Maxwell Anderson was found guilty on all four counts in the murder of 19-year-old Sade Robinson after just 30 minutes of jury deliberation on Friday.
"This has been a waking nightmare, like it's been surreal to finally get to this point to establish a starting point to some type of peace," said Sheena Scarbrough, Robinson's mother.
The family described the past 14 months as agonizing but were present in court every day of the trial to support their loved one.
"She has been speaking to me and through me this entire time, that's how we were able to get through this," Scarbrough said.
After two weeks of graphic testimony, Robinson's family and friends packed the courtroom for the verdict. Supporters lined the hallways outside the court and gathered on the steps of the building, cheering as her family walked outside.
"She is our hero she is forever leaving an imprint she walks her own path, her own light," Scarbrough said during a press conference following the verdict.
The attorney for the family, Verona Swanigan, stated the legal fight for justice is not over as they pursue civil litigation against Anderson and the Milwaukee bars that served Robinson while she was underage.
"It will move forward quite rapidly once the sentencing has occurred," Swanigan said.
As this chapter of the trial closes, family members expressed relief.
"Nobody can imagine what our mental health went through, like nobody can," said David Scarbrough, Sade's uncle.
Linda Scarbrough, Sade's grandmother, added: "We've had a lot of sleepless nights so maybe we'll get a little bit more rest tonight knowing we got just a little bit of justice."
The family says they will continue fighting for families of missing and murdered women across the state to continue Sade's legacy of helping others.
"I will forever have her close in my heart," Sheena Scarbrough said.
Despite being present for two weeks of trial, Maxwell Anderson's family was not in the courtroom as the guilty verdicts were read. Anderson will return to court for sentencing on August 15.
This story was reported on-air by Mariam Mackar and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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