Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they had insufficient evidence to bring charges in connection with the death of an American woman near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico last year, in a case that sparked outrage after a video surfaced online , showing how she was beaten to death.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said prosecutors and FBI officials recently met with the family of the woman, Shanquella Robinson, 25, of Charlotte, North Carolina, to break the news.
Robinson was vacationing with six friends in Mexico last fall when she was found unresponsive in the living room of an address in San Jose del Cabo last year, according to Mexican authorities and testimony from her father last year.
A death certificate issued by Mexican authorities listed the cause of death on Oct. 29 as “severe spinal cord injury and atlas displacement,” or displacement of the ring-shaped bone that supports the skull.
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Widespread video showing Ms. Robinson being punched and kicked in the head by a woman during the flight raised suspicions about her death and agitated the FBI Investigation. Authorities have not identified the attacker in the video.
The US Attorney’s Office said in a statement that an autopsy and investigation by US authorities concluded that “the available evidence does not support a federal judgment”.
“It is important to reassure the public that seasoned federal agents and seasoned prosecutors have comprehensively reviewed the available evidence and concluded that federal indictments cannot be pursued,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
It was not immediately clear how the US Attorney’s decision not to press charges would affect Mexican authorities’ investigation into the incident.
The attorney general’s office in Baja California Sur, Mexico, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.
The US Attorney General’s announcement was condemned by Robinson’s family and his attorney, Sue Ann Robinson, who said at a news conference on Wednesday that “while we’re disappointed, we’re not deterred.”
