Family of N.C. woman who died in Mexico takes hope from White House meeting

WASHINGTON — The family of Shanquella Robinson and their attorneys said they found hope Friday morning after meeting with White House officials to demand that federal authorities extradite a woman wanted in Mexico on charges of killing Robinson.

White House officials confirmed the meeting late Friday.

“I am encouraged by the meeting,” attorney Ben Crump, who represents Robinson’s family, told reporters.

He said the meeting included Steve Benjamin, the White House director of public engagement. Crump said he asked Benjamin’s team what the family does next and how they go forward or if there wasn’t any hope.

“We are grateful they said, ‘No, don’t give up,’ that they are going to look at what can be done to make sure there is at least due process for Shanquella Robinson,” Crump said.

White House officials referred questions about specifics of the case to the State Department.

“During the meeting, officials reiterated their condolences and heard directly from Ms. Robinson’s family,” a White House official said.

The White House said the family also met with federal officials from the Department of Justice and the FBI in April to discuss the findings of the federal investigation into Robinson’s death.

“More generally, officials remain committed to ensuring our nation’s justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment and dignity for all,” a White House official said.

Crump told reporters that he understands that there’s a presumption of innocence in the United States, until proven guilty, but he said after seeing all of the information that has come forward in the case, he didn’t expect to be standing before the media, exactly 200 days after Robinson’s death, and once again demanding the State Department do something.

Robinson’s family, their lawyers and activists planned a rally outside Crump’s law firm to demand justice for Robinson. Together they stood with poster boards of Robinson’s photo and other signs calling for extradition of her alleged killers.

The 25-year-old Charlotte woman who attended Winston-Salem State University died in October under mysterious circumstances in Cabo San Lucas. The six people traveling with her say she died from alcohol poisoning, but a video that surfaced online just weeks after her death seemingly shows Robinson, naked at the resort, being beaten by another woman.

Friday marked the first rally since U.S. authorities announced they did not have enough evidence to pursue criminal charges. Her family, attorneys and activists are now calling on President Joe Biden to intervene.

“You can do your investigation, FBI,” said Sue-Ann Robinson, another attorney representing the family, who is unrelated to the Robinsons. “If the U.S. authorities don’t want to move forward, get out of the way and let the Mexican authorities act on their investigation that was done at the closest time to her death.”

Sue-Ann Robinson reminded those attending the rally that Mexican authorities already took out a warrant for someone’s arrest and named a suspect.

In April, the FBI would not comment on why the video of Robinson being beaten before her death was not considered enough evidence of a crime but said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer: “All available evidence was reviewed.”

Salamondra Robinson, Shanquella’s mother, said she doesn’t know which way to turn.

“She did no wrong to no one and it was just heartbreaking,” Salamondra Robinson said. “We’ve seen the video of her being brutally beaten and no one has been arrested yet. Someone should have been arrested right after the video was released.”

The Robinson family attorneys, Sue-Ann Robinson and Crump, said in March that Mexican authorities have taken out a warrant on Daejhane Jackson, one of six people traveling with Robinson when she died. Mexican authorities have an active warrant out for someone on charges of femicide, a type of homicide that targets a female, but they have not publicly named the suspect. As revealed by investigation documents shared with the legal team by Mexican law enforcement, hotel workers pointed authorities there to Jackson as a suspect.

Video surfaced last week of several women being attacked in Greensboro and a caption saying it was the three women who were on the trip with Shanquella Robinson. Her attorneys said they do not condone violence in seeking out justice in her death.

Friday marked the 200th day since Robinson died.

Robinson’s lawyers say her travel companions first told medical personnel and her family that she died from alcohol poisoning, but her mother started questioning their stories after details changed from one retelling to another. Those changes included details like how she died, who found her unconscious and who called a doctor.

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An autopsy report in Mexico found that Robinson died from severe injuries to her spinal cord and neck.

As The Charlotte Observer has reported previously, a secondary autopsy in the U.S. — performed in November — revealed a major discrepancy with the findings in an autopsy performed during Mexican authorities’ investigation.

The Mecklenburg County-based autopsy report says experts found no injuries to Robinson’s spinal cord and subsequently rule the cause of her death undetermined.

Robinson’s attorneys blame the FBI for waiting for Robinson to be embalmed before having medical examiners perform an autopsy, the Observer previously reported.

On Friday Sue-Ann Robinson said during the rally that the FBI should have followed protocol in taking custody of Robinson’s body, performing an autopsy and not waiting until the day before her funeral. She said U.S. authorities broke protocol in Robinson’s case.

“The FBI has not released any documents to the family at all,” said Sue-Ann Robinson. “Nothing from the investigation or even their decision is in writing. They’ve advised that the file is still ‘open,’ so they can’t give any documents. But charges have been declined so the family is left with more unanswered questions and no closure.”