Mexican prosecutors are reportedly attempting to have a woman extradited from the United States to face charges related to the death of Shanquella Robinson.
Robinson was found unconscious in the living room of a rented villa in San José del Cabo, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, on October 29.
The 25-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina had traveled to Mexico with six university friends—four women and two men, her father Bernard Robinson told The New York Times.
Concerns about her death were ignited after a video showing Robinson being beaten began circulating online earlier this month. In the 20-second clip, a woman who was identified as Robinson is repeatedly punched and kicked by another woman in the video. A male recording the video can be heard saying: "Quella, can you at least fight back?" The man does not intervene.
Multiple Twitter accounts have re-shared the clip on social media and demanded justice for Robinson.
Robinson's family was initially told that she died from alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking. But an autopsy that was released on November 10 contradicted this story.
It revealed Robinson died of "severe spinal cord in jury and atlas luxation," a condition where unstable or excessive movement is present in the first two vertebrae of the neck, some 15 minutes after being injured.
NBC News reported that prosecutors in the Mexican state did not name the suspect but said she was American, and that they have approached Mexican federal prosecutors and diplomats to extradite her.
Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, a local prosecutor, told ABC News last week that they believe the woman they're seeking to extradite was the aggressor.
"This case is fully clarified, we even have a court order, there is an arrest warrant issued for the crime of femicide to the detriment of the victim and against an alleged perpetrator, a friend of her who is the direct aggressor," he said.
"Actually it wasn't a quarrel, but instead a direct aggression. We are carrying out all the pertinent procedures such as the Interpol alert and the request for extradition to the United States of America. It's about two Americans, the victim and the culprit."
A GoFundMe page set up for Robinson highlighted the belief from her family that there was foul play involved in her death.
The GoFundMe page, which Robinson's sister set up, said: "During this trip, she was found dead. Her associates claimed she died of alcohol poisoning, but the death certificate from the Mexican government contradicts this statement as it reveals a broken neck and cracked spine and a time of death which is 15 minutes after she sustained these injuries.
"The United States State Department released a statement claiming 'no clear evidence of foul play,' yet there is a video circulating of a woman violently attacking Shanquella. This statement is unacceptable, and we are beyond devastated. We continue to fight for the truth.
"We face a tremendous unexpected financial burden and a great deal of pain as we prepare to lay my sister to rest. Any support you can contribute to our legal fees and other critical expenses is greatly appreciated."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department and the FBI, which is also investigating the incident, for comment
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About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
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