Maxwell Anderson in court as guilty verdict is read
MILWAUKEE – A jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson on Friday, June 6 after a days-long trial.
The verdict
The verdict was reached within an hour after the jurors were fully assembled at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Judge Laura Crivello read the verdict reached by nine women and three men around 9:20 a.m.
The verdict came on the ninth day of the trial – after a single day of jury selection and seven days of testimony. The jury got the case on Thursday evening, June 5, but only spent a few minutes on the case that evening. In the end, the verdict was reached quickly on Fridya morning.
Anderson is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, Aug. 15.
Reaction to verdict
Anderson’s defense attorney, Anthony Cotton, was among the first to speak with the media after the verdict was announced. Cotton said he approached this case like he does any other defense.
“I take on every case with the same vigor and effort that I can do for everybody, regardless of what the circumstances are. In our system, everybody deserves a defense. Everyone’s entitled to a defense, and I work hard to make sure a person gets that,” Cotton said.
Cotton told FOX6 News that while in court, Anderson was asking him about the sentencing process and what it looks like.
The Robinson estate attorney and Sade’s mother spoke at length about this being justice in the case. Sheena Scarbrough, Sade’s mother, wanted everyone to remember her daughter and what she meant to people who knew her.
“She will be forever remembered as an angel; a light worker who has touched so many souls, so many lives in the Milwaukee community,” Scarbrough said. “She is our hero. She is forever leaving a, an imprint. She walks in her own path, her own light. She solved her own case. My baby solved her own case. That’s how I raised my kids. We don’t give up. We are fighters. I demanded justice. I stand tall, I stand affirmative. Sade will continue to walk with me daily and right beside me.”
Sade Robinson’s family speaks following guilty verdict
Sade Robinson’s mother and estate attorney spoke to the media following the guilty verdict. A jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty on all counts, including 1st-degree intentional homicide, in the death and dismemberment of Sade Robinson.
The prosecutors and investigation team spoke around 11 a.m. Friday – and shared their appreciation to the jury for the outcome of this trial.
“I have to say that this investigation was extremely thorough, and the hours of work put into this by investigators from numerous agencies, the sheriff’s office primarily, and the Milwaukee Police Department, as well as other local agencies, federal agencies, even one out of state agency,” said Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan. “Everybody put together the case that you saw over the course of the past two weeks. It was, it was an incredible effort by so many people; by so many dedicated members of the law enforcement community.”
Maxwell Anderson trial guilty verdict, prosecution speaks
The prosecution spoke to the media following the guilty verdict in the Maxwell Anderson trial. On Friday, June 6, a jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty on all counts, including 1st-degree intentional homicide, in the death and dismemberment of Sade Robinson.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Det. JoAnn Donner was one of those who have spent the past months working on this case exclusively. Donner talked about how much this case has meant to her – and what an emotional toll it has had on so many people.
“My heart goes out to the family and her friends and and really, the community at large,” Donner said. “It’s everyone’s come together and it’s really it’s hard to take that step back as a law enforcement officer and not get that emotionally involved during the case. But I will admit that I did go back to my office after the verdict, and I had a good cry because I finally got to have that emotion. It does affect us, too.”
Detective JoAnn Donner, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office
In Court
What they’re saying:
A whirlwind of court activity unfolded on Thursday afternoon. Over the course of roughly an hour, the state rested its case, the judge denied a defense motion to dismiss a charge on the basis of multiplicity, the defense rested its case, jury instructions were read and closing arguments began.
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Lead Prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan delivered his closing argument first on Thursday.
“What Maxwell Anderson did to Sade Robinson was an intentional homicide. There is no question behind the intent and there’s no question about the person responsible for doing it,” Vance-Curzan said during his closing argument. “The killer is him, the last person to be with her, last one texting her, the last one whose residence she was at, the last one who had her car, the last one who had her phone, the last one who was with her. The one who burned her car.
“He did everything he could to try to get away with it. He tried to cover up, he tried to fool the police, he’s trying to fool all of you, but he doesn’t get to do that.”
Maxwell Anderson (June 5, 2025)
Defense Attorney Anthony Cotton delivered his closing argument second.
“You heard that he went to work at Dugout 54 the next morning. And his phone died, not turned off, intentionally. It died, during the hours that one would be asleep. And he went to Dugout 54, and he worked at Dugout 54, which was his job, the next day. No issue,” said Cotton. “You didn’t hear from one person who said suddenly his behavior is different or that he started acting strange, he continued to work, stayed in the area, didn’t cut his hair, didn’t change his appearance, didn’t have a ton of cash in his car with a passport to Mexico. None of that.”
A rebuttal from the state came after Cotton’s closing argument.
The backstory:
Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and arson of property other than a building. He is accused of killing Robinson after a date, dismembering her and dumping her body parts across Milwaukee County. One of her arms was later found on an Illinois beach.
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Prosecutors said Anderson and Robinson showed up at a Menomonee Valley bar on April 1, 2024 – the night she was last seen or heard from. The next day, Robinson’s burned-out car was found near 30th and Lisbon in Milwaukee. Surveillance photos show a man investigators believe is Anderson walking away from the area, and who was later seen on a bus heading back towards his home on the city’s south side.
Anderson had planned to kill Robinson weeks before her death, according to a statement from a “confidential informant” noted in court filings FOX6 News obtained. A search warrant also revealed prosecutors believe Anderson tried to cover up Robinson’s death with a text message.
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News is streaming the entire Anderson trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV.
The Source: FOX6 News was in court for the Anderson trial. Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court, and prior FOX6 coverage of the case.
