A woman holds a poster calling for justice for Shanquella Robinson at a news conference on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Screenshot of news conference from Washington, D.C. CBS affiliate WUSA)
Family members of a 25-year-old woman seen in a video being violently attacked by a woman before she died at a Mexican resort called on President Joe Biden and the U.S. State Department to help bring the people responsible to justice.
Shanquella Robinson, a social media influencer and boutique clothing owner from Charlotte, North Carolina, died on Oct. 29, 2022. She died a day after she and six others arrived at a villa in Cabo San Lucas. Initial reports attributed her death to alcohol poisoning, but family members said an autopsy found her neck and spine broken.
“We are asking for diplomatic intervention from the president of the United States and the State Department to do what is necessary to bring the person or the people who are responsible for the murder of Shanquella Robinson to justice,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who joined family members at a news conference in Washington D.C. on Friday.
He said the video is horrific and inhumane.
He said the group that traveled with her to Mexico told her mother she had died of alcohol poisoning. Crump said they did not mention the fight they had joked about in texts.
“Talking about adding insult to injury,” he said.
Crump said Mexico’s investigation is complete. They have identified a suspect who is currently free in the U.S.
“That is not right that the suspects and the people involved are sleeping comfortably in their own beds at night,” he said. “Either extradite the killer and those who aided and abetted, or take jurisdiction of the matter.”
The State Department declined to comment, ABC News reported. The FBI has an ongoing investigation, the station reported.
Her mother, Sallamondra, meanwhile, wants answers.
“I don’t wish the terrible nightmare on anyone,” she said. “My daughter was brutally beaten on a video. She was undressed, and there were many people that could have helped her. They laughed and joked instead. Shanquella came back from a vacation dead with a broken neck and spine.
“I can hardly talk about it. The people who knew what happened to my daughter are living their lives. They have returned to work, and my family is left to wait, and we beg for answers.”
The victim’s sister said it has been the hardest thing she’s had to deal with. She said her mind has not been at ease, and she has not been able to rest since her death.
“I have dealt with the death of a loved one in my family, but my sister’s death is a different type of love. This journey has been frustrating. I feel like our government has failed us.”
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