The family of a 19-year-old Milwaukee woman who was killed and dismembered after a first date is taking the man accused of her murder to civil court and demanding he take responsibility for their loved one’s death.
Maxwell Anderson is the prime suspect in the murder of Sade Robinson. Robinson was last seen on a date with 33-year-old Anderson on the night of April 1.
The next day, authorities discovered some of her body parts on the shores of Lake Michigan.
In the weeks since her death, more of her remains have been found, but some are still missing. An arm was found on a Lake Michigan beach in a neighboring state that investigators are DNA testing now to determine if it belongs to Robinson. Authorities have the test results for some other remains but have yet to share them with the public.
Anderson was criminally charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson in connection with Robinson’s death.
Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarborough, has pleaded with his family to convince him to reveal where he dumped the rest of her remains in the hopes of giving her a proper burial.
“We’re at the point where we want to cut to the truth,” Verona Swanigan, attorney for Scarbrough said. “Cut to the heart of the matter.”
Now, Robinson’s family is suing Anderson for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They filed a 30-page wrongful death lawsuit on Monday demanding Anderson pay them punitive damages and proceeds from the sale of his home where prosecutors believe Robinson’s murder took place.
Investigators tied Anderson and Robinson together using surveillance video, phone records, and witness statements from April 1 that revealed the pair went to a restaurant, a bar, and then Anderson’s home that evening. Before dawn on April 2, someone was seen driving to a Lake Michigan beach park in a vehicle matching Robinson’s car and walking back and forth from the car to the lake. Robinson’s car was found scorched in an alley that morning.
Anderson sold his Milwaukee home for $195,000 last month. The suit alleges that Anderson’s family disposed of items in the house and sold the home to conceal evidence. According to the suit, the family wants earnings from the sale to block Anderson from benefiting from the “notoriety earned from slaying Ms. Robinson and destroying her family.”
“Sade Robinson is now deceased with no ability to be properly buried, and her mother, Mrs. Scarbrough and her minor sister are left in an emotional uproar with no idea when the pain would ever cease as they cannot sleep, are experiencing nightmares, are crying insatiably, are having headaches, cannot eat, and cannot find a sense of comfort or peace as they sit in agony and pain,” the complaint states.
Robinson studied criminal justice at Milwaukee Area Technical College and planned to join the Air Force upon graduating in May. Family members say that Anderson stole “their child’s body, future achievements, enjoyment of life and beauty,” as well as their ability to “rejoice in her graduation and future achievements, even properly grieve her death and bury her body.”
Anderson has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges he faces. He was unable to post his bond, set at $5 million, and remains in jail.
He’ll return to court on July 12.
