Arrest warrant in Mexico issued in the death of Shanquella Robinson

Mexican prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the death of an American woman who was vacationing at a luxury resort in San José del Cabo, according to a report.

The warrant, which does not name the alleged suspect, comes as the death of Charlotte native Shanquella Robinson was being probed as a violent crime. Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, a local prosecutor for the state of Baja California Sur, noted the suspect was a friend of the victim, according to ABC News.

“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 reportedly 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….”

Robinson’s death was originally thought to be alcohol poisoning, but a death certificate revealed the cause of death was a “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” an instability of the first two neck vertebrae leading to the investigation, WSOC-TV reported.

Footage previously emerged that showed Robinson being beaten inside a hotel room with Robinson’s mother, Sallamondra, telling the news station she recognized people in the video as friends who went on the trip with her daughter.

Reports initially indicated the 25-year-old died 15 minutes after her spinal injury, but Robinson might have actually been alive and received medical care for several hours before she was pronounced dead, according to a police report obtained by the Charlotte Observer.

The report states medical assistance was requested around 2:13 p.m. on Oct. 29 by one of the friends on the trip with Robinson, according to the newspaper. Dr. Karolina Beatriz Ornelas Gutiérrez said Robinson “drunk a lot of alcohol,” and was dehydrated and unable to talk, but had stable vital signs.

When Gutierrez wanted to take Robinson to a hospital, the victim’s friends insisted she be cared for at the villa.

Robinson later suffered a brief seizure and her condition worsened before her heart stopped beating and police arrived, the Observer reported.

The FBI began investigating the case earlier this month as Mexican authorities probed it as a femicide, which is a crime against women.   

Sallamondra Robinson told ABC News she wants answers, particularly from the several friends that went on the trip with her daughter.

“I would like to see each one of them sent back to Mexico because their plan was to come back here thinking that they wasn’t going to be prosecuted,” she said. “She was a caring person … and I want them to always remember that. We’re going to keep her legacy alive.”