In April 2024, the life of 19-year-old Sade Robinson, a vibrant Milwaukee college student with dreams of a career in criminal justice, was brutally ended. Maxwell Anderson, a 34-year-old former bartender, now stands trial for her murder, facing charges of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson. The first five days of the trial, which began on May 27, 2025, in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, have revealed a chilling sequence of events, heart-wrenching testimonies, and a trail of grim evidence that has gripped the community and left Robinson’s family in anguish.
Sade Robinson was a beloved daughter, sister, and friend, known for her outgoing personality and determination. She was weeks away from graduating from Milwaukee Area Technical College when she went on a first date with Anderson on April 1, 2024. The two met at Twisted Fisherman, a seafood restaurant where Anderson once worked, and later visited Duke’s on Water, a popular Milwaukee bar. Surveillance footage from that evening, shown in court on the fifth day of the trial, captured Robinson and Anderson together, laughing and playing beer pong with another couple. It was the last time she was seen alive. Her mother, Sheena Scarbrough, recalled their final conversation that night, a video call where Robinson excitedly discussed her plans. The next day, when Robinson failed to show up for her shift at Pizza Shuttle, her coworkers immediately sensed something was wrong.
The trial’s opening day set a somber tone as prosecutors outlined their case, alleging Anderson killed Robinson after she visited his southside Milwaukee home. Text messages and phone location data placed Robinson at Anderson’s residence late that night. The following morning, her Honda Civic was found engulfed in flames near 30th and Lisbon, deliberately set ablaze with a petroleum-based accelerant, according to investigators. A witness, Osyrus Terrell, testified to a horrific discovery that same day: a severed leg at Warnimont Park in Cudahy, initially mistaken for a mannequin. DNA testing later confirmed it belonged to Robinson, marking the beginning of a gruesome series of findings.
On the second day, Robinson’s coworker Evelyn Geurts and friend Alana Fisher testified about her habit of sharing her phone’s location for safety, a precaution that proved critical. Data from her Life360 app showed her phone’s last activity at Warnimont Park around 4:35 a.m. on April 2, hours before her leg was found there. Surveillance footage revealed a figure, believed to be Anderson, walking away from the burning car with a backpack, moments before firefighters arrived. The prosecution emphasized the calculated nature of the crime, with the fire intended to destroy evidence.
By the third day, the scope of the tragedy widened. Additional remains, including a torso and arm, were discovered across Milwaukee County, from train tracks to a South Milwaukee beach. Robinson’s family, desperate for answers, played a pivotal role in the investigation, alerting police to a custom photo blanket belonging to Sade found near one of the sites. Sergeant Cassandra Lindert testified to recovering Robinson’s foot and fragments of flesh in a park, underscoring the scattered nature of the remains, which extended as far as Waukegan, Illinois. The prosecution presented bus surveillance footage showing Anderson near the car fire, further tying him to the crime scene.
The fourth day brought chilling details from Anderson’s tenant, who lived in the lower unit of his home. The tenant recalled hearing unusual noises at dawn on April 2, shortly before police executed a search warrant. Inside Anderson’s residence, investigators found over 50 knives, an axe, women’s clothing, and gasoline containers, though preliminary DNA tests excluded Robinson’s DNA from blood found on bedding and walls. The medical examiner’s testimony was particularly harrowing, confirming that Robinson’s body was dismembered after death, with irregular wounds suggesting multiple cuts.
On the fifth day, jurors viewed surveillance from Twisted Fisherman and Duke’s, showing Robinson and Anderson’s interactions during their date. Additional evidence included bloody gloves and clothing matching what Anderson wore that night, recovered from his home and outdoor locations. The prosecution highlighted photos on Anderson’s phone, one allegedly showing Robinson face-down on his couch, her pants and underwear partially removed, later found in her burned car’s trunk.
The trial, expected to last two weeks, has drawn intense scrutiny. Anderson’s defense has challenged the evidence, noting the absence of Robinson’s DNA in his home and no identified murder weapon. Yet, the prosecution’s case, built on surveillance, phone data, and physical evidence, paints a damning picture. For Robinson’s family, the courtroom proceedings are a painful step toward justice. Her mother’s emotional outburst in court, calling Anderson a “devil,” reflected the raw grief of a community mourning a young woman whose life was taken too soon. As the trial continues, Milwaukee waits for answers in a case that has exposed the depths of human tragedy.
