Mexican judge sentences three men for murders of Australian, US surfers

A Mexican judge found three men guilty of the murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend in April 2024 in the Mexican state of Baja California.

The trial for the triple homicide that shocked Mexico and drew international attention concluded Friday after Judge Raul Hernandez in the coastal city of Ensenada ruled that Jesus Gerardo Garcia, alias “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco “N,” and Angel Jesus “N” were responsible for the murders of Australians Callum and Jake Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and American Carter Redd Rhoad, 30.

The defendants, who had been in custody for more than two years, were also found guilty of armed robbery and armed carjacking.

“Today’s guilty verdict is a significant moment in our long and painful journey to seek justice for our beautiful sons, Callum and Jake, and their friend Carter Rhoad, whose lives were so cruelly taken from them in 2024,” said father Martin Robinson.

The three travelled to Baja California in April 2024 to surf and camped near the coastal city of Ensenada, but shortly after arriving in the town of Punta San Jose, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Ensenada, they were reported missing. Their bodies were found on May 3 in a well, all with gunshot wounds to their heads.

Garcia, identified as the perpetrator of the murders, was arrested in May 2024 in connection to the case, along with his ex-partner Ary Gisell Silva Raya, Francisco, and Jesus.

During the monthlong trial, chilling details of the brutal crime were revealed. Silva Raya testified last month during a hearing that Garcia confessed to her that he arrived at the tent where the foreigners were staying with a 9mm pistol.

Upon seeing him, they began throwing their belongings to prevent him from attacking them, and one of them begged for his life, which the assailant ignored, she said.

She said Garcia had bragged about “how beautifully” the victims cried and about items he robbed from them.

The state prosecutor’s office reported that Silva Raya arrived in Punta San Jose on April 27, 2024, where she met the three foreigners and “instigated one of her companions to rob them”, which they did the following day.

The woman, who was found in possession of one of the victims’ cellphones, was sentenced in November 2025 to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to “aggravated robbery with violence” and “vehicle theft with violence” in an expedited proceeding. However, Garcia and his two accomplices decided to go to trial.

Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, plagued by organised crime and drug trafficking, although cartel activity does not usually affect tourists.

The judge will announce the final sentence on October 16. The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office requested for each defendant the “exemplary sentence” of 210 years in prison.

“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,” said Martin Robinson. “They will never be forgotten.”