An American woman was found dead in a hotel room after a group of friends traveled to Mexico. They claim she died of alcohol or food poisoning, but a video revealed that she was beaten to death by someone in the group. Now authorities have found the suspect.
American woman found dead in a hotel, friends initially said she died from alcohol or food poisoning
On October 28, 2022, 25-year-old Shanquella Robinson, a former student at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, took a vacation with a group of six friends, CNN reports.
They arrived in the picturesque Mexican town of San José del Cabo, where they were staying in a luxury villa, CBS reported.
The next day, on October 29, Robinson’s mother received a call from one of the friends who was traveling with her daughter, who said Shanquella was sick and they were waiting for a doctor to arrive, the Daily Mail reported.
Later, Robinson’s mother received another call from one of Shanquella’s friends, who claimed she had died from food poisoning.
“No one told the same story, so I never believed them anyway,” Robinson’s mother said.
The concierge contacted a doctor who attempted to revive Shanquella, a representative for Villa Linda 32 — the property where the group was staying — told WJZY.
Situation didn’t look right to officials
A death certificate determined that the cause of Robinson’s death was “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” which refers to excessive movement and/or instability in the uppermost neck vertebrae, according to a copy obtained by CNN. The death certificate classified Robinson’s death as “accidental or violent” and noted the approximate time between injury and death was fifteen minutes.
Video reveals woman was beaten to death by unknown woman in group
After Robinson’s death, her six friends returned to the United States.
However, in recent weeks, a video circulated that appeared to show a physical altercation occurring inside a room between Robinson and another unknown person.
The shocking footage showed Robinson being brutally beaten by an as-yet-unidentifed woman who appears to be one of the group of friends she traveled with.
The audio from the video also captures the voice of a man with an American accent, who appears to be the one filming the assault, as he taunts Robinson, telling her: “Can you at least fight back?”
Shanquella then attempts to get away from the attacker while replying “no,” before the woman slams her to the floor next to the bed. The woman then punches Shanquella and knees her in the head.
Next, the woman yells to Robinson to “get up, I’m tired of the ****.”
Police found and declared Robinson dead at 3 PM local time, on October 29.
Authorities have identified and are seeking to extradite the suspect on “femicide”
In mid-November, Mexican prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for the woman suspected of fatally assaulting Robinson. The FBI is also investigating the case. Mexican prosecutors are seeking to extradite one of Robinson’s friends as a suspect in the case.
As of yet, Mexican officials have not named the suspect, only stating that it is a US citizen who is believed to currently be in the United States. There are no charges thus far in the case, and authorities have not released the names of Robinson’s friends who accompanied her on the trip to Mexico.
Mexico AG says murder not from a quarrel, but “femicide”
Mexico’s Attorney General for Baja California Sur, Daniel de la Rosa, says Robinson’s death did not result from a “quarrel,” but rather from “indirect aggression that this person made.”
“There is already an arrest warrant issued for the crime of femicide,” or the killing of a woman because of her gender, de la Rosa said, adding “a friend” of the victim was allegedly responsible for the death.
The United States and Mexico have a long-standing extradition treaty. Therefore, the suspect could be prosecuted in either country.
According to one legal expert, because an American citizen is ultimately killed by another American citizen, a statute could provide for the prosecution to take place in the United States.
