A nationwide call for justice has been shared through social media posts as more people learn about 25-year-old Shanquella Robinson of Charlotte, North Carolina, who died during a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in October. Many posts are using the hashtag #JusticeforShanquella in hopes her story will reach national headlines.
Wothappen reports Robinson and a group of friends left for Mexico on Oct. 29. Less than 24 hours later, according to the blog, the friends said Robinson wasn’t feeling well due to alcohol poisoning and later died.
Robinson’s family believes there is much more to her death.
A video posted online shows Robinson being attacked by one of the friends she traveled with. WCNC Charlotte is choosing not to include the video due to the graphic images.
Chris Swecker, a retired FBI assistant director, said emerging details like this should be enough to make Mexican officials take a second look at the case.
This online news platform understands that the resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, US woman, Shanquella Robinson was brutally beaten to death by her friend in a Mexican villa. But, some of her friends claimed she died of alcohol poisoning, according to BET.
According to Naija News Gossip the report further revealed that she was part of a group that travelled from Charlotte to Cabo on October 28 and rented out a villa as part of the birthday festivities for one of their friends.
Salamondra Robinson, Shanquella Robinson’s mother has told reporters that she last spoke to her daughter moments after she had settled down in Cabo and while she was having a meal with her friends.
While they agreed to speak the next day, the only phone call that Salamondra received was from one of her friends telling her that Shanquella was sick and that they were waiting for a doctor to arrive.
“They said she wasn’t feeling well. She had alcohol poisoning,” Salamondra said to the news station. “They couldn’t get a pulse. Each one of the people that was there with her was telling different stories.”
Later, Salamondra received a call that her daughter died from food poisoning from one of the friends she was vacationing with.
“No one told the same story, so I never believed them anyway,” Salamondra said.
So far, no one in the group is facing charges related to the alleged assault on Robinson or her death. Swecker said there is a statute that gives the FBI and the state department the ability to investigate the murder of a U.S citizen in a foreign country at the hands of another U.S citizen, but there are limitations.
“If the foreign country is willing to prosecute … that individual they will exercise that jurisdiction,” Swecker said. “The other one is if that perpetrator is out of the country where the murder took place and that country has no means of prosecuting or investigating the perpetrator.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said they are not involved at all in the investigation. WCNC Charlotte has worked to track down the friends who Robinson traveled with; they have either offered no comment or have left the area and can no longer be reached.
Wothappen Charlotte contacted the FBI Charlotte Field Office to see if it was investigating her death. They released the following statement:
“The FBI Charlotte Field Office has opened an investigation in the death of Charlotte resident, Shanquella Robinson in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on or about October 29, 2022. Due to the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment.”
The state attorney general’s office of Baja California Sur said “the case was opened as a femicide. We will continue the investigation.”
U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams issued the statement following reports of Robinson’s death:
“I was saddened to hear of the passing of Shanquella Robinson, and my heart goes out to her family and those who loved her. No parent deserves to suffer this tragedy.
“As with all cases involving constituents, our Congressional Office is ready to assist in any way we can with federal agencies. Any constituent who needs assistance with a federal agency can open a case with our office by calling 704-344-9950 or visiting adams.house.gov.”
Charlotte NAACP President Reverend Corine Mack said she is heartbroken by Robinson’s death. She said no family should have to endure this type of pain.
“Can you imagine the harm they are going through, the trauma they are going through, the loss they are going to have to endure for the rest of their lives?” Mack asked. “I don’t think anyone can endure that type of pain and not get justice.”
She added her family deserves a thorough investigation and answers.
“Robinson is someone who could be my daughter, anyone’s daughter, and I think the reason that people are so angry … so upset is because she was around entrusted people … who had some hand in the loss of her life,” Mack said.
Representatives of the NAACP are calling for those who were on the trip and anyone with information to come forward.
“If we begin to hold our own accountable then we can maybe see a change in the temperature in the community,” Rev. Sonya Campbell with the Charlotte NAACP said.
The organization is in contact with the family and will continue to provide them with support and push for a full investigation to be done.
“This is a citizen of this country,” Mack said. “We so often fight for those who are all over the world. Fight for our sister. Fight for the Robinson family.”
The family has organized a GoFundMe to help lay Robinson to rest. Funeral services are planned for Saturday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Macedonia Baptist Church in Charlotte.