Lawyers for the family of Shanquella Robinson, an American woman killed in Mexico while on vacation with a group of friends, sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding the extradition of the woman seen in a viral video beating Robinson.
Mexican authorities issued the arrest warrant for Daejahnae Jackson of North Carolina in late November, but her name had been previously withheld until Monday when she was identified in the letter sent by the family’s attorney to the president.
“On behalf of the family of Shanquella Robinson, we write to request immediate diplomatic intervention from the United States Government in this transnational criminal case,” reads the letter that was also emailed to Atlanta Black Star. “The case involves the death of Shanquella Robinson, a 25-year- old ambitious, bright, entrepreneur and American Citizen.”
Robinson traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Oct. 28, 2022, for Jackson’s birthday celebration. She was declared dead the next day. Although, the circumstances behind her death aren’t clear. Video of a defeated Robinson wincing through kicks and punches from Jackson went viral after it was shared around Winston Salem University, allegedly sent by one of her travel mates.
The six people she shared a sprawling villa with in Cabo returned to Charlotte and left her body behind, telling the woman’s parents she died from alcohol poisoning.
However, a full medical examiner’s report released by the attorneys on Tuesday shows she had physical injuries that occurred 12 hours before her death. The report shows Robinson had a head injury that led to internal bleeding in her brain.
Robinson also suffered a direct blow to the left side of her hip, and the other was bruised. She had bruises on one of her hands, and the medical examiner found that she had injuries to her chest wall consistent with resuscitation efforts.
Robinson’s cause of death was a broken neck.
“Type or manner of death: Violent,” the report says.
What Really Happened to Shanquella Robinson In Mexico
An administrator of the villa Casa Linda #32 told homicide detectives she saw the video of Jackson assaulting Robinson, who was nude.
Santiago Miguel Marroquin Gonzalez said he recognized Jackson as the woman in the pajamas because he served as an interpreter for the group of seven friends. Marroquin Gonzalez told police he believes the assault occurred between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. because of the location of the sun’s rays in the video.
Suni Jehseel Popoca Millan, a concierge assigned to the villa, said he noticed that Robinson “seemed not to fit in” with the others at dinner.
“When I introduced myself, she did not greet me or smile, she was indifferent, nothing to do with the atmosphere of celebration,” the interview transcript says.
Popoca Millan received a text from Jackson the next day, right before 2 p.m., asking for the closest medical facility.
“I think my friend has alcohol poisoning and needs emergency service and someone to speak or translate in Spanish for us,” the text said.
The concierge called a local doctor at 2 p.m. Popoca Millan said he received a text from the doctor two hours later saying that Robinson was unconscious and had been hospitalized. He said he received a call about Robinson’s death later, which prompted him to return to the villa to check on the guests.
Popoca Millan told detectives he gave Jackson his condolences since she was the main person on the reservation. He asked her for permission to hug her, and she seemed “cold,” he said.
“I left that area and stayed outside to give them space to grieve; minutes later, I heard laughter,” Popoca Millan told police. Shortly after, he said the group asked for transportation to go out to dinner.
Will Daejahnae Jackson Face Justice?
Attorneys Sue-Ann Robinson and Benjamin Crump noted in the letter to Biden that if a U.S. citizen commits homicide in Mexico and returns back home, they can face criminal charges under federal law or state law.
“We know in a transnational case where evidence was possibly transported and persons of interest communicated with each other via cellphone, federal charges could be brought against those responsible for Shanquella’s death,” they wrote.
However, the legal team has encountered pushback from the U.S. Consulate officials in Mexico. One representative told attorney Robinson “if the family was seeking information about the case, perhaps the family should reach out to the at-large travel mates,” according to the letter.
“Certainly, this is an unacceptable response to share with an American family in regards to their daughter’s murder,” the letter states.
Attorneys Robinson and Crump said the U.S. can either follow the extradition protocol and turn Jackson over to Mexican authorities or request concurrent jurisdiction with Mexican law enforcement agencies, which would allow federal prosecutors to bring the case to the U.S.
If the arrest is made in the U.S. for Mexican extradition, the Office of International Affairs must work with a federal prosecutor to prepare a request for extradition to be approved by a judge.
“We have just witnessed what a swift concurrent response from Mexican and U.S. law enforcement agencies looks like in the kidnapping case of a group of U.S. Citizens at Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico,” the letter says. “Both scenarios we are requesting on behalf of Shanquella Robinson’s family require a high level of swift diplomatic intervention.”
