Attorneys for the family of Shanquella Robinson filed a wrongful death lawsuit ahead of the second anniversary of Robinson’s death.
The complaint was filed against the U.S. Department of State, the FBI, and the travel companions known as the “Cabo Six” who accompanied Robinson to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where she was found dead on October 29, 2022, just one day after arriving in the city.
The travel party returned to the U.S. on Oct. 30, leaving 25-year-old Robinson’s body in Mexico. They said Robinson died from alcohol poisoning.
However, their story didn’t add up with results from an autopsy report taken by a Mexican medical examiner, which revealed that Robinson died from a broken neck. Her cause of death was officially listed as “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation.”
News of Robinson’s death didn’t make headlines in the U.S. until a few weeks after she died.
A viral video showed one of her friends, who authorities later identified as Daejhanae Jackson, beating a nude and defenseless Robinson in a villa. Soon after the video circulated online, questions began to surface among the public about what happened to Robinson.
Mexican prosecutors eventually charged Jackson with femicide — a charge similar to homicide — but she has yet to be arrested or extradited.
Family members made contact with FBI investigators, demanding they launch a criminal investigation in the States. Federal officials looked into Robinson’s death but decided not to pursue charges, citing the results of the autopsy and their review of available evidence.
The complaint alleges multiple counts of wrongful death, battery, negligence, conspiracy, and emotional distress.
Attorneys for the family allege that during Robinson’s beating, her travel companions “reveled at the spectacle,” and that defendant Wenter Donovan FaceTimed defendant Daejhanae Jackson’s boyfriend so he could watch the attack. During that FaceTime call, he allegedly “cheered” Jackson on as she repeatedly struck Robinson.
#shanquilarobinson was beaten up and some of the group who claimed to be friends of hers videoed watched it happen! They plotted and she was murdered! #JusticeForShanquellaRobinson pic.twitter.com/K2EYxxONjP
— The Network King Lee-Lee Williams (@TheNetworkKing_) November 20, 2022
After Robinson became unresponsive, the group called the villa concierge to request in-house medical help. They also told the doctor she was suffering from alcohol poisoning. When her pulse fell flat, medical services were called for immediate transport to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead at the villa.
The suit alleges that the Cabo Six defendants tampered and destroyed evidence at the villa, took Robinson’s belongings when they left, and agreed to keep information about Robinson’s death hidden from U.S. authorities.
The complaint states that during defendant Khalil Cooke’s interview with law enforcement, Cooke claimed that Robinson got the bruises that were found on her head and arms during her autopsy from a fall in a pool and never told law enforcement about the attack.
The negligence allegations against the Department of State accuse the federal agency of failing to forward an extradition request for Daejhanae Jackson to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which permitted Jackson to forego legal proceedings for the femicide charge she faced in Mexico.
The suit also alleges the FBI did not tackle their investigation of Robinson’s death with the “appropriate seriousness and urgency,” leading to an incomplete investigation that “directly and proximately caused the damages” to Robinson’s mother and Robinson’s estate.
“Notably, the FBI’s inaction has impeded Sallamondra Robinson and her family’s ability to receive closure and justice from the criminal prosecution of Shanquella Robinson’s murderer,” the suit reads.
Family attorneys also accused the bureau of withholding records and non-exempt documents on the death investigation that Robinson’s mother requested through multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
The family seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
“This lawsuit is not just about seeking justice for Shanquella Robinson; it’s about holding accountable those who were entrusted with the duty to investigate, act, and protect the interests of U.S. citizens abroad,” Attorney Sue-Ann Robinson said in a news release on the lawsuit.
