Milwaukee woman believed to have been murdered was set to graduate at Sunday ceremony.
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) awarded a posthumous degree to the family of Sade Robinson, at a commencement ceremony Sunday, May 19, 2024. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Robinson was killed and dismembered in April.
Someone found Robinson’s severed leg in a Cudahy park on April 2, 2024 according to investigators. Searchers found more remains, believed to be Robinson’s, at locations in Milwaukee and South Milwaukee.
Robinson studied criminal justice at MATC. She was scheduled to graduate Sunday at the Fiserv Forum ceremony. Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, and sister, Adrianna Reams, wore pink graduation caps in her honor as they accepted the associate of arts degree. Pink was Robinson’s favorite color.
“A part of it felt wrong because this is her diploma and she worked so hard to earn it, but I’m glad that I could be here,” Reams said. “She really did deserve it. She worked so hard for so long.”
Robinson was going to receive her degree in criminal justice studies. She had two jobs, one at Pizza Shuttle and another at the Wisconsin Country Club.
On May 11, someone found a human arm at a Lake Michigan beach in Waukegan, IL. The Lake County (IL) Coroner’s Office said the arm is mostly intact and appears to be from a woman. The arm is being investigated for a possible connection to Sade Robinson.
On Thursday, May 16, Waukegan Alderman Keith Turner included a graphic photo of what appeared to be the severed arm in a Facebook post about the discovery.
It’s since been deleted but, it upset Robinson’s family, friends and supporters online. Scarbrough spoke out about the Facebook post at the graduation ceremony Sunday, demanding Turner be held accountable.
“The things that…Alderman did with the image is making it really difficult. More difficult for what we’re dealing with right now, today. He should be ashamed of himself. He’s a disgrace as a professional to be doing anything of that nature and character,” Scarbrough said.
Thirty-three-year-old Maxwell Anderson is charged in Robinson’s death. He is scheduled to appear in court again in July.
An aspiring Milwaukee barber, Amari Smith, killed by a reckless driver just months before graduation also received a posthumous degree at the ceremony.
