faith in her. I pray I'm right."

Moriarty's office has not received any additional investigative information related to the case since the Hennepin County Medical Examiner took a second look at it and reaffirmed an indeterminate cause of death, a county spokesman said.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Robbie Anderson's family. No parent should ever have to go through what they have over the past 14 years," Nicholas Kimball said in an email. "If we receive a re-referral from law enforcement, we would review it at that time."

Maple Grove police originally submitted the case to the County Attorney's Office for manslaughter charges, but the office declined to prosecute anyone.

This week, Maple Grove police acknowledged the agency has received the information contained in the independent autopsy and will be in touch with the Medical Examiner's Office, which is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death following an autopsy.

Police Department spokesman Jonathan Wetternach said Anderson's death remains "an open and active case."

Robbie Anderson had gone to a friend's house on Dec. 4, 2009, to play video games and watch movies with two fellow Maple Grove High School graduates. His friends had been drinking, and later in the night Anderson started drinking, too.

At some point, a physical altercation ensued. Anderson was allegedly hit multiple times on the head by one of his longtime friends while standing near a utility sink in the basement. Anderson, detectives believed, fell and hit his head on the concrete floor.

A Maple Grove police report included in a court affidavit showed officers went to the residence after getting a 911 call. They arrived to find Anderson not breathing, with no pulse and what appeared to be two black eyes and bruising down the sides of his nose. There was blood on his upper lip and in his nostrils, and his pants were unbuttoned and unzipped and pulled down about 6 inches below his waist, police found.

Anderson's blood alcohol concentration was 0.152%. No lethal drugs or toxins were detected in his blood. Officers started CPR and used a defibrillator on Anderson before he was taken to North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, where he was pronounced dead.

Neither of Anderson's two friends — the only others present — was arrested or charged.

The case largely went cold for about 10 years, even though Cikotte Anderson didn't buy the original explanation offered by authorities. She repeatedly hounded agencies to take a second look into her son's death. She also contacted the state attorney general but got nowhere.

Cikotte Anderson eventually contacted Sheila Potocnik, a cold-case consultant who helps families with unsolved cases. That led Cikotte Anderson to contact two independent medical examiners who reviewed hundreds of pages of evidence, including police reports, autopsy photos and crime scene photos.

Dr. Allecia M. Wilson, a certified medical examiner who was one of the pathologists who conducted the independent autopsy of George Floyd, flew to Minnesota and in November conducted the second autopsy. She concluded Anderson died of blunt force trauma.

With the new autopsy report and the "copious amount of evidence," Cikotte Anderson said she is more hopeful than ever that justice will be served.

"This case needs to be and should be charged," she said. "We are currently waiting and praying that our son, Rob, will receive justice."

Cikotte Anderson encouraged others in similar circumstances to keep searching for answers.

"I hope Robbie's case inspires you to speak up, push forward and never give up," she said. "Someone, somewhere, will listen."