Cell phone app, security video critical in helping solve teen's murder

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Along the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Michigan sits a rocky, wooded country called Warnimont Park.

Det. Jo Donner: It's not determination that you find a batch of people.

On April 2, 2024, a young man, retired for a locomotion with a friend, made a gruesome find.

OFFICER 1 (bodycam): As they were walking, that bla — spot that limb close there? (officer points)

OFFICER 2: Yeah.

Lead Detective Jo Donner of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office says she knew she had a homicide, but thing else.

Anne-Marie Green: You person a leg, where's the remainder of her?

Det. Jo Donner: At that point, I didn't know.

Anne-Marie Green: So you person quality remains, nary weapon, nary suspect. … Where bash we spell from here?

Det. Jo Donner: That — that was a question I asked myself astir of that night.

But with the assistance of Milwaukee Police detective Nora Donegan, Donner had a suspicion who her unfortunate mightiness be: Sade Robinson, a 19-year-old assemblage student. On the evening of April 1, 2024, she had plans to spell connected a day but had not been seen since.

What Sade Robinson's car told investigators

Donner soon learned that Sade's car had been recovered down an abandoned gathering 3 miles from Sade's apartment, acceptable connected fire.

Det. Jo Donner: This is Sade's vehicle.

Anne-Marie Green: This is beauteous overmuch wholly destroyed.

Det. Jo Donner: It is. It is. It decidedly negated immoderate benignant of DNA, fingerprints, thing similar that.

Though the car was heavy damaged, it inactive revealed a large woody to the occurrence investigator.

Det. Jo Donner: The rider broadside … smelled heavy of a petroleum distillate.

Anne-Marie Green: So what did that archer them?

Det. Jo Donner: That it was much than apt an arson.

And though the car's interior was destroyed, investigators were capable to retrieve thing crucial.

Det. Jo Donner: So, underneath the driver's seat, Sade's purse was tucked nether there. ... To maine it decidedly eliminates a robbery, right?

And erstwhile investigators opened the trunk of Sade's car, they made a distressing discovery.

Det. Jo Donner: We recovered her pants, her underwear and her overgarment and her shoes.

Anne-Marie Green: This is the apparel she was wearing that night.

Det. Jo Donner: And … the jeans, it was evident that it was idiosyncratic other had taken them off. They were turned wrong out, and the underwear were inactive attached to them. So, yeah, it was decidedly a … reddish flag.

Another reddish emblem was thing Donner and her squad noticed astir the driver's spot — thing that suggested idiosyncratic other had driven Sade's car.

Det. Jo Donner: We instrumentality enactment of the spot positioning, origin that'll springiness tallness indicators. … I was capable to find astir however acold backmost that spot was. I past went to a dealership and recovered an identical model.

With the driver's spot successful the aforesaid presumption arsenic the 1 successful Sade's vehicle, Donner grabbed a lawman who was astir Sade's height.

Det. Jo Donner: And erstwhile she sat successful the car, she couldn't interaction the pedals. Her arms were consecutive retired and she's like, "There's nary way. I can't thrust similar this without perching connected the precise borderline of the seat."

Donner besides had a taller detective beryllium successful the vehicle, and based connected her experiment, Donner says the past idiosyncratic to thrust Sade's car had to beryllium astatine slightest six feet tall.

Anne-Marie Green: There's nary mode –

Det. Jo Donner: No way.

Anne-Marie Green: — Sade was the past idiosyncratic successful that driver's seat.

Det. Jo Donner: No, no.

The time aft uncovering the remains connected the beach, investigators contacted Sade's mother, Sheena Scarbrough.

Sheena Scarbrough: I — I'll ne'er hide that day. … Like, what's going on?

Sheena instantly sent for Sade's 16-year-old sister, Adrianna, to travel location aboriginal from school.

Adrianna Reams: We drove implicit to my mom's house. … And they were each … precise evidently upset.

But Sade's household hoped that this was a mistake, and Sade would beryllium recovered live and well. The serviceman asked Adrianna to stock Sade's compartment telephone determination from her Life360 app.

Anne-Marie Green: What is Life360?

Det. Jo Donner: Unlike Find My iPhone that gives you wherever your telephone is close present … Life360 gives you humanities data. … And it uses GPS, truthful it tends to beryllium acold much precise than the compartment records.

Adrianna Reams: And I pulled up the location. I saw that her telephone had died astatine 4:35 a.m. astatine Warnimont Park, and erstwhile I saw that, it was similar — similar (grimaces) … That was a precise antithetic spot for her to be. … And erstwhile I said that the detective, his look similar dropped and helium was similar — helium conscionable similar – (puts manus successful head) – yeah, helium unopen down kinda.

Sheena Scarbrough: I knew thing wasn't right. Somebody had … wounded my baby.

Tracking Sade Robinson's last hours

DNA tests hadn't yet determined if Sade Robinson matched the remains recovered on Lake Michigan. In the meantime, investigators began tracing the past known hours of her life. Her younger sister, Adrianna Reams, saw Sade connected Easter Sunday — the time earlier her date.

Adrianna Reams: We had worked unneurotic that morning. She picked maine up.

Sade and Adrianna worked arsenic servers astatine a state club.

Adrianna Reams: And she was 1 of the champion workers they had.

It was 1 of Sade's 2 jobs, connected apical of being a full-time pupil astatine a section method college.

Adrianna Reams: She wanted amended for herself. She wanted amended for me.

The hard enactment was paying off, with the 19-year-old capable to rent an flat and bargain a car each connected her own. Sade was acceptable to postgraduate with an associate's grade successful transgression justness the pursuing month. Adrianna says Sade hoped to past enlist successful the military.

Adrianna Reams: She was looking to articulation the Air Force. So, she had been gathering with recruiters. … That's however overmuch she wanted to bash everything that she dreamed of doing.

After moving astatine the state nine connected Sunday, March 31, 2024, Adrianna and Sade headed to their grandparents' location for Easter dinner.

Adrianna Reams: It was a really, truly bully night. And then, she took maine home. … Whenever she dropped maine off, it was ever similar a hesitation. … We'd ever beryllium like, "Love you." … And that night, I inactive retrieve … It was similar a antithetic benignant of hesitation.

The adjacent morning, Sade FaceTime'd her mom, Sheena Scarbrough.

Sheena Scarbrough: She was conscionable glowing done the FaceTime. She conscionable looked truthful beautiful. … She was successful a bubbly mood. She didn't notation thing to maine astir going connected a day that evening.

Security cameras successful Sade's gathering captured her leaving her flat astatine 9 a.m. that morning. Fifteen minutes later, Sade arrived for her displacement astatine the restaurant, Pizza Shuttle. Former owner, Mark Gold.

Mark Gold: Everybody loved her instantly and that — that's benignant of rare, I deliberation successful a edifice oregon immoderate concern … and she's a large worker. … She comes successful connected time. She smiles. Every clip she would enactment with me, I'd say, "What's up, Sade?" And she'd go, "The sky, Mark." She ever said it … and present I miss it.

Sade near Pizza Shuttle astatine 5 p.m. and texted a antheral she'd precocious met, Maxwell Anderson.

Det. Jo Donner: They are discussing wherever they're gonna conscionable up for their date.

Sade's substance messages amusement they chose The Twisted Fisherman.

Armed with that information, investigators past headed to the edifice and obtained information camera footage of Sade and her day together. Detective Donner examined the footage for clues.

Anne-Marie Green: What's benignant of lasting retired to you arsenic you ticker this video? Why is it important?

Det. Jo Donner: You cognize … it's the demeanor. Um, helium does a batch of talking to the bartender, doesn't bash a full batch of talking to her. Um, oregon adjacent similar turning and looking astatine her. It's conscionable — it seems a small antithetic for a date, there's not a batch of interaction.

Around 6:30 p.m., Sade and Maxwell Anderson near the edifice together. With the assistance of Sade's Life360 app, the detectives knew conscionable wherever the brace were headed.

Det. Jo Donner: I'm truthful gladsome … that — that she had that app.

Anne-Marie Green: So, erstwhile you recovered retired Sade had it connected her phone, you indispensable person thought: golden mine.

Det. Jo Donner: Yeah. Score, large time.

According to her Life360 app, Sade past went to a adjacent barroom called Duke's connected Water. When investigators headed there, they recovered information camera footage of Sade and her day arriving unneurotic astatine the bar. Again, Donner took enactment of the pair's dynamic.

Det. Jo Donner: So they are playing brew pong, uh, with this couple. And, honestly, this is the lone clip that it looks similar she's having fun. … I announcement that she seemed to beryllium smiling and enjoying herself.

Sade and Maxwell Anderson near the barroom unneurotic astir 9 p.m.

Det. Jo Donner: She's walking fine, um, doesn't look to beryllium impaired.

Anne-Marie Green: I deliberation it's absorbing that they're walking together, but not until the precise extremity helium benignant of reaches over.

Det. Jo Donner: Right. That's the only, like, existent carnal interaction different than concisely portion they were playing brew pong that I spot them have.

From there, Sade's day got successful the car with her. The Life360 app shows Sade arrived astatine Maxwell Anderson's location astir 9:30 p.m. Three hours later, the app shows Sade's telephone near his house. Sade's car began traveling toward her apartment, but alternatively of going home, the car drove past the building. Multiple surveillance cameras would spell connected to seizure Sade's car, with fogged-up windows, driving astir for hours.

Anne-Marie Green (in the car driving to Warnimont Park): Did determination look to beryllium immoderate benignant of similar rhyme oregon crushed to wherever this conveyance was going that night?

Det. Jo Donner: No. … It seemed to beryllium going each implicit the place.

Then, astatine 2:53 a.m., the Life360 app shows Sade's telephone arriving astatine Warnimont Park — wherever the artillery connected her telephone would aboriginal die. When the investigators checked for information camera footage from a adjacent building, they made a chilling discovery. The grainy footage shows someone, perchance a man, dragging thing to the lake.

Det. Jo Donner (on the way investigators judge Sade's slayer walked that nighttime astatine Warnimont Park): This is the way that helium took. And past helium would spell down.

Anne-Marie Green: Right astir here?

Det. Jo Donner: Yeah. … And this is wherever helium disappears disconnected of camera. … It drops disconnected close there.

Anne-Marie Green: Yeah.

Det. Jo Donner: That's wherever we suffer show of him.

Det. Jo Donner: The last clip that it comes up, you bash spot a ample backpack connected their back.

Anne-Marie Green: And who bash you judge that fig is?

Det. Jo Donner: Maxwell Anderson.

Anne-Marie Green: Who was the past idiosyncratic Sade Robinson was seen with?

Det. Jo Donner: Maxwell Anderson.

Sheena Scarbrough: Who is this person? How bash you cognize my daughter?

Who is Maxwell Anderson?

Anne-Marie Green: Had you ever heard the sanction Maxwell Anderson?

Adrianna Reams: No. …There were truthful galore questions. … Like … however they knew each other? What his motives were?

The nighttime Sade Robinson disappeared was not the archetypal clip she had met Maxwell Anderson. Three days earlier, Sade, seen connected information camera footage, walked into a bar. The proprietor told "48 Hours" that Sade was looking for a job. While there, she met the bartender: 6-foot-1-inch 33-year-old, Maxwell Anderson. They exchanged numbers and Maxwell walked Sade to her car.

Det. Jo Donner: It seemed similar … helium was trying to beryllium a man to this miss helium was trying to impress.

Anne-Marie Green: What did you larn astir Maxwell Anderson, his background?

Det. Jo Donner: I learned that helium had been successful the work manufacture for a portion … He owned a location down connected the southbound broadside of Milwaukee. … He was successful the Navy for a little magnitude of time.

Anne-Marie Green: Why did helium permission the military?

Det. Jo Donner: I judge it was a wide discharge.

But the antheral Sade would spell connected a day with besides had a transgression grounds that included operating a conveyance portion intoxicated, disorderly conduct, and more.

Det. Jo Donner: It was a small disturbing, similar a past of unit towards his ain family.

And successful 2019, he'd besides been accused of unit towards a full stranger. According to a constabulary report, Maxwell — seen successful video filmed by a bystander — bushed a antheral who tried to intervene during an statement Maxwell was having with a girlfriend. He was arrested for artillery but pleaded blameworthy to a lesser charge.

Det. Jo Donner: This guy's got a temper, and helium doesn't truly look to attraction who helium takes that temper retired on.

Anne-Marie Green: You're reasoning astir what could person happened with Sade?

Det. Jo Donner: Yes.

But could helium beryllium liable for Sade's disappearance? Detective Donner needed proof.

Anne-Marie Green: Just spending the evening with her —

Det. Jo Donner: Right.

Anne-Marie Green: – is not enough.

Det. Jo Donner: Right.

With the assistance of Sade's Life360 app, Donner knew Sade had driven to Maxwell's location connected April 1.

Det. Jo Donner: I wanted to — I wanted to get into his house. And we decidedly had capable to bash that.

On April 4, Donner got a hunt warrant to participate Maxwell's home, and she sent different squad to ticker him.

Det. Jo Donner: So, they statesman to travel him. We similar to not person the nonmigratory successful the house. It's conscionable safer.

Within minutes, the squad realized Maxwell was heading location and they had to enactment fast.

Det. Jo Donner: All right, let's instrumentality him into custody. … The lawman and the detective … said that, yeah, they decidedly felt him shaking.

Maxwell Anderson aboriginal asked for a lawyer and was ne'er interrogated. But erstwhile investigators yet entered the house, they were surprised.

Det. Jo Donner: There was nary large bloody transgression scene.

And nary motion of a cleanup, either.

Det. Jo Donner: It was precise evident that the dismemberment didn't hap there.

Investigators did find thing of interest.

Det. Jo Donner: A batch of knives … a batch of knives. … There were, I believe, similar 51 recovered successful the room alone.

Anne-Marie Green: Anything that could person been utilized to dismember a body?

Det. Jo Donner: I suppose. … None of those knives were — were used.

After searching the house, Donner was inactive missing cardinal elements, similar a weapon, transgression country oregon adjacent a azygous portion of nonstop grounds successful Maxwell Anderson's location tying him to Sade's disappearance.

Det. Jo Donner: It seemed similar each hopeful, you know, pb … I got disappointed each time.

Detective Donner started looking into different imaginable suspects.

Det. Jo Donner: While Maxwell Anderson seems similar a truly bully fishy … I wasn't gonna absorption connected him.

And she adjacent considered the anticipation that the remains connected the formation belonged to idiosyncratic else.

Det. Jo Donner: What if this isn't her? So, I inactive checked missing databases.

But Sade's loved ones were definite Donner was connected the close track. They sent a connection — covering Maxwell Anderson's gait with balloons and signs – each successful Sade's favourite color: pink.

Increasing the unit connected the probe was the shocking find of much assemblage parts crossed the county. The remains seemed to beryllium from the aforesaid victim. As instrumentality enforcement searched for much remains, truthful did volunteers, including Keke and Arlinda, household friends of Sade's.

Anne-Marie Green: They were already searching. Why adjacent get involved?

Keke: I didn't spot capable constabulary retired here. … We came by, and the country is empty.

Arlinda: But we were like, "OK, let's spell backmost and treble cheque and spot if we could find thing else."

While searching a wooded area, Keke recovered a broad that belonged to Sade. The adjacent day, Arlinda discovered a quality bony adjacent to bid tracks. Both were recovered successful areas investigators had already searched.

Anne-Marie Green: Could you recognize wherefore radical mightiness consciousness a small frustrated –

Det. Jo Donner: Absolutely.

Anne-Marie Green: — erstwhile they perceive that?

Det. Jo Donner: Absolutely.

Detective Donner was besides frustrated. That's erstwhile Chloe Wright stepped forward.

Chloe Wright: It was similar heart-stopping. I mean, it's conscionable similar this can't beryllium real.

Chloe had dated Maxwell for much than a year, and she was stunned to perceive her ex-boyfriend was a suspect.

Chloe Wright: This benignant of gruesome, graphic murder, I conscionable didn't spot from him.

Chloe and Maxwell broke up a twelvemonth earlier. She told "48 Hours" helium was ne'er physically abusive, but helium could beryllium verbally abusive.

Chloe Wright: He made comments about, like, my assemblage value often. Me not being attractive. … He wasn't a large boyfriend.

Anne-Marie Green: This sounds toxic.

Chloe Wright: It was precise toxic.

Chloe describes Maxwell arsenic a secretive person. But helium did stock 1 concealed with her that investigators were precise funny to learn.

Chloe Wright: I retrieve it was similar wintertime erstwhile helium had brought it up, and helium was like, "If we're inactive together, travel spring, I'm gonna instrumentality you to this concealed beach." … And past yet helium took maine there.

But Maxwell was truthful protective of his "secret beach," that erstwhile Chloe drove them there, helium would lone springiness her step-by-step directions.

Chloe Wright: He didn't privation maine to cognize the sanction successful lawsuit we broke up. He didn't privation maine bringing different radical to his concealed spot.

But she remembered wherever it was.

Chloe Wright: The constabulary were similar … "OK. … You nonstop us."

Repeating the directions Maxwell had ever fixed her, Chloe led investigators consecutive to his concealed beach: Warnimont Park.

Det. Jo Donner: Just having that impervious that helium kne astir it and was acquainted with it to a level that helium referred to it arsenic his "secret beach," that – that was beauteous big.

Anne-Marie Green: What bash we deliberation happened here?

Det. Jo Donner: This is wherever helium dismembered her.

Anne-Marie Green: When you deliberation of that peculiar place, peculiar to him. … What comes to mind?

Chloe Wright: Sade. Yeah. … I deliberation astir Sade.

On April 12, 2024, Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball made an announcement.

SHERIFF DENITA BALL (to reporters): The severed limb has been preliminarily identified arsenic belonging to Ms. Robinson.

That aforesaid day, Maxwell Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse, and arson. He would plead not blameworthy to each charges. DNA investigating would aboriginal corroborate the different remains were besides Sade.

On what should person been Sade's 20th birthday, her household held a memorial for her. It would instrumentality a twelvemonth earlier they would spot the antheral accused of sidesplitting Sade brought to trial.

The execution proceedings of Maxwell Anderson

In May 2025, Maxwell Anderson's execution proceedings began. Detective Donner knew it would beryllium a pugnacious combat with a circumstantial case.

Det. Jo Donner: I truly wanted that … gotcha portion of nonstop evidence, you know? And it ne'er came.

IAN VANCE-CURZAN (in court): Use your communal consciousness and hunt for the truth.

Prosecutor Ian Vance-Curzan took the assemblage done the past minutes of Sade's life.

IAN VANCE-CURZAN (in court): She was murdered by Maxwell Anderson. Her assemblage was dismembered by Maxwell Anderson successful a vicious and gruesome manner. And past Maxwell Anderson attempted to marque her vanish from this world.

The authoritative showed the assemblage grainy footage of Anderson's location captured connected his neighbor's information camera. It's hard to see, but investigators accidental it shows Maxwell and Sade, successful silhouette, arriving astatine his location and turning connected the airy of his 2nd level surviving room. Then, done the upstairs window, moving shadows tin beryllium seen. Investigators had poured implicit the footage hoping to find impervious of Anderson murdering Sade.

Anne-Marie Green (watching the footage): Do we person immoderate thought what's happening now?

Det. Jo Donner: I don't.

But Detective Donner did announcement thing that happened hours later.

Det. Jo Donner: I'm lone seeing 1 idiosyncratic leaving and I enactment that that 1 idiosyncratic that is leaving is the aforesaid tallness arsenic the obstruction and the gate.

Anne-Marie Green: Which is beauteous tall.

Det. Jo Donner: It is six foot.

Anne-Marie Green: Six foot.

Investigators fishy Maxwell had already killed Sade by that time.

ANTHONY COTTON (in court): But Max had thing to bash with these crimes.

Maxwell Anderson's defence lawyer Anthony Cotton told the assemblage that Anderson being the past known idiosyncratic with Sade proved nothing.

ANTHONY COTTON (in court): We don't quality immoderate of that timeline that they went retired unneurotic and went backmost to Max's house. But that doesn't mean helium killed her.

And helium dismissed the footage collected by the prosecution.

ANTHONY COTTON (in court): All of this video, each the hundreds of hours of video … You tin spot the car, but you can't ever reason that helium is the 1 who is driving this vehicle. It's a axenic speculation.

Cotton highlighted what helium called the "serious holes" successful the state's case: chiefly the deficiency of motive and the chartless origin of death.

ANTHONY COTTON (in court): There is perfectly nary crushed for Max to perpetrate a transgression similar this. Why would helium ever bash thing similar that?

Cotton pointed retired that authorities can't adjacent accidental however Sade died due to the fact that immoderate of her remains person not been recovered. CBS 58 Reporter Adam Rife says the defense's lawsuit seemed to beryllium effectual with courtroom watchers.

Adam Rife: There was speech arsenic this proceedings wore connected that not each the grounds is there. … If it was Maxwell Anderson … however did helium bash it? And wherever is that execution weapon?

But what would the assemblage think?

Anne-Marie Green (to jurors): Did immoderate of you think, "Oh, this is simply a slam dunk?"

Jurors: [shake their heads "no" successful unison]

"48 Hours" spoke to 4 of the jurors, Becca, Marilynn, Nickie and Mel – who says she was unimpressed with the footage of Sade's car that the prosecution presented:

Mel: I was like, "Where the hellhole is this going? … Why are they showing america this? … Who's driving?" We don't know. Like there's nary definitive proof.

But determination was 1 video that did marque an impression: footage of a antheral leaving the country of Sade's burning vehicle. You tin perceive a bystander calling out: "He did that!" … "That one!"

Marilynn, the assemblage foreperson, says the footage reminded her of the enigma idiosyncratic connected the beach.

Marilynn: You know, that is the aforesaid silhouette that we saw walking the streets of Milwaukee.

The antheral past gets connected a metropolis bus, and you tin spot his look crystal clear: it was Maxwell Anderson.

Anne-Marie Green: What does helium person with him?

Det. Jo Donner: He has that ample backpack still.

The backpack, pants and shoes Anderson is wearing connected the autobus were ne'er recovered. His grey overgarment was yet recovered successful his neighbor's garbage can. When the overgarment was tested, it had Sade's DNA wrong the hood and connected the zipper pull.

Det. Jo Donner: Now, could it beryllium possibly explained away? Sure. I mean, she did spell to his house.

Anne-Marie Green: Why would you propulsion it successful a trash tin 2 houses distant from your home?

Det. Jo Donner: Exactly.

Chloe Wright, who chose to attest off-camera, spoke astir her ex-boyfriend and his "secret beach."

Mel: He looked astatine her like, "I'm gonna termination you close now. Don't you accidental a word."

Anne-Marie Green: You each noticed that?

Marilynn: We each noticed that. …

Nickie: She played a precise captious role, I think.

But jurors would soon larn astir a harmless recovered successful Sade's apartment. Inside? Marijuana and what appeared to beryllium methamphetamine pills. Although the pills were ne'er sent to the authorities transgression laboratory for conclusive testing, the defence seemed to suggest much should person been done to spot if Sade's execution was truly connected to those drugs.

Marilynn: I felt that it was irrelevant to the lawsuit due to the fact that determination was never, ever immoderate grounds that pointed to her arsenic being a substance abuser.

Becca: They're conscionable trying to distract us.

Anne-Marie Green: So it ne'er crossed your caput erstwhile that … possibly this was a cause woody gone incorrect oregon —

Marilynn: No different evidence.

Nickie: Never, never.

Investigators had tested Sade's remains.

Anne-Marie Green: Did they find immoderate drugs successful her system?

Det. Jo Donner: No. Caffeine was the lone happening found.

Jurors accidental it was really 1 of the past pieces of grounds that they saw that made the biggest impact: photos recovered connected Maxwell Anderson's telephone that helium had taken and deleted. The photos are of Sade astatine his home.

Det. Jo Donner: She is, uh, look down. … Her limb is implicit her face. … You spot the manus of a achromatic antheral grasping what would beryllium her close breast.

Anne-Marie Green: Do you judge Sade was deceased oregon live successful those pictures, bash you know?

Det. Jo Donner: I bash not know. … My — my presumption is that she was deceased.

Adrianna Reams: To spot … the mode helium treated her similar — similar an object, it was truly disturbing.

Becca: I mean I personally felt similar I had lived the past fewer hours of Sade's beingness with her. And you were walking benignant of her footsteps passim the night. … And to spot her extremity up similar that was disgusting. Humiliating. Just horrible.

Marilynn: We went each backmost into the assemblage country and determination was a batch of quiet, a batch of hugs and conscionable everybody was conscionable benignant of sick.

Nickie: That did it. That did it.

The prosecution rested soon aft that.

And past Maxwell Anderson's defence rested without calling a azygous witness.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: Is it inactive your determination not to testify?

MAXWELL ANDERSON: That is my decision.

The jurors headed to deliberate, but they didn't deliberate for long. After breaking for the night, the assemblage had a verdict successful little than an hour.

Becca: We privation to travel successful present and we privation to marque a connection with however accelerated we marque this decision.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: We, the assemblage find the suspect Maxwell Anderson blameworthy of archetypal degree, intentional homicide … Guilty of mutilating a corpse. … Guilty of arson of spot …

Guilty of Sade Robinson's murder. But 2 months later, Maxwell Anderson decided to archer his story.

A mother's plea

IAN VANCE-CURZAN (in court): This is the astir heinous transgression this tribunal volition see. It doesn't get much … superior than this.

Sade Robinson's household was determined to spot that Maxwell Anderson would ne'er beryllium escaped again. They spoke straight to the justice astatine his sentencing. 17-year-old Adrianna Reams.

ADRIANNA REAMS (in court): When Maxwell Anderson murdered my sister, helium redefined my explanation of misfortune. … (emotional) He made it to wherever … I cannot conscionable immoderate idiosyncratic without the fearfulness that they're gonna harm oregon termination maine due to the fact that each my sister did was conscionable someone, and arsenic a result, helium ended her life. … He tried to erase her beingness and her value. Now I nary longer person the accidental to effort and springiness her everything she gave me.

Sade's father, Carlos Robinson, told the tribunal what justness would beryllium for him.

CARLOS ROBINSON (in court): To suffer your kid successful this mode … is unthinkable. … What helium has done is inconceivable. (looks implicit astatine Maxwell) He deserves the punishment that helium gave to my daughter. Everything that helium did should beryllium done to him. … To me, that's justice.

Sheena Scarbrough, wearing Sade's favourite colour pinkish connected her eyelids, wanted answers from her daughter's killer.

SHEENA SCARBROUGH (in court): You disrespectfully dispersed my girl crossed the Milwaukee similar a portion of trash. How situation you?

And she made a heartbreaking plea.

SHEENA SCARBROUGH (in court): I'm gonna respectfully petition that you confess wherever … my daughter's crown is.

Sade's crown, her head, which has inactive ne'er been found.

SHEENA SCARBROUGH (in court): You've already done the worst. You tin astatine slightest springiness america that much.

But if Sade's household was hoping for answers, they were disappointed.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: Mr. Anderson, what would you similar to say?

Maxwell Anderson yet chose to speak.

MAXWELL ANDERSON (in court): I would similar to commencement by saying that from the bottommost of my heart, my deepest and astir sincere condolences spell retired to Sade's family, arsenic good arsenic everyone other affected by this tragedy. That being said, Your Honor, I … did not perpetrate these crimes. … I anticipation and commune that further investigations not lone beryllium my innocence but find and present existent justice.

Adrianna Reams: You would deliberation … that helium would archer america the things we wanted to cognize and yet consciousness immoderate remorse aft sitting successful jailhouse for these months. And past helium didn't.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: Anything other you privation to say?

MAXWELL ANDERSON: No, ma'am.

Judge Laura Crivello work a connection Anderson made to an researcher aft his conviction.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: He regretted helium did not locomotion Ms. Robinson to her conveyance erstwhile she near his apartment. And helium believed it was astatine that constituent she was abducted by an chartless assailant, quote, "either from the alley oregon from my backyard," unquote. When asked however helium accounted for his beingness successful the country wherever Ms. … Robinson's conveyance was acceptable connected fire, Mr. Anderson said that helium was acceptable up.

Anne-Marie Green: You're proceeding this worldly and you're similar –

Det. Jo Donner: No. Nope.

Anne-Marie Green: What bash you deliberation happened that night?

Det. Jo Donner: I judge that they went backmost to his house. I deliberation helium whitethorn person wanted to instrumentality things further than she was comfy with. And that possibly she rejected him, and his alternatively well-documented temper came out.

And Donner suspects Anderson would person killed again.

Det. Jo Donner: I deliberation this was his archetypal clip killing. … I could beryllium incorrect but that's my opinion. I bash firmly judge though that it astir apt wouldn't beryllium his past if helium hadn't been caught. … Given … what helium did to her body.

Chloe wonders if she could person been 1 of his targets. A twelvemonth aft they broke up, she says, Maxwell sent her a connection connected Instagram.

Chloe Wright: And it was "Ignore clip is over."

Five hours later, Maxwell Anderson met Sade Robinson erstwhile she applied for that job.

Anne-Marie Green: That's gotta springiness you the chills.

Chloe Wright: It's eerie.

Before sentencing Anderson, Judge Crivello took a infinitesimal to stock her ain thoughts astir the nonaccomplishment of Sade Robinson.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO (in court): She was a miss that I would anticipation each young ladies strive to be. … She was loved successful the assemblage by astir everyone that touched her. … You stole a genuinely shining airy is what it sounds like.

And past she gave the antheral who stole that airy the maximum.

JUDGE LAURA CRIVELLO: You shall beryllium sentenced to imprisonment for life. … I americium ordering that you volition not beryllium eligible for extended supervision.

Life without the anticipation of parole.

SHEENA SCARBROUGH (to reporters) Thank you, guys, for supporting us!

Outside the courthouse, Sade's loved ones thanked the metropolis of Milwaukee for keeping her representation alive.

CARLOS ROBINSON (to reporters): I bash admit the metropolis of Milwaukee, origin they person shown my girl a batch of love.

A mural of Sade sits beneath her beloved Pizza Shuttle. Sheena has launched a programme successful Sade's grant to assistance transgression victims, and she has partnered with a Wisconsin authorities typical to make a task unit to analyse and forestall the disproportionately precocious levels of unit against Black women and girls. In May 2024, Adrianna – dressed successful a pinkish headdress and gown – accepted Sade's grade astatine what should person been her large sister's graduation.

Adrianna Reams: Seeing her unrecorded her beingness arsenic specified a hard idiosyncratic who ne'er fto thing halt her, I knew that she would privation maine to bash that aft I mislaid her, that she would privation maine to support living. … And so, I'm going to retrieve her by pursuing successful her … footsteps … and … capable … the spread that she near … though I cognize I tin ne'er unrecorded up to anyplace adjacent her shoes.

Anne-Marie Green: Hmm. I don't cognize astir that.

Adrianna Reams: I do.

In Warnimont Park, the tract wherever this tragic probe began, Sade's household and friends unveiled a memorial bench. It's successful the country Donner has searched dozens of times successful the hopes of fulfilling Sade's loved ones' deepest privation of laying each of Sade to rest.

Anne-Marie Green: Do you deliberation we'll ever find Sade's crown?

Det. Jo Donner: I deliberation truthful … erstwhile the water is acceptable to springiness her back.

In August 2025, Maxwell Anderson announced helium planned to entreaty his conviction.

Produced by Lauren A. White. Jordan Kinsey and Ryan Smith are the improvement producers. Rebecca Laflam is the broadcast associate. Diana Modica and George Baluzy are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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