Maxwell Anderson’s Parents: Statement, Duplex Sale, and Lawsuit

Maxwell Anderson’s parents are Steven Anderson and a mother who has not been publicly identified; they divorced in 2010, and it is his father who has spoken for the family throughout the Sade Robinson murder case, funding the defense, addressing the court at sentencing, and briefly appearing as a defendant in the family’s wrongful death lawsuit before being dismissed without prejudice.¹

Who the Parents Are

Steven Anderson and Maxwell’s mother raised Maxwell and a younger sister in affluent Waukesha County, west of Milwaukee. During Maxwell’s teenage years, the family owned two properties: a home in a Delafield subdivision with an estimated market value of roughly $750,000 and a Pewaukee Lake property valued at approximately $1.2 million.¹ The parents filed for divorce in 2010, the year after Maxwell graduated from Pewaukee High School. Maxwell’s mother has not spoken publicly about the case. Steven Anderson now lives in Sarasota, Florida.²

Sade Robinson, 19, went on a date with Maxwell Anderson, then 34, on April 1, 2024. She was killed and dismembered, her remains scattered across Milwaukee County with an arm later recovered on a beach in Waukegan, Illinois. Her head and some remains have never been found.³ On June 6, 2025, a jury convicted Anderson on all four counts against him, including first-degree intentional homicide, and on August 1, 2025, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of extended supervision.⁴

The Family’s First Public Statement

Steven Anderson broke the family’s silence in April 2024, shortly after his son’s arrest, through a statement released by the law firm Kuchler and Cotton. He offered “deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences” to Robinson’s family. “To Sade’s mother and father, words cannot express our sorrow for the incomprehensible pain and grief you are going through,” he said. “We join the entire community in celebrating Sade’s life.”⁵

Funding the Defense, and What Came Before

Steven Anderson has publicly described a line between love and financial rescue. He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that “unconditional love has not meant unconditional financial support from his family” and rejected the idea that he had “a habit of bailing him out of bad situations,” calling that a perception social media promoted and saying “nothing could be further from the truth.”¹

He also acknowledged concrete help. Steven Anderson assisted Maxwell in buying a used car and sold him a south side Milwaukee duplex Steven had previously owned, describing it as a “modest home.” He said that in the murder case he was “helping him defend himself and making sure he has a good attorney to present his defense” because “the consequences of a mistake in justice would mean his loss of freedom.” In earlier legal matters, Steven said, Maxwell had relied on public defenders or represented himself.¹ Those earlier matters were misdemeanor cases in 2014, 2015, and 2019 involving domestic disorderly conduct and, in the 2019 Milwaukee case, a beating of a stranger for which Anderson received probation, community service, and $7,000 in restitution.⁶

A 2009 police report offers an earlier glimpse of Steven’s approach. After Maxwell fled an underage drinking party, Steven initially told officers he believed his son was at a friend’s house. When a sheriff’s deputy tried to follow up on a related matter involving a vehicle registered to Steven, the deputy reported that Steven was “very unwilling” to provide information and yelled at the officer when the seriousness was explained.¹

The Duplex Sale

On May 10, 2024, while Maxwell was in jail awaiting trial, the Milwaukee duplex was sold for $195,000 to two LLCs. Steven Anderson issued a statement asserting that “the seller’s representatives were transparent in all aspects of the transaction” and that the reduced price “reflected the impact the controversy had on the value of the property.”⁷ The proceeds of that sale later became a target of the wrongful death lawsuit, which seeks to prevent Anderson from profiting from the crime.²

Steven Anderson at Sentencing

At Maxwell’s August 1, 2025 sentencing, Judge Laura Crivello imposed life without the possibility of extended supervision, rejecting a defense request that could have allowed release after 25 years. She cited Anderson’s “heartless character” and told him, “I don’t think you’re remorseful in any way. I don’t think that you have gotten to the point of taking any form of responsibility for what transpired.”⁴ Anderson maintained his innocence, telling the court he had never sought a plea deal “because I did not commit these crimes,” and said he planned to appeal.³

Steven Anderson addressed the court that day. He told the Robinson family, “There are no words I can share that will reduce your pain.” He then spoke to his son, said he loved him, and expressed hope that Maxwell would be a “positive influence during this incarceration.” Maxwell reportedly appeared moved to tears by his father’s words. Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, called Maxwell Anderson a “devil” and pleaded with him to reveal where the rest of her daughter’s remains are: “You’ve already done the worst. You can at least give us that much.”³

Steven Anderson in the Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Sheena Scarbrough filed the wrongful death lawsuit in June 2024. In September 2024, the complaint was amended to add Steven Anderson as a defendant, alongside the Twisted Fisherman, the bar the family alleged had overserved Robinson.⁸ The specific allegations against Steven Anderson have not been publicly detailed.

Steven Anderson was dismissed from the case on June 5, 2025, after process servers failed on two attempts, in September and October 2024, to hand-deliver the summons to his Sarasota, Florida home. On August 19, 2025, Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro ruled that the failure to serve constituted “excusable neglect” and ordered the dismissal to be without prejudice, allowing the family to refile against him. “I do find there were things here that should have been done, that weren’t,” Yamahiro said, “but on balance, I don’t think that warrants a dismissal with prejudice.”⁹²

The Robinson family’s attorney, Verona Swanigan, said the family intends to gather additional evidence and potentially refile against Steven Anderson. She also said she plans to depose Maxwell Anderson in the civil case, noting that his criminal conviction eliminates his ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination.

Where Things Stand

Maxwell Anderson is serving a life sentence and has indicated he will appeal. The wrongful death case remains active against him, with a hearing scheduled for September 2026; he attended a June 2026 status conference by Zoom from prison.¹⁰ Steven Anderson is no longer a defendant, but the door to bring him back into the case has been left open. Maxwell’s mother has stayed out of public view throughout.

1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Maxwell Anderson: Violence, Legal Trouble, Few Consequences
2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sade Robinson’s Family Can Refile Wrongful Death Case Against Maxwell Anderson’s Father
3
Court TV. Maxwell Anderson Faces Sentencing for Murder of Sade Robinson
4
Wisconsin Public Radio. Maxwell Anderson Life Sentence for Murder of Sade Robinson
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WTMJ. Family of Accused Killer Maxwell Anderson Breaks Silence
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Who Is Maxwell Anderson
7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Maxwell Anderson Sells His Milwaukee Home
8
WISN. Sade Robinson’s Family Seeks Justice Through Civil Suits
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FOX6 Milwaukee. Maxwell Anderson Case: Judge Dismisses Father From Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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CBS58. Maxwell Anderson Back in Court for Wrongful Death Civil Lawsuit