Shanquella Robinson: Woman's final call to mother from Mexico suggests she was 'having a good time' before her death
CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Hours before Shanquella Robinson's tragic death in Mexico, her mother contacted her to ensure her safe arrival at the luxury villa where she and six of her North Carolina friends stayed. On October 28, 2022, she went on a vacation with her friends from her hometown of Charlotte. "She said they were all having a good time, and I told her I'd talk to her tomorrow. And I never spoke to my daughter again," said Shanquella's mother, Sallamondra Robinson.
Khalil Cooke, one of Shanquella's friends who was with her during the trip, called Sallamondra the next day and informed her that Shanquella required medical attention as she had alcohol poisoning. He then called her again four hours later and said that she had died. "I was just sick because I couldn't get there. It made me sick to the stomach," said Sallamondra, reported People.
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Remembering her youngest daughter, Sallamondaro described Shanquella as someone who had "a kind heart" and was "a loving person." "She'd give you the shirt off her back. She didn't harm people, and she wasn't a drama person," she said.
Until a disturbing video of Shanquella being viciously attacked by a woman in the same luxury villa in Mexico circulated online in November, her family believed that she died from alcohol poisoning. Mexican authorities then began an investigation into her death and called it a hate crime and a femicide case- a gender-based murder.
Why won't NC officials federally prosecute the prime suspect?
As per the Robinson family's attorneys, authorities in Mexico identified the woman in the video who is seen attacking Shanquella, to be one among the group who traveled with them for the trip. An arrest warrant was later issued for her.
The department stated in a press release that based on the autopsy conducted on the woman in North Carolina and the available evidence, federal authorities "have concluded that federal charges cannot be pursued."
Sue-Ann Robinson, attorney for the Robinson family said that the cause of death from the autopsy conducted by the Department of Justice in the US months after Shanquella's death is undetermined and did not show a spinal injury which was shown in the autopsy conducted in Mexico at the time. "Her attack was captured on video and now we are being told there won't be an arrest. It reminded me of George Floyd. When we were told we weren't seeing what we were seeing," she added.