A judge in Ensenada, Mexico, has found three men guilty of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad during a 2024 surfing trip to Baja California.
Judge Raúl Hernández ruled that Jesús Gerardo García, known by the alias "El Kekas," Irineo Francisco, and Ángel Jesús were responsible for the murders and had acted with premeditation. The three defendants, who had been in custody for more than two years, were also convicted of armed robbery and armed carjacking.
The verdicts conclude a month-long trial that drew international attention to the Pacific coast state.
The victims and the attack
Jake Robinson, 30, and his brother Callum, 33, were traveling with their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, on a surfing and camping trip. They were attacked in late April 2024 while camping in a remote beachside area near Punta San José, roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Ensenada.
Their bodies were discovered on May 3, 2024, dumped in a well. Authorities determined all three had been shot in the head.
According to testimony from Ary Gisell Silva Raya, the former partner of Jesús Gerardo García, García approached the surfers' tent carrying a 9mm pistol. The victims threw their belongings at him and one begged for his life, but the assailant ignored the pleas, she said.
Silva Raya admitted to instigating the robbery after meeting the three foreigners on April 27, 2024. She was sentenced in November 2025 to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
Family response
The brothers' parents, Martin and Debra Robinson, traveled from Australia to attend the trial. Debra Robinson burst into tears as the guilty verdict was pronounced.
"No outcome can ever undo this tragedy, but we hope today marks an important step towards justice and allows us to continue honoring their lives and the extraordinary young men they were," Martin Robinson said in a statement on behalf of the family. "They will never be forgotten."
Debra Robinson told the court that what hurt the family most was that their sons "were treated with such cruelty" in their final hours.
What happens next
The judge will announce the final sentences on October 16. Prosecutors have requested an "exemplary sentence" of 210 years in prison for each defendant, although the maximum sentence under Baja California law is 60 years.
It remains unknown whether the judge will impose the legal maximum or a lesser term, and whether the defendants plan to appeal the convictions.