The wheels of justice turn slowly. No truer statement can be applied as we await justice in the case of Shanquella Robinson, 25, who was brutally murdered in Cabo, Mexico allegedly by some of her “friends.”
My column last week gave some of the basic facts that many of us who have been following the case since the beginning have learned so far. Thanks to the many “vloggers” and amateur internet sleuths, the story is gaining momentum although I still don’t feel the publicity is at the level it should be.
The slow turning of the wheels, fueled predominantly by the force of Black folks using Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, has finally made the FBI and Mexican authorities take notice.
It is obvious that the Mexican government has botched their role in all of this at every level. The police report regarding Shanquella’s death is polar opposite of the coroner’s death certificate. And I had to throw some shade when an attorney was interviewed in Mexico and authoritatively said he believed the death certificate over the police report as said police report was “hearsay” while the death certificate represented fact. That amazed me because I wondered if he truly knew anything about the case or was just having his 15 minutes of fame. Let’s look at some of the disparities.
The police report states: Drank a lot of alcohol; friends wanted her treated in room; poor verbal response; died within 3 hours; cause of death — cardiac arrest; no mention of spinal cord or neck injuries. The Mexican coroner’s report states: Cause of death — spinal cord and neck injuries; no mention of alcohol; died within 15 minutes of getting injured; found unconscious.
So which is it? And why such polar opposite information? We know a doctor was there with Shanquella for almost three hours. An ambulance was also dispatched to the scene. There should be phone records with time stamps. And I am truly bothered that the very people who allegedly caused the injuries got to be the ones to make medical decisions to not have that child taken to a hospital.
As of this writing, the Mexican authorities have issued an arrest warrant and extradition request for someone (they haven’t named who, just that it is a female) for the crime of “femicide,” which is the crime of killing a female because of her gender. I feel if the Mexican government issued arrest warrants for all six of them, the Cabo6 as they are now being called would begin talking as the fear of going to jail in Mexico will have them doing all they can to try and save their butts. Right now the Cabo6 don’t have a life and are pretty much in hiding. Folks have been linking them to their parents; all the different last names be damned. Their notoriety is such that they can’t go out in public.
Societal pressure has always been the catalyst for behavior and, contrary to many who professed that it no longer matters, the opposite is true. If only we can begin to use that same sort of energy against all the criminal elements, we could solve the crime in the Black community overnight.
After having watched that video of Shanquella being beaten, we all want justice to be swift.
The reality is that it’s not going to be swift, and all we want is to see the justice that Shanquella deserves!
