A man from Milwaukee in the United States, Maxwell Anderson, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of killing and dismembering 19-year-old college student, Sade Robinson, during their first date.
The harrowing case drew strong emotional reactions from the courtroom during sentencing on Friday.
Anderson was convicted in June on multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson, and hiding a corpse.
Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the trial, the jury found him responsible for the horrific crime that shocked the Milwaukee community last year.
Family’s Anguish Echoes in Court
During a sentencing hearing marked by grief and outrage, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Laura Crivello questioned how Anderson could commit such an atrocity.
Prosecutors recounted how Anderson dismembered Robinson and left parts of her body in various public locations, including near a playground.
Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, condemned Anderson’s actions and called for no leniency in his punishment.
“Judge, I’m asking this demon be respectfully returned back to hell as soon as possible,” Scarbrough said.
Her father, Carlos Robinson, expressed his devastation and demanded harsh retribution.
“Everything that he did should be done to him,” he said. “No man should be able to live after what he did. That’s just how I feel. I can’t get past this. I can’t.”
Judge Rejects Plea for Parole
Under Wisconsin law, a conviction for first-degree intentional homicide requires a mandatory life sentence.
The only question before the court was whether Anderson would ever be eligible for parole.
His attorney, Tony Cotton, requested parole eligibility after 25 years, citing Anderson’s service in the U.S. Navy and ongoing mental health struggles.
He acknowledged his client’s prior misdemeanor convictions related to domestic violence but argued they were minor compared to the severity of most homicide cases.
“That is a real consideration,” Cotton said. “At the end of the day, there is not mob justice in this country.”
Judge Crivello, however, firmly denied the parole request, describing Anderson’s actions as beyond redemption.
“It’s beyond imaginable to not know whether your child is dead or alive, and then learn they’re dismembered and disgraced, is beyond understanding,” she said.
She further remarked that Anderson’s grasp of reality was detached, stating that his crimes resembled something out of a horror novel.
She imposed additional sentences of 7½ years for mutilating a corpse and 1½ years for arson. A fourth count, hiding a corpse, was dismissed following arguments from the defense that a person cannot be convicted of both hiding and mutilating the same body.
Anderson Maintains Innocence
Throughout the proceedings, Anderson insisted he was not responsible for Robinson’s death and signaled his intention to appeal.
“I hope true justice will be delivered,” he said Friday.
According to Judge Crivello, Anderson once claimed to an investigator that Robinson may have been abducted by someone else after leaving his apartment.
Tragic End to a First Date
Robinson, a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, met Anderson at a bar in March 2024. Surveillance footage and digital data revealed they spent the evening of April 1 visiting two bars before heading to Anderson’s apartment.
Photos recovered from Anderson’s phone showed him groping Robinson while she lay face down on his couch.
Prosecutors argued she was incapacitated and unable to consent or defend herself.
Surveillance video later captured her vehicle leaving Anderson’s residence in the early hours of April 2 and arriving at a park along Lake Michigan. Authorities believe it was there that Anderson dismembered her.
He subsequently set her car ablaze near an abandoned building and used public transport to return home.
Over time, searchers found body parts in different locations, including a park and a playground. Robinson’s torso and arm were discovered washed up on a South Milwaukee beach, but her head remains missing.
The case has left a lasting scar on Robinson’s family and community, with many calling for justice that extends beyond the courtroom.