Pensacola murder suspect confessed to friend he strangled daughter's mom: Police

Emma Kennedy | Pensacola News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Investigation timeline of Cassandra Robinson's murder Milestones in the investigation into murder suspect Henry Steiger.

A newly released arrest report for murder suspect Henry Steiger claims he initially told police Cassandra Robinson was on a "well-deserved vacation" in Bermuda, and had shown up at another girlfriend's home with Robinson's baby saying he had a "surprise."

Steiger, 53, was charged Friday with second-degree murder after Robinson, the mother of their 1-year-old daughter, was found dead July 11 in a storage drum in a cargo trailer Steiger allegedly owned. Her remains were so decomposed that police have not been able to officially determine a cause or manner of death, but details in Steiger's arrest report point to possible strangulation during a fight.

Robinson's sister, Charlisa Robinson, reported the woman missing June 8, when the family realized no one had seen Cassandra since baby Evelynn's first birthday Feb. 1. Cassandra had been active on social media prior to Feb. 1, and the family realized she hadn't contacted anyone in person or online in those four months. Her sister said Cassandra had been a dancer and was known to use narcotics, and she was held under the Baker Act twice in 2016. The Baker Act is a measure that allows Florida law enforcement agencies to temporarily hold a suspect who has mental health issues and is considered a danger to themselves or others.

The sister said although Cassandra had battled mental health issues in the past, she hadn't posted anything on social media that would indicate she was suicidal or violent. Police determined at that time there was no reason to believe Cassandra was missing or in danger, according to her missing person report, which is heavily redacted.

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Pensacola Police Department investigators called Steiger on June 11, and he allegedly told them Robinson left the couple's home Feb. 1 after the birthday party in a black BMW.

Steiger reportedly said Robinson left the pair's Strong Street home in the BMW with packed bags, but said when he woke up the next morning, Feb. 2, the keys to the car were back at the home but Robinson was not.

PPD again interviewed Steiger on June 27, when he said Robinson needed a vacation from the daily schedule of taking care of the baby, according to his arrest report.

Steiger said he wasn't sure where she went, but it may have been Bermuda. He said he didn't think she had a passport, though, and said he hadn't contacted her since she left because he wanted to respect her wishes of being left alone.

More: Cassandra Robinson's family gives insight to missing woman's relationship with alleged killer

Steiger said he was feeding the baby with a freezer full of breast milk Robinson had stocked before her vacation.

The lengthy arrest report outlines multiple concurrent storylines from Steiger's associates. One man, Julian Mesure, who was involved in a coffee company Steiger was starting in downtown Pensacola, told PPD that Steiger confessed to the murder in February.

He said Steiger called him to the Strong Street home on the night of Feb. 1, and said he and Robinson had been in a fight. Mesure claims that Steiger told him he choked the woman while she was holding the baby, and as she lost consciousness, the baby slipped from her arms to the ground.

Mesure said he and Steiger spent the next couple of days moving personal belongings from the Strong Street home to a new address on Clubhouse Terrace in Perdido Key. At some point, police believe Steiger dumped Robinson's body inside the storage drums on the property in the area of 65th Avenue and Fairfield Drive.

Police later recovered multiple items belonging to Robinson in the Clubhouse Terrace home, as well as in a storage shed that Steiger used.

Mesure told police that Steiger had been talking about "wanting to get rid of Robinson" since mid-2017, and said he had considered selling her into slavery, paying her to leave or killing her.

Mesure took police to a location on North Davis Highway, where the pair had allegedly dumped Robinson's cellphone. PPD recovered a broken iPhone in that area.

During much of the missing person investigation — which started after Robinson was reported missing in June — Steiger was in custody at the Santa Rosa County Jail on a federal probation violation charge. He was convicted of wire fraud in 2014 and at the time of Robinson's disappearance was serving three years of probation that required he report monthly about his assets, as well as incoming and outgoing finances.

Also in the Clubhouse Terrace search warrant, police reportedly found stacks of cash and both his and the baby's belongings packed up and stacked by the door, as if to leave.

When interviewed in jail July 12, Steiger's eyes began watering as he told police what happened to Robinson is a "story that no one would believe."

"I am at peace with what occurred and I understand it. I'm not happy about, it but I understand it. I don't think I can get anyone else to understand it, so I have not explained it to anyone," he told PPD, according to the report.

On Feb. 2, Steiger arrived at the home of Dina Sigmund, the owner of event center Paul's on the Bay and with whom he had been in a relationship since 2013, and said he had a surprise for her. He showed her Robinson's baby and said the mother was only used for breast milk, according to his arrest report.

In federal court documents, Sigmund's name again shows up, for having reportedly given Steiger more than $400,000 in the last several years, and for possessing a Canadian driver's license in Steiger's name.

Sigmund later told PPD she and Steiger went to the home of the other witness, William Johnson, on Feb. 2, where they loaded something metal onto Steiger's truck, but she didn't know what it was. Johnson later said he sold Steiger empty storage drums.

Johnson is the owner of the property where Steiger kept the cargo trailer where Robinson's remains were found.

PPD spokesman Mike Wood had previously said it appears Johnson didn't have knowledge of the murder or for what his property was being used. Wood said he doesn't expect Johnson or Sigmund will face charges in relation to the murder.

Mesure faces charges of conspiracy and fraud for allegedly moving large sums Steiger's money into Mesure's bank account periodically for the start of their business. Mesure told investigators he did this so Steiger didn't need to report the money to the feds as part of his federal probation.

Steiger also is facing fraud and conspiracy charges.

Emma Kennedy can be reached at ekennedy@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.