Three Men Sentenced to 158 Years for Murder of Australian and US Surfers in Mexico

A Mexican judge has sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the murders of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their U.S. friend, Carter Rhoad. The trio was killed in Baja California in 2024 during what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.

The victims, all in their early 30s, were on a surfing trip when they were targeted. Their bodies were discovered dumped down a well, with evidence of gunshot wounds to the head. The court heard that the robbery was an attempt to steal the victims' truck.

The killings sent shockwaves through Australia and the international surfing community, highlighting a level of violence in the region that was unusual for the typically safe tourist area of Ensenada.

Debra Robinson, the mother of the two Australian brothers, addressed the court, stating that the murders had stolen the future she had imagined for her sons. The convicted men were identified in court as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco, and Ángel Jesús.

In a separate trial last November, the girlfriend of the alleged ringleader, Jesús Gerardo, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting her involvement in the robbery.

The murders occurred just 36 hours after the surfers crossed into Mexico from the United States. Their bodies were not found for another week, prompting an alert from their families when they could not be reached.

The incident drew attention to the prevalence of extreme violence in parts of Mexico, even in areas popular with tourists. Local surfers and residents called for increased security measures to protect both inhabitants and visitors, emphasizing the importance of tourism to the regional economy of Baja California.