As Mexican authorities push for the extradition of an American suspect in connection with the death of Shanquella Robinson, her mother has spoken about one conversation she had with her daughter’s vacation travel associates.
The mom said the women talked to her about outfits they planned to wear to her funeral but never once revealed there was a fight between Robinson and at least one of the girls that contributed to her death.
On Wednesday, Dec. 7, an interview with Salamondra Robinson, the 25-year-old’s bereaved mother, debuted on the ABC News program “Nightline.”
While the mother spoke about how she wakes up every day with her daughter on her mind, and how certain pictures make her cry, she also mentioned how she found out the story her daughter’s ostensible friends told her about her demise most likely was not true. Salamondra said she received an anonymous phone call telling her about a violent altercation between the Charlotte native and someone on the trip.
“They said ‘they were over there fighting that girl,’” the mother recalled the caller saying. “And that’s the way they left it just like that … said, ‘They were over there fighting her, I don’t know why they keep telling her alcohol poisoning.’”
After receiving the tip about an assault, Salamondra confronted the group when they came to her house for a visit.
“They were crying. They said they never had a fight. They even [sat] here and said they were picking out what they were wearing to the funeral,” the mother said in disgust. She said they made the comments after hearing family members talk about the memorial service colors and plans.
As the family continued to plan for the services, more details poured in about the day that Robinson died. The news seemed to contradict the story the vacation companions had been sharing.
The autopsy stated Robinson died from a severe spinal cord injury and a dislocated neck, leading the Mexican authorities and the FBI to take a deeper look into the circumstances surrounding the Oct. 29 death in Cabo. This, coupled with a video of one of the women in the villa beating her up, led Mexican law enforcement to classify the death as femicide, a slaying of woman because of her gender, and saying the death was caused by “direct attack.”
Mexican authorities subsequently issued an arrest warrant two weeks ago and requested that one of the travel associates, an unnamed suspect, be extradited from the U.S. to face charges.
Salamondra confronted one of Shanquella’s friends who lived nearby regarding the inconsistencies, “He broke out in a sweat, he came out his shirt. He was sweating so bad, it’s like it was eating him up.” She not reveal the friend’s identity.
Mexican publication Metrópolimx, citing a source it did not identify, reported on Nov. 29 that the woman in question is Daejhanae Jackson and that she has already been arrested.
An Atlanta Black Star Fact Check article found that Jackson has not been extradited, and there would be bureaucratic and legal hurdles holding up moving any suspect in this case from the U.S. to the Mexico.
As described by the Charlotte Observer, the United States and Mexico have an almost 45-year-old agreement that could be holding the process up. It is called the “Protocol to the Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and the United Mexican States of May 4, 1978.”
The treaty reads, “It is anticipated that extradition authorities in both countries, which in some cases will include state-level authorities, would consult in order to develop the case-specific agreement necessary to effect a temporary transfer.
Such agreements would address arrangements for transferring custody of, and for returning, the prisoner, as well as authorizing further consultations on any extraordinary circumstances which may arise.”
The contract hopes to establish “a treaty-based legal framework for case-specific agreements, it should now prove possible for state-level authorities to offer the necessary assurances of custody and return,” an issue that has “frustrated” both countries in the past.
The US Justice Department is currently reviewing the request. The next to make a decision on the extradition will be the State Department, which will give final approval.
The family, friends, and supporters are becoming restless, with her sister Quilla Long saying, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, justice for her sister would be “everybody being arrested and doing time [in Mexico].”
Her comments come days before a scheduled rally for her sister scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Uptown Charlotte. The rally will be organized by the Million Youth March of Charlotte & Salisbury in Uptown Charlotte.
The indoor rally will allow for speakers to remember her life and also accommodate Shanquella’s grandmother, who would not have been able to participate in a march.
“The way she left us shouldn’t have ever happened,” Mario Black, the founder of Million Youth March of Charlotte and Salisbury, said to WCNC, adding, “I just want everybody to leave with a sense of hope, unity, and love. Love is the key, it conquers all.”
