4 minWorld
Mexican Court Convicts Three Men in 2024 Killings of Australian Surfers and American Friend
A judge in Ensenada found three men guilty of murder, armed robbery and armed carjacking in the April 2024 deaths of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad. Sentencing is set for Oct. 16, with prosecutors seeking 210 years for each defendant.
A Mexican judge has convicted three men of murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing trip in Baja California, ending a case that drew international attention after the victims disappeared and their bodies were found in a well.
The verdicts were delivered Friday in Ensenada against Jesús Gerardo García, known as «El Kekas», Irineo Francisco «N» and Ángel Jesús «N». The court found them guilty of killing Callum and Jake Robinson and their friend Carter Rhoad in April 2024, and also convicted them of armed robbery and armed carjacking.
Judge Raúl Hernández is scheduled to announce their sentences on Oct. 16. The Baja California State Attorney General's Office is seeking 210 years in prison for each defendant.
The ruling followed a month-long trial that included testimony about the final moments before the killings. García's former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, told the court that he described approaching the surfers' tent with a 9mm pistol. According to her testimony, the men threw their belongings toward him in an attempt to stop the attack, and one of them begged to be spared. She said García ignored the plea.
Silva Raya also testified that García told her he had done something to «three gringos» before admitting, «I killed them», and that he later showed her a vehicle fitted with tires allegedly stolen from the victims' truck. She was found with one victim's cellphone. Prosecutors said she met the surfers on April 27, 2024, and urged one of her companions to rob them. She pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2025.
The friends had traveled to Baja California to surf and were reported missing after arriving in Punta San Jose, about 50 miles from Ensenada. Their bodies were discovered in a well on May 3, 2024.
Authorities initially said the men were killed after confronting thieves who wanted the tires from their pickup truck. Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez said at the time that investigators believed the thieves spotted the truck and tents, then encountered resistance from the surfers during the attempted theft.
The guilty verdicts brought a measure of relief to the Robinson family more than two years after the brothers' deaths. Their father, Martin Robinson, described the decision as a significant moment in the family's painful pursuit of justice. He said the outcome could not undo their loss but offered a step toward justice as they continued honoring the three men.
The brothers' mother, Debra Robinson, spoke about their love of surfing during a tribute on a San Diego beach shortly after their bodies were found. «Our hearts are broken, and the world has become a darker place for us», she said at the time. «They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together».
She recalled that Jake, a doctor, sought work at hospitals near surfing beaches and urged others to honor her sons by embracing life. «Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory», she said.
4
