The key facts
- Three men received 158 years and 9 months in prison each for the murder of two Australians and an American in Baja California in 2024.
- The victims — brothers Jake (30) and Callum (33) Robinson and Carter Rhoad (30) — were shot dead during what the court said was a failed robbery on April 27, 2024.
- Earlier, the girlfriend of the alleged ringleader received 20 years for participating in the robbery; the court ordered the convicted to pay compensation to the families.
Verdict in the surfers' murder case
A Mexican court sentenced three men — Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus — to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the murder of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad. The guilty verdict was delivered about a week before the sentencing; according to DW, the defendants were found guilty of intentional homicide, aggravated robbery, robbery and violent car theft. The court also ordered the defendants to pay compensation to the victims' families, an official spokesperson said. According to the BBC, the full names of the convicted were not disclosed for legal reasons — they were identified only as Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus.
Circumstances of the crime
According to court materials, the three victims — Jake Robinson (30), Callum Robinson (33) and Carter Rhoad (30) — were on a surfing trip on Mexico's Pacific coast. They had set up camp in a secluded spot on a beach near Ensenada in the state of Baja California and were attacked on April 27, 2024, less than 36 hours after entering Mexico from the United States. The court heard that the murder occurred during an attempted robbery of their pickup truck. The bodies of the victims, with gunshot wounds to the head, were found a week later — dumped in a well at the top of a cliff; the search was conducted with the assistance of the FBI, and the bodies were identified by the families.
Reaction and context
The murders caused a wide resonance, especially in Australia, as the region was considered safe against the backdrop of violence in other parts of Mexico. The brothers' mother, Debra Robinson, said in court that the murders took away 'the future we envisioned with them,' and, in her words, the hardest thing was that her sons were 'treated with such cruelty' in the final hours of their lives. Their father, Martin Robinson, said: 'It's hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.' Carter Rhoad's mother, Page Rhoad, said via video link after the sentencing was announced: 'There will never be justice for the loss of a child, but these people will never harm anyone again.' The Robinsons' parents traveled from Australia for the month-long trial and left the country after the guilty verdict was announced.
Other defendants and consequences
In November of last year, the girlfriend of the alleged gang leader Jesus Gerardo, known as 'El Kejas,' was sentenced in a separate trial to 20 years in prison — she admitted participating in the robbery. The murders shocked residents and tourists of Ensenada, a resort popular with surfers. Local surfers demanded increased security for residents and tourists, pointing to other recent cases of violence in the state; tourism is an important part of Baja California's economy. According to the BBC, the only explanation from the authorities was that the victims, all just over 30, had been 'in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
