4 days ago
Maxwell Anderson found guilty on all counts in murder of Sade Robinson. What to know about verdict
(This story was updated to add more information.)
A Milwaukee County jury on June 6 convicted 34-year-old Maxwell Anderson of killing and mutilating 19-year-old Sade Robinson last April.
Jurors listened to eight days of witness testimony and delivered the verdict after less than an hour of deliberation.
Here's what to know:
Yes, jurors found Anderson guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson.
Jurors took about 45 minutes total to deliberate and find Anderson guilty of all charges.
They deliberated for about 15 minutes starting at 4:40 p.m. on June 5, and for about 30 minutes between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. June 6.
Anderson remained largely still as the verdicts were read out, appearing to swallow and blink a few times.
Scarbrough spoke to the media after the verdict, saying of her daughter: "She will be forever remembered as an angel. She is a hero."
Scarbrough later urged support for missing Black and Brown women, and advocated for the creation of a state taskforce.
More: Wisconsin lawmakers tried to create a task force for missing and murdered Black women. Will this year be different?
Swanigan said the Robinson family will continue to pursue its civil case against Anderson. She added that Robinson's family hopes to force Anderson to participate in a deposition, so outstanding questions about her death might be answered.
The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anderson in June 2024, and sued the two bars Robinson attended with Anderson on the night of her death in April 2025.
Later, the attorney chastised some media outlets' decision to publish graphic images during the proceedings.
Vance-Curzan said the state was 'feeling confident' throughout the trial, going on to say authorities spent "countless hours" investigating.
'When a case is investigated the way this one was investigated, the evidence just spoke for itself,' he said.
The prosecutor also said he was thinking of Robinson's family.
'While we are satisfied with this verdict, our hearts go out to the family of Sade Robinson,' he said. 'This is a tragedy, and I'm just hopeful this verdict will be a step towards healing.'
Cotton told WISN-12 News he wasn't surprised by the jury's quick deliberation.
'We respect the jury's verdict,' Cotton said. 'We understand they had a very difficult job to do. They obviously thought about it overnight.'
He also said there was a "sense of relief" with the end of the trial. Cotton reportedly received personal threats.
'My heart goes out to Sade's family,' he added. 'I can't imagine what they're going through."
Anderson will be sentenced at 10 a.m. Aug. 15.
A conviction for first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment in Wisconsin.
It's possible that Anderson could serve part of the sentence in prison and then be eligible for extended supervision, but it will be decided by a judge.
No, Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty.
Chris Ramirez, David Clarey, Maia Pandey, Sophie Carson and Ariela Lopez contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maxwell Anderson trial in Milwaukee: What to know about the guilty verdicts
