Shanquella Robinson’s Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against FBI, State Department and ‘Cabo Six’

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – It’s a case that has gripped the nation and yielded no answers for the grieving family. Tuesday marked two years since Charlotte native Shanquella Robinson died while traveling to Mexico. Now her family is suing the people she traveled with, the State Department and the FBI.

“I’m fed up with all this,” said Shanquella Robinson’s mother, Sallamondra Robinson. “I need justice for my child.”

Two years have passed since 25-year-old Shanquella Robinson lost her life while on a trip with others to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, just a day after arriving at the villa.

In a new wrongful death lawsuit, her mother accuses six other people on the trip, known as the “Cabo Six,” of lying about her death and trying to cover up what happened.

Wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with the mysterious death of Shanquella Robinson in Mexico

“I don’t want to be here,” said family lawyer Sue-Ann Robinson. “I didn’t want to be here. If it were up to me, we would have conducted a thorough investigation and answered questions about this family two years ago.”

Cabo Six claims Shanquella hurt herself after getting drunk. The lawsuit said one of the defendants told law enforcement she had bruises on her head and arms from “falling in the pool.”

However, a few days after everyone returned home without her, a video emerged showing a naked Shanquella being brutally attacked by another woman inside the villa where the group was staying. Others watched the fight, encouraging “Quella” to fight. She says “no” and is then thrown to the ground, punched and kicked in the head and neck.

She died the next day, and an autopsy performed by Mexican authorities concluded that she died of severe spinal cord and neck trauma, however, when her body was returned home, a second autopsy performed by the FBI contradicted this opinion.

“(…) unjustified delay in the investigation and improper handling of evidence led to the erosion and destruction of evidence.”

The family claims the FBI did not take their case seriously and delays between autopsies led to varying results.

“Federal authorities have an obligation to thoroughly and expeditiously investigate the complaint,” Sue-Ann Robinson told Queen City News.

An FBI official tells Queen City News it is standard practice to decline to comment on pending legal proceedings.

Sallamondra said: “Some of these people should already be in prison. Long ago. Long ago! You have the video. If it had been someone else’s child, they would have been locked up.”

Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant for one of the Cabo Six, but this person has not been extradited to date. Robinson’s attorney says the State Department dropped the case.

“The problem is that the trial hasn’t started yet and two years have passed since the incident,” said Sue-Ann Robinson.

Moreover, the family wants responsibility. They claim that one of the “Cabo Six” members beat Shanquella, which led to her death, and maintain that the group conspired to cover it all up. Shanquella’s death has caused great pain to her family and those who knew and loved her. They hope this lawsuit will grease the wheels of justice.

“It was a choice,” said family friend and pastor at Cosmopolitan Community Church Irma Gardner. “It wasn’t a mistake you made. It was a choice, and when you make choices in life, there are consequences behind every choice you make. It may take a long time, but God will not let you survive.

The lawsuit also alleges that the FBI took several months to complete its investigation into the case but failed to produce documents required in a Freedom of Information Act request. The defendants will be served with a lawsuit; they then have 21 days to respond.

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