Trial Nears Verdict in Killings of 3 Foreign Surfers in Mexico
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are set to deliver closing arguments as the trial of three men accused of murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend enters its final stage.
ENSENADA, Mexico -- The trial of three men accused of killing two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing trip to Mexico in 2024 has entered its final stage, with a verdict expected Friday. Prosecutors in the Mexican state of Baja California and defense attorneys were scheduled to present their closing arguments on Thursday.
Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, were killed while on a surfing trip near Punta San José, approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Ensenada. They were reported missing shortly after arriving, and their bodies were discovered on May 3 in a well in the vicinity.
Four individuals were apprehended in connection with the deaths. Prosecutors allege that Jesús Gerardo García, also known as “El Kekas,” carried out the murders. García’s former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, received a 20-year prison sentence in November after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft. Authorities reported finding one of the victims' phones in her possession.
García, along with two other defendants, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús, have chosen to proceed to trial. During testimony last month, Silva Raya stated that García had confessed to approaching the surfers' tent with a 9 mm handgun. She testified that the victims attempted to defend themselves by throwing their belongings and that one of them pleaded for his life. Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez indicated that García allegedly attempted to steal tires and other components from the surfers' pickup truck. Investigators believe he shot the men when they resisted and subsequently disposed of their bodies in a well.
The parents of the Australian brothers, Martin and Debra Robinson, traveled from Australia to attend the trial, which commenced on September 7. "I know they would want us to be here; they would do the same for us," Martin Robinson stated at the beginning of the proceedings.