Stop Using Shanquella Robinson's Senseless Death As a Cautionary Tale

Shanquella Robinson went to Cabo Mexico on October 28th, 2022. The next day, she died under mysterious circumstances. The six friends that went to Mexico with her claimed it was alcohol poisoning. But after a recorded fistfight between Shanquella and one of her friends surfaced, the Cabo police are now calling it murder.

Shanquella’s Cause of Death

Shanquella’s death has only become further puzzling as two conflicting autopsy reports paint widely different stories.

The first report released indicated that medical professionals arrived at Shanquella’s villa, only to declare her deceased 15 minutes later with the cause of death listed as a severe spinal cord injury and a neck injury. However, a second newly released report claims that medical personnel found her to be in a state of drunkenness but alive and stable. They advised Shanquella’s friends to take her to a hospital, which they refused.

It wasn’t until a second medical professional arrived on the scene two hours later that Shanquella seemingly took a turn for the worst. According to the police report, Shanquella was having seizures, difficulty breathing, and a decreased pulse. Paramedics arrived 30 minutes later and attempted to revive Shanquella when she went into a state of cardiac arrest but ultimately failed. She was declared deceased an hour later.

Shanquella’s Friends

Needless to say, the mysterious story has captivated the public’s attention. And while everyone agrees that her death was a tragedy, many are attempting to use it as a cautionary tale, claiming, “this is why you can’t call everyone your friend.”

However, the friends Shanquella went on the vacation with were friends she had known and trusted for a very, long time. These weren’t people she just met or strangers. These were people she knew, and that her family knew.

The group included Khalil Cooke, Shanquella’s proclaimed best friend of five years. He’d spent time with her family, and they cared for him. Another friend was Nazeer Wiggins, who has already taken to Instagram to proclaim his innocence. He claims to have taken care of Shanquella when she was sick and was the only one who stayed by her side while she was dying.

Not too much is known of her friends Malik Dyer, Wenter Donovan, and Alysse Michelle Hyatt, other than what we’ve seen in the surfaced videos.

However, the last remaining friend in the group, Daejhanae Jackson, is the one the public is most interested in. Daejhanae was a friend from college, someone Shanquella had spent time with before the trip. But sadly, it’s also believed that she was who was seen beating up Shanquella in the video. (Since the video surfaced, the Mexican authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest).

So far, two videos have surfaced from the trip. The most infamous one is that of the seemingly one-sided fight between Shanquella and Daejhanae. Since then, another one has been discovered in which Shanquella calls for her friends only for them all to go silent when she enters the room. We don’t know who really tried to help her, although the police report indicates that Wenter was the one who tried to call the police for help.

The question stands, why did these people who knew Shanquella, and who knew her family, want to hurt her and then try to cover it up? Why did her friends record the fight and then lie saying that she had alcohol poisoning?

When the six friends arrived back home her best friend, Khalil, dropped off her luggage with her mother, Salamondra Robinson. He told her that her daughter had died from alcohol poisoning and appeared kind and regretful. He was over at their house for days, being a kind, caring friend. That was, until the first autopsy report came back and indicated that Shanquella had actually been murdered.

Salamondra had first been contacted by the friend group when Shanquella started getting sick. Just like any good friends would, they kept Salamondra in the loop with constant updates. And while Salamondra knew the group had been fighting, no one could even begin to imagine that her friends would try to cover up something so heinous.

However, when the group got home and their stories didn’t add up, Salamondra knew something wasn’t right. No one really knows why the group was fighting, what caused it to get so violent and physical, or what the motive was behind Shanquella’s murder.

The Aftermath

With the news of her death being so convoluted and with no stories lining up, everyone is scrambling to find answers. The public is trying to figure out what happened and why so that nothing like this ever happens again.

So far, the general consensus has been that Shanquella simply should’ve picked better friends. Countless posts have popped up of vloggers and other influencers trying to use this as a tale of why you need to be careful with whom you hang out.

But, it isn’t that easy. It’s not as if Shanquella didn’t know the people she went to Mexico with. She trusted them and her family knew and trusted them. Shanquella seemed like the type to do what so many Black Americans are taught to do: bring your friends with you, because when one eats everyone eats. It’s just that these friends seemingly didn’t reciprocate that feeling.

And saying Shanquella should’ve been more selective and careful of who she shared her circle with is really just victim-blaming a girl who lost her life. She loved her community, she loved her friends. Her friends not sharing that love is not her fault. She thought she was around people she trusted. These were people she knew for years. The blame lies within those who murdered a person they called a friend. They made the choice to hurt her. All Shanquella did was love these people. That’s not Shanquella’s fault. It’s the fault of those that hurt her and tried to bury it.

Shanquella’s story isn’t a cautionary tale of who you trust. It’s a tale of a young woman who lost her life too soon for reasons unknown. It’s a sad story that everyone is trying to manipulate with their own opinions and make what they say the truth.

Right now, all we need is to share her story and tell the world to #SayHerName. Your demand for her justice is the only way this mystery will truly be solved.