Jada Strong 
Today marks the sixth month since Shanquella Robinson’s tragic murder in Cabo, Mexico. While staying at a rental villa, her so-called “friends” that she traveled with recorded a video depicting the assault of the 25 year old, and posted it on Twitter. After her death, the video gained lots of traction on social media. Robinson’s death was at first ruled to be caused by alcohol poisoning, but with the release of her autopsy in the following weeks many presume she died from severe spinal cord injury from the attack in the video.
The event sparked loads of conversation on really getting to know the people you call your friends. It still is being talked about on all platforms, with everyone expressing their grief at the terrible situation. While the Robinsons are still in mourning, the media shows support following the unfortunate news on Robinson’s case.
Recently, the Robinson family were informed that there was not enough information and evidence for proper prosecution regarding Shanquella Robinson’s death. Her certificate still deems her death as “accidental,” with the time between injury and death being about 15 minutes. The FBI has stated they interviewed the people that traveled with Robinson, but the total amount of people interviewed was never brought up. Federal prosecutors in Mexico came to the conclusion that her death was a Femicide, the murder of an individual simply because they are female.
The Robinsons and their attorney claim that the FBI extended the needed length for the investigation by choosing not to start until they ran their own autopsy, separate from the one Mexican authorities ran. “There was no swift action on this case. There was absolutely no urgency on the part of the US authorities,” said Sue-Ann Robinson, the attorney representing the family.
As public concern grew, the federal officials faced pressure to make a public announcement due to the case’s growing popularity. “It is important to reassure the public that experienced federal agents and seasoned prosecutors extensively reviewed the available evidence and have concluded that federal charges cannot be pursued,” read a press release statement from the United States Attorney’s Office. Many have expressed discontent with the statement released, claiming that the deaths and murders of Black and Brown Americans are not as deeply investigated compared to other citizens. Roberson’s family attorney called out the irony in this, stating, “If you wait ‘till five months after someone commits a crime… they would have the opportunity and time and space to delete text messages if that’s what they wanted to do, to talk to each other about the case.”
Do you think there’s a lack of empathy from the FBI regarding this investigation? LMK, and stay tuned for more updates.
By Jada Strong, Freshman, Whitney Young Magnet
Twitter/Instagram: @JadaStrongg
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