Milwaukee man gets life in prison for killing and dismembering a woman on first date

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Milwaukee man who killed a 19-year-old college student on their first date and spread her body parts around the area was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A jury convicted Maxwell Anderson in June of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson and hiding a corpse in connection with Sade Robinson's death last year. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

During a sentencing hearing that was by turns somber, emotional and horrifying, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Laura Crivello repeatedly questioned how Anderson could commit such a heinous crime. Prosecutors related details of how Anderson cut up Robinson's body and dumped one of her legs near a playground.

Robinson's mother, Sheena Scarbrough, said Anderson “messed the entire community up" and deserves no protection in prison.

“Judge, I'm asking this demon be respectfully returned back to hell as soon as possible,” Scarbrough said.

Robinson's father, Carlos Robinson, suggested to the judge that someone dismember Anderson.

“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.”

First-degree intentional homicide in Wisconsin carries a mandatory life sentence. The only question for Anderson was whether the judge would allow him to seek parole.

Anderson's attorney, Tony Cotton, asked the judge to make Anderson eligible for parole after 25 years. He argued that Anderson served in the U.S. Navy and suffers from obvious mental health issues.

Cotton acknowledged that Anderson has been convicted of multiple misdemeanor disorderly conduct counts in connection with domestic violence but they're not significant offenses compared to most homicide defendants. He added that he has concerns about Anderson's safety in prison.

“That is a real consideration,” Cotton said. “At the end of the day, there is not mob justice in this country.”

Anderson told the judge that he's innocent and plans to appeal his convictions. He didn't elaborate, although Crivello later noted that Anderson had told an investigator that some stranger must have kidnapped Robinson after she left his apartment following their date.

“I hope true justice will be delivered,” Anderson said Friday.

Crivello refused to offer Anderson a chance at parole. She dismissed Anderson's claims of innocence, saying his view of reality “differs from the rest of the world." Trailing off at times and shaking her head, she said he's irredeemable, called his crimes “unconscionable” and likened the case to something out of a horror novel.

“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 also sentenced Anderson to 7 1/2 years on the dismemberment count and a year and a half on the arson charge. Online court records indicate she dismissed the fourth count of hiding a corpse on Friday after Cotton argued Anderson can't be convicted of both mutilating and hiding a corpse.

Anderson and Robinson, a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, met at a bar in March 2024 a week before her death. Surveillance video and cellphone text and tracking records show they spent the late afternoon and early evening of April 1 drinking at two bars before heading back to Anderson's apartment.

Photos on Anderson's phone show Anderson groping Robinson as she lay face down on his couch. Prosecutors have argued she was incapacitated and couldn't resist.

Surveillance video shows her car leaving his apartment early on the morning of April 2 and arriving at a park along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Prosecutors maintain that's where he cut her body into pieces. He later burned her car behind an abandoned building and took a bus home.

Searchers discovered one of Robinson's legs in the park and her other leg and a foot near a playground close to where he burned the car. A human torso and an arm believed to be Robinson's remains washed up on a beach in suburban South Milwaukee.

Her head is still missing.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the mother's name to Scarbrough, not Scarborough.

FILE - Maxwell Anderson, center, sits with defense attorneys Anthony Cotton, left and Jason Findling after the state and defense both rest during his trial in Milwaukee County Circuit court on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wis. (Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)

Adrianna Reams, sister of Sade Carleen Robinson, gives an emotional victim impact statement before the sentencing of Maxwell Anderson on Friday, Aug. 1 2025, in Milwaukee County Court in Milwaukee. (Angela Peterson /Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Carlos Robinson, father of Sade Carleen Robinson gives a victim impact statement on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 in Milwaukee County Court at the sentencing of Maxwell Anderson on Friday, Aug. 1 2025 in Milwaukee. (Angela Peterson /Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Sheena Scarbrough, mother of Sade Carleen Robinson, looks at Maxwell Anderson while giving a victim impact statement in Milwaukee County Court at the sentencing of of Anderson on Friday, Aug. 1 2025, in Milwaukee County Court in Milwaukee. (Angela Peterson /Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

FILE - Maxwell Anderson, center, sits with defense attorneys Anthony Cotton, left and Jason Findling after the state and defense both rest during his trial in Milwaukee County Circuit court on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wis. (Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)

KOHALA, Hawai‘i--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--

Kuleana Rum Works, the Hawai‘i-based distillery known for its additive-free, award-winning rums, today announced the release of “An Open Letter on Additive-Free Rum,” written by Founder & CEO Steve Jefferson, addressing why rum is now facing the same scrutiny and market shift that reshaped tequila a decade ago.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107792953/en/

Consumers across spirits are demanding more honesty about how products are made. Additive-free labeling has already transformed tequila and is reshaping whiskey and RTDs. Drinkers now expect producers to protect natural flavor instead of masking it, and bartenders increasingly use transparency as a measure of quality. The letter positions rum as the next category entering this accountability cycle, as more consumers begin to question undisclosed sweeteners, flavorings and added color.

Tequila provides the clearest precedent. Producers who embraced additive-free methods helped premiumize the category, while brands relying on undisclosed additives now face growing skepticism. According to the letter, rum is approaching the same turning point. Jefferson explains that Kuleana Rum Works was founded on additive-free principles: growing heirloom Hawaiian kō (sugarcane), fermenting and distilling fresh juice at lower proof to preserve natural character, adding nothing after distillation and holding all blending partners to the same standards. Every rum — whether distilled in Hawai‘i or sourced — is verified additive-free through independent lab testing and supplier documentation.

“Consumer expectations are changing fast across spirits,” said Steve Jefferson, Founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works. “People want honesty in what they drink, and they’re rewarding producers who protect natural flavor rather than covering it up. Additive-free isn’t a trend — it’s becoming the standard, and rum is now facing that shift head-on.”

Additional detail in the letter underscores how production choices such as fresh juice fermentation, low-proof distillation and a strict no-additives policy create transparency and flavor integrity that align with what the market is valuing.

About Kuleana Rum Works

Founded on the island of Hawai‘i in 2013, Kuleana Rum Works crafts award-winning, additive-free rums — led by its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole® — from fresh kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane) grown on its regenerative Kohala farm. Now available in 17 states and Japan, Kuleana Rum Works champions excellence, transparency and community stewardship. Visit kuleanarum.com to learn more.

https://kuleanarum.com/additive-free/