In a case that has horrified the nation, a Milwaukee man has been convicted of slaughtering and dismembering 19-year-old college student Sade Robinson—on the night of their very first date.
What began as a casual evening out on April 1, 2024, ended in a nightmarish tragedy no one could have imagined. Sade Robinson, a bright criminal justice student with a radiant future, met Maxwell Anderson for drinks. The two visited bars, laughed, texted, and eventually returned to Anderson’s apartment.
Prosecutors say Anderson murdered her, stuffed her body into her own car, and drove it to a secluded Milwaukee park. There, in the dead of night, he dismembered her, scattering her remains around the city like discarded trash. Then, in an attempt to cover his tracks, he torched her car and took a bus home.
On Friday, June 6, Anderson was found guilty on all charges: first-degree intentional homicide, dismembering a corpse, arson, and hiding a corpse. The jury needed just 45 minutes to seal his fate.
The verdict may bring legal closure, but Sade’s loved ones say the emotional wounds will never heal.
“There is no justice. We don’t have her,” said Sheena Scarbrough, Sade’s heartbroken mother. “She will be forever remembered as an angel. She is a hero.”
Sade was weeks away from graduating from Milwaukee Area Technical College with plans to pursue a career in criminal justice. Her death has since sparked outrage, sorrow, and calls for change.
To honor her memory, her family has launched Sade’s Voice Foundation, aimed at amplifying the cases of missing and murdered BIPOC individuals too often ignored by the media and law enforcement.
“Sade didn’t die in vain,” the foundation’s mission statement reads. “Her voice will speak for the voiceless.”
Anderson faces a mandatory life sentence when he’s sentenced on August 15. But for Sade’s family, friends, and a shaken community, the nightmare will echo far beyond the courtroom.