MILWAUKEE — Sade Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, expressed both grief and gratitude after a jury found Maxwell Anderson guilty in her daughter’s 2024 homicide.
On Friday, it took jurors less than an hour to convict Anderson of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and arson in the death of the 19-year-old.
RELATED: Jury finds Maxwell Anderson guilty on all counts in homicide of Sade Robinson
“She will be forever remembered as an angel, a light worker who’s touched so many souls, so many lives in the Milwaukee community. She is our hero,” Scarbrough said in a press conference outside the courthouse. “She is forever leaving an imprint. She walked in her own path, her own light. She solved her own case. My baby solved her own case. That’s how I raised my kids. We don’t give up. We are fighters.”
Alongside the family’s attorney and several family members, Scarbrough emphasized Sade’s legacy as a community advocate and urged the public to live by the principles her daughter lived by and to support the Sade’s Voice Foundation.
“Live by your principles. Live in your true spirit,” Scarbrough declared. “That’s how Sade is remembered from every job, from every stranger, from every person she touched. Her energy will be forever with us.”
Scarbrough highlighted the foundation’s ongoing mission to help other crime victims and her collaboration with Rep. Shelia Stubbs for the Missing and Murdered Task Force.
READ ALSO: Families of missing and murdered Black women plead for action
“We’re pushing for the Missing and Murdered Task Force. It’s mandatory. The state definitely needs it for our BIPOC women, for all women, and just allow us time to kind of grieve,” Scarbrough said.
Despite the relief from the verdict, Scarbrough acknowledged the lingering pain and grief and highlighted her family’s perseverance and passion for justice.
“I haven’t really had a day to grieve since April of last year. Me and Adriana have been nonstop all day, every day. My mom, my family, all of us, we don’t give up. So that’s what I can say about Sade. Go hard for your kids,” Scarbrough said.
The mother also emphasized the importance of communication with your children and her continued mission to fight for justice for crime victim families.
Watch: Sade's mother reacts to Maxwell Anderson’s guilty verdict
“If anybody has learned anything from the situation, please talk to your kids, please communicate. It takes a village. See something, say something,” Scarbrough said. “And we’ll be working to do so many things. Just continue to follow us and support us, and my mission is for crime victim families.”
When asked about her favorite memory of Sade, Scarbrough spoke of her daughter’s lasting presence and aura.
“She carried an aura like the glow, the same aura that she FaceTimed me the Monday before she was taken, that same aura, angelic aura, that is literally a glow that Sade carried from birth, and it’s just her energy,” Scarbrough explained.
The mother also emphasized all the memories they shared together and said that her daughter continues to guide her.
“There are just so many memories, just so many memories. And throughout all of this, like throughout the grief and everything, Sade continues to talk to me, to guide me, and her mission is still wanting to help others,” Scarbrough said.
READ ALSO: Family of Sade Robinson sues Milwaukee bars for overserving before her death
At the same press conference, the attorney for Sade’s family said they will continue litigating a civil case against Anderson and the Milwaukee bars that served Sade while she was underage.
Anderson will be back in court for sentencing on Aug. 15 at 10 a.m.
To learn more about Sade's Voice Foundation, or if you'd like to donate to it, click here.
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