A Mexican judge found three men guilty on Friday, October 9, 2026, for the 2024 murders of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. The defendants, identified by the court as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco, and Ángel Jesús, were convicted following a month-long trial in Ensenada in the northern state of Baja California.
The three victims were on a surfing trip near Punta San José when they went missing in April 2024. Their bodies were discovered on May 3, 2024, at the bottom of a well, each having sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Investigations determined the killings occurred approximately 36 hours after the tourists crossed into Mexico from the United States.
Prosecutors argued the murders resulted from a botched robbery of the victims' pickup truck. Ary Gisell Silva Raya, the former partner of Jesús Gerardo, testified that Gerardo confessed to approaching the surfers' tent with a 9 mm handgun to steal tires and parts. Silva Raya was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2025 after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft.
During the trial, Debra and Martin Robinson, the parents of the Australian brothers, provided testimony in the Ensenada courtroom. Debra Robinson stated that the murders had taken "the future we had imagined with them," while Rhoad’s family participated in the proceedings via video link. The prosecution has requested sentences of 150 years for each of the three defendants.
The scale of the case involved a month-long trial following an investigation into the deaths of three individuals in their early 30s. Prosecutors are seeking a total of 450 combined years of imprisonment for the three defendants. The discovery of the bodies a week after their disappearance led to a memorial event where local surfers paddled out to honor the deceased.
For travelers and residents, the legal outcome serves as a benchmark for how the Mexican judicial system handles violence against foreign nationals. The proceedings demonstrated the use of testimony from accomplices, such as the 20-year sentence handed to a fourth individual involved in the robbery. While the guilty verdict has been delivered, a specific date for the final sentencing hearing, which will determine the exact number of years the men will serve, was not reported. The defendants remain in custody pending that final determination.