Jury finds Maxwell Anderson guilty on all counts
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A verdict has been reached in the Maxwell Anderson trial.
On the ninth day of the trial, Friday, June 6, a jury found Anderson guilty on all counts -- first degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, arson of property other building, and hiding a corpse.
It took 31 minutes for the jury to deliberate Friday after about 20 minutes Thursday. They did not ask any questions.
A standing-room-only crowd listened intently as Judge Laura Crivello read the verdicts aloud shortly after 9 a.m.
The courtroom was the most crowded it had been the entire trial. Sade's Robinson's family and friends had many supporters, not all of them people who knew the young woman or her family. Many of them just concerned people from the community who have followed this case all along.
Maxwell Anderson's parents were not in the gallery as they had been every other day of the trial.
There were no outbursts or applause when the verdicts were read, but many people were crying.
After Maxwell Anderson was led out in handcuffs and the trial ended, family and friends hugged and cried in the gallery. They spent the next 45 minutes or so in a private room reserved for their family, then walked outside of the safety building to speak with the media.
Friday's verdicts offer the first opportunity for Sade Robinson's family to heal.
Sade's disappearance, murder, investigation, and the trial have taken a physical and emotional toll on her mother.
Sheena Scarbrough talked about her daughter after the verdict was read.
"She solved her own case. My baby solved her own case. That's how I raise my kids. We don't give up, we are fighters. I demanded justice. I stand tall, I stand affirmative. Sade will continue to walk with me daily and right beside me," Scarbrough said.
It's a case that was a huge undertaking for state prosecutors as they collected videos, images, and more than 80 witnesses to put on display in the courtroom during a two-week trial.
It took a large team to get to every corner of this investigation to lead that jury to a guilty verdict.
Attorneys, witnesses, doctors, detectives and law enforcement from all over Milwaukee County, stretching into Illinois, played a part in collecting evidence.
"This is a tragedy, and I'm hopeful that this verdict can be a step towards healing for everybody that this has affected," said Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan after the verdict.
He joined investigators to detail their hundreds of hours of work to get justice for Sade Robinson and her family.
"I will admit that I did go back to my office after the verdict and I had a good cry," said Det. Jo Ann Donner, the lead detective on the case from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
Maxwell Anderson being led out in handcuffs
Donner said she has lived and breathed this case for the last 14 months, working closely with prosecutors daily.
"Even on some of my off times, I would go down to Warnimont and I would go up and down that beach, just hoping," she said. "The most difficult part is not asking myself constantly, did I miss anything."
Detectives combed through countless hours of surveillance video from widespread locations to lay out the evidence.
"The time put into that- all the videos, retrieving the videos- that's what defined the timeline and the routes that were taken," Vance-Curzan said.
That thoroughness is why Vance-Curzan believes it was clear that Anderson is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.
"The evidence just spoke for itself. That's all I can say about that, and I think the jury saw that," he said.
District Attorney Kent Lovern said it was a perfect example of how so many different agencies can work together for the best outcome.
He also praised the jurors, saying it's a job where members of our community have the highest amount of authority.
Defense Attorney Anthony Cotton also spoke to the media following the verdict, saying he is "tired, exhausted, and relieved the case is done."
There was a lot of evidence shown over the past two weeks, and he says he was surprised with how quickly the jury came back with their verdict of guilty on all counts.
He believes they were able to find a jury that was fair and impartial and wouldn't have done anything differently.
"I think we did everything we could, it's the client's decision whether or not to testify. I think he made the right decision despite the verdict," Cotton said.
Cotton also says for him, as a person, it was a hard case -- he and his family got numerous threats.
Maxwell Anderson will be sentenced Aug. 15 in Milwaukee County court.
Shortly after that, Sade's family's civil trial against Anderson will begin.
Stay with CBS 58 for continued coverage.