Authorities won't pursue federal charges in Shanquella Robinson's death

Federal authorities in North Carolina will not pursue federal charges in the death of Shanquella Robinson, a 25-year-old woman found dead in Mexico during a trip with friends in October. From Robinson’s family to Black social media users, many have demanded answers and prosecution consistently in the months since the Charlotte woman was found dead at a villa in Cabo San Lucas on Oct. 29. But on Wednesday, officials with the U.S. attorney’s offices in the Western District of North Carolina announced that, after a lengthy investigation with the Middle District of North Carolina, they “concluded that federal charges cannot be pursued.” Attorneys for Robinson’s family, Ben Crump and Sue-Ann Robinson, said in a statement Wednesday that there were differences between the U.S. and Mexico autopsies in Robinson’s death. “These discrepancies can be credited to the delay in investigation by U.S. officials, who conducted a second autopsy once Shanquella’s body was embalmed,” the attorneys said. “When an investigation is delayed, the hard evidence to support prosecution diminishes, but in this case, that is due to the U.S. not considering this case to be a high priority.” The news comes weeks after Robinson’s legal team urged the U.S. government in a letter to intervene in the case and expedite the prosecutorial process.