Maxwell Anderson guilty verdict, 2 jurors recount quick deliberation
Maxwell Anderson trial; jurors speak out about their verdict
Jurors in the Maxwell Anderson trial spoke about their verdict in the Sade Robinson homicide.
MILWAUKEE - It took the jury less than an hour to convict Maxwell Anderson of killing and dismembering Sade Robinson.
But what compelled them to make such a quick, unanimous decision?
The jurors had the whole weekend to process their verdict.
The jury sat in the courtroom for nearly two weeks.
On Monday, June 9, many of them were back to work and their normal lives.
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Maxwell Anderson and his defense attorney Anthony Cotton
Two of them talked to FOX6's Aaron Maybin about convicting Anderson, a decision they say, wasn't hard.
Hearing from Reuben Phillips
What they're saying:
"We listened to all the evidence. Things were mounting against him. For me, what solidified it was when they finally showed the pictures off his phone. Those pictures were cold. "As I described it before, evil," said Reuben Phillips.
Phillips recalls the moment prosecutors showed the jury deleted pictures from Maxwell Anderson’s phone, pictures of Sade Robinson.
"That was her lifeless body. That is what shook me the most. All those other pictures were horrible, but when I saw those, man, that was just something different. That shook me," added Phillips.
Reuben Phillips
On Friday, June 6, phillips and 11 other members of the jury found Anderson guilty on all counts of killing and dismembering Robinson during the night of their first date.
Philips says the big question inside the deliberation room was intentional homicide vs. reckless homicide.
"We didn’t have much questions about his guilt. It was really the discussion of is it possible he just snapped? The more I looked at it, for me, the pictures, that’s what made it intentional for me," said Phillips.
Hearing from Becca Breunig
What they're saying:
"We wanted to make sure every single juror’s voice was heard. That every single person’s qualms were addressed," said Becca Breunig.
So what sealed Anderson’s fate for juror Breunig?
"I don’t think it’s one thing in particular, it was just an overwhelming amount of evidence that really just pinpointed it to the guilty verdict on all four counts," added Breunig.
When asked if Anderson taking the stand would have changed something, Breunig replied, "No. I don’t think so."
FOX6 worked to talk with all the jurors who found Anderson guilty.
Becca Breunig
Many returned to work and didn't want to talk after taking in such gruesome and emotional testimony.
"I’m not family, I’m not friends of Sade, but I feel like I lived through a lot of this with her family. My heart just goes out to her family," said Breunig.
"Yes, we got justice in the court of law. A lot of people feel, you know, given the severity of the case, that’s not the justice i personally feel he deserves," said Phillips.
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Sade Robinson
New motion filed
What we know:
And on Monday, June 9, Maxwell Anderson's defense team filed a brand-new motion to dismiss count four: Hiding a Corpse.
His legal team says because there is one corpse, Anderson cannot be convicted of mutilating the same corpse.
His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Complete coverage
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News is streaming the entire Anderson trial each day on FOX LOCAL. The app is free to download on your phone, tablet or smart TV.
- Day 9: Jury finds Anderson guilty of killing, dismembering Robinson
- Day 8: Closing arguments made, jury deliberations begin
- Day 7: Sade Robinson killed; mapping path of Robinson's car
- Day 6: Jurors get look inside Anderson's home; see clothing
- Day 5: Testimony provided our first look at Anderson's arrest
- Open Record: Maxwell Anderson trial
- Day 4: Video from Milwaukee, discovery of Sade Robinson's remains
- Day 3: Testimony resumes; law enforcement, friends of Sade Robinson take stand
- Day 2: Opening statements, testimony begins
- Day 1: Jury selected in single day
- Sade Robinson homicide: Timeline of events leading to criminal charges
- Sade Robinson homicide: Parents navigate grief ahead of trial
- Sade Robinson homicide: The psychology behind the murder
- Sade Robinson homicide: Lasting legacy, from tragedy to advocacy
- Open Record: A Date With Death
The Source: FOX6 extensively covered the trial of Maxwell Anderson and the subsequent guilty verdict, and spoke to two jurors regarding their deliberations.