Guilty on All Counts: The Maxwell Anderson Verdict Leaves Unanswered Questions

Maxwell Anderson was found guilty Friday of killing and dismembering 19-year-old Sade Robinson after a Milwaukee jury returned a swift verdict on all charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and arson. The conviction comes more than a year after Robinson vanished following a first date with Anderson on April, 2024.

Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before delivering their decision on the ninth day of the trial. Evidence presented included graphic photos from Anderson’s phone, surveillance footage tracking the pair from dinner at Twisted Fisherman to Anderson’s home, and testimony from dozens of witnesses. Prosecutors argued Anderson had planned the murder in advance, citing the use of plastic sheeting at his residence.

Robinson’s remains were discovered at multiple sites across Milwaukee County in the weeks after her disappearance. Her family, present for the verdict, expressed both relief and ongoing pain, as some of Robinson’s remains, including her head, have not been found. “She will forever be remembered as an angel,” her mother, Sheena Scarbrough, told reporters outside the courthouse.

Anderson faces a mandatory life sentence, with formal sentencing scheduled for August. The case has also prompted Robinson’s family to launch a foundation in her name and pursue civil action against establishments that served her alcohol the night she was killed.