Shanquella Robinson was celebrated by her family and friends on what would have been her 26th birthday.
via: FOX 8
Jan. 9 marks what would have been Shanquella Robinson’s 26th birthday. Her family, friends, and community gathered at her gravesite at Beatties Ford Memorial Gardens Sunday to celebrate her and release balloons in her honor.
It’s been more than two months since Robinson was killed while on a trip to Mexico with people she called her friends. The group initially told Robinson’s family and Mexican authorities they believed Robinson died from alcohol poisoning, but her autopsy showed she actually died from a broken neck and atlas luxation, in what authorities called a “direct attack”.
“We missed her for Thanksgiving, for Christmas. It’s really hard on the family. We really love her, and I know she’s in God’s hands,” said Robinson’s uncle Carl Drakeford.
More than two weeks after her death, video surfaced showing a naked Robinson being beaten by one of the people on her trip. In it, a man can be heard asking, “Quella, can you at least fight back?” to which Robinson replies, “No”.
Robinson’s family says they still haven’t gotten any updates on the case, but the Attorney General in Baja California Sur has issued an arrest warrant for one of the women on that trip, calling for her extradition. Mexican authorities also say they are looking into a possible cover-up after the doctor, who was on the scene with Robinson for nearly three hours, didn’t report her physical injuries.
“I’m not really talking to investigators anyway. And when I was trying to talk to them, they won’t tell you anything. They don’t want you to mess up their investigation, and I’m not trying to mess up their investigation. I want them to find out everything that they need to find out and justice will be served,” said Robinson’s mother Sallamondra Robinson.
Robinson’s family said the young girl loved the spotlight, and they believe she was smiling down on them during Sunday’s balloon release.
