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The family of Shanquella Robinson is still searching for answers after her mysterious death in Los Cabos, Mexico, first reported on Oct. 29.
Robinson’s sister, Tequila Long, said those present during the trip lied to her family about the details surrounding the 25-year-old’s death from the very beginning. Her mother also pointed out contradictions in the versions of events offered by the group which went with her in Cabo.
The FBI issued an arrest warrant last week for an unidentified friend who was on that trip. Federal and international investigations into Robinson’s death are ongoing, and WSOC Channel 9’s Joe Bruno traveled across North Carolina trying to track down four friends who were on that trip.
On Thursday, one of the people who was in Mexico with Shanquella Robinson pled guilty to a minor speeding charge in a nearby county’s courthouse, paying $15 in addition to fees. However, he wasn’t present. An attorney appeared on his behalf and said the client hasn’t been retained for the Shanquella Robinson case, reports WSOC.
We drove about 264 miles today trying to reach any of the people on the trip with NC ties. We were unsuccessful. But outside one of the doors, I found this taped business card for a Forsyth County investigator. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment pic.twitter.com/E4c4oZpY3I
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) December 1, 2022
Bruno traveled to Winston-Salem at a home associated with another person on the trip. And after a 45-minute ride to another home in Greensboro, he was told the person who was on the trip with Robinson no longer lives there.
As case details are slow to reach the public eye, the family of Shanquella Robinson suffers, not knowing how or why their loved one is no longer with them.
‘I just want to know why’ | Father of Shanquella Robinson wants more than justice, he wants answers #NewsBreak. He’s right. Its a sick society. You have morons with cell phones recording someone get beat to death so they can be the first to post. https://t.co/ERhMqlYFi0
— John Rutherford (@JohnRut88856910) December 2, 2022
Shanquella’s mother, Sallamondra Robinson, told The Independent on Thursday that her daughter left the US on October 28 with a group of six people, who she believed were her friends. On October 29, the Robinsons were first informed by those individuals that Shanquella was sick with “alcohol poisoning.”
Ms. Robinson received an autopsy report that revealed Shanquella had suffered a broken neck and a severe spinal cord injury before dying.
“I couldn’t confront them really, because they were gone,” Ms Robinson told The Independent on Thursday. “I did talk to police. I didn’t talk to the other ones [again] because I didn’t see them anymore. They came [to our home] before the autopsy came.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said they are not involved at all in the investigation. As CMPD controlled the flow of incoming traffic to her burial grounds on November 19, supporters of Shanquella continue to seek answers to the clearly unjust.
Since the case came to light, much conversation has surrounded the prosecution of a case involving two Americans which occurred in another country.
WCNC reports The United States Code of Federal Regulations states if, “A person being a national of the United States, kills or attempts to kill a national of the United States while such a national is outside the United States, but within the jurisdiction of another country shall be punished.”
“This statute expressly empowers our federal government to prosecute American citizens that have been involved in the murder of another American,” Mauney said.
By simply looking at the statute, WCNC Charlotte can verify that yes, it’s possible for the U.S. to prosecute, even if the crime happened outside the country, but only if it’s a crime involving Americans.
Mauney explained there would still be “some hoops to jump through” along with “written approval by the United States attorney general and it has to be looked at and approved by the Department of Justice.”
Though Mexican authorities have filed charges, no arrest has been publicly announced in the case as of yet. Officials have confirmed an arrest warrant has been issued, but the father of Shanquella Robinson tells WCNC that he is unaware of any arrests.
Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, local prosecutor for the state of Baja California Sur, told reporters on Nov. 23 that his office is treating the case like a femicide — the murder of a woman because of her gender.
This story is developing.
If she had been blond and blue eyed, the friends would not have been able to leave Mexico.