Three men charged with murder and aggravated robbery in the 2024 killings of two Australian brothers and their American friend began their trial Monday in Mexico’s Baja California state, according to court officials.
Jesús Gerardo García, known as “El Kekas,” and two other defendants, identified as Irineo Francisco N. and Ángel Jesús N., appeared in court in the coastal city of Ensenada. The victims were Callum Robinson, 33, Jake Martin Robinson, 30, and Jack Carter Rhoad, 30. The surnames of the latter two defendants were withheld in accordance with Mexican criminal procedure.
The three men went missing while camping and surfing at a remote beach in Baja California. Their bodies were discovered several days later, disposed of in a cliff-top shaft with gunshot wounds to the head.
Prosecutors allege that the killings occurred during an attempted theft of the victims' pickup truck, which was later found burned near their bodies. Investigators also said that García’s former partner, Silva Raya, was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting she instigated the robbery with the intention of stealing the truck's tires.
Martin Robinson, the father of the Australian brothers, attended the hearing in Ensenada with his wife. He told reporters outside the courthouse that he believed his sons would have done the same for his friends. The trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday.