The family of Shanquella Robinson, the young woman who died from a spinal injury while on vacation in Mexico with six friends, has taken one step toward justice.
Their lawyer has announced that the 25-year-old’s estate will be suing those who went on the trip with her.
“The lawsuit will be against the six travel mates, including the three who lied by omission by failing to disclose that someone had been beating Shanquella prior to her death,” attorney Sue-Ann Robinson said to Newsweek.
The family will be filing a civil lawsuit, according to the lawyer, stating that the family is “tired, weary, heartbroken and missing Shanquella but motivated by her legacy to keep moving forward on the path to her justice.”
Robinson was discovered unresponsive in the living room of a vacation villa in San José del Cabo on Oct. 29.
She and people she thought were her friends stayed at a popular resort town located at the southern end of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The young entrepreneur passed away one day after arriving at the resort.
Initially, her fellow travelers told Robinson’s family that the cause of her death was alcohol poisoning. A subsequent autopsy performed by Mexican authorities disproved that account, indicating that her likely cause of death was due to “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation.”
Her death certificate says that within 15 minutes of suffering a severe spinal cord injury and a broken neck, she died.
In November 2022, Mexican police disclosed an investigative report they conducted that suggested Robinson remained alive for several hours and received medical attention from a doctor before officials arrived and declared her dead. The doctor reported that Robinson’s friends didn’t want her to go to the hospital.
State prosecutor Daniel de la Rosa Anaya said it gets deeper — believing the women were bullying Robinson in the villa.
“This case is fully clarified, we even have a court order, there is an arrest warrant issued for the crime of femicide to the detriment of the victim and against an alleged perpetrator, a friend of her who is the direct aggressor,” de la Rosa said. “Actually, it wasn’t a quarrel, but instead a direct aggression. We are carrying out all the pertinent procedures such as the Interpol alert and the request for extradition to the United States of America. It’s about two Americans, the victim and the culprit.”
The question has been what happened to her.
Within a week of her death, a 20-second video depicting a woman who, according to her family, was Robinson is seen getting beaten down, punched, and kicked repeatedly by another female.
The audio captures a man standing nearby can be heard saying: “Quella, can you at least fight back?”
Still, even though the video showed that something happened, in April 2023, federal prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to press criminal charges against the women.
“They had a video that went viral, the whole world saw the video, and there’s still been no arrest since Oct. 29; what kind of system is this?” said Robinson’s mother, Sallamondra Robinson, while their lawyer said, “Covering up the fact that she was beaten is a consciousness of guilt.”
Attorney Sue-Ann Robinson believes that the U.S. government did not do enough to secure justice for Robinson and that the perpetrators are not being held accountable.
“You can’t have an investigation where you’re announcing to the family and the public that you’re declining charges, but you haven’t translated all the documents. That just doesn’t make any sense,” said the lawyer, according to Queen City News.
Attorney Robinson is hoping that the civil lawsuit will bring justice. The FBI Charlotte division says the young woman’s case remains open, but as decided in the spring, there is not yet enough evidence for them to press charges.
Sue-Ann Robinson’s office did not respond to questions about the status of Mexico’s reported extradition request linked to a warrant issued last November.
Trending NOW:
- Neighbor Kills New York Man and Stepson Execution-Style In Dispute Over Loud Music Captured on Video
- Cops Kill New York Man Who Shot Neighbor and Stepson Execution-Style In Dispute Over Loud Music In Dramatic Take-Down
- Long Island Man Points Gun at 6-Year-Old Who Mistakenly Placed a Halloween Candy Bag on His Porch, Faces Charges
Never miss a story — sign up for ATLANTA BLACK STAR’S free daily newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest developments, from top news headlines to celebrity news.
