Mexican Court Convicts Three Men in 2024 Killings of Surfers on Baja Trip

A Mexican judge on Friday convicted three men of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad, who were shot dead during a surfing trip to Baja California in 2024. The Guardian reported that the case sparked outrage in both Australia and the United States.

The defendants, Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus, have not yet been sentenced. The BBC reported that they are likely to spend the rest of their lives in a Mexican prison.

What the court heard about the killings

Jake Robinson was 30, Callum Robinson 33 and Rhoad 30, according to the Guardian. The three were camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. The BBC said the court heard they were killed in an apparent botched robbery of their truck.

Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head. The BBC described the place where they were dumped as a well, while the Guardian called it a clifftop shaft, so reports differ on that detail. The BBC said the attack happened about 36 hours after the men crossed into Mexico from the U.S., and their bodies were not found for another week.

Gerardo, known as “El Kekas,” was accused of leading the attack. The Guardian said his surname has not been disclosed for legal reasons. In a separate trial, his girlfriend, who admitted involvement in the robbery, was sentenced to twenty years in prison, the BBC reported.

The trial and the families

The trial took place in the port city of Ensenada and began on Sept. 7, according to the Guardian. The BBC described it as lasting a month. Prosecutors sought 150 years in prison for each defendant, the BBC reported.

Martin and Debra Robinson traveled from Australia and attended throughout. Debra Robinson testified on the final day and said her sons were treated with great cruelty in their last hours. The BBC reported she told the court the killings took away the future the family had imagined with them. Martin Robinson said: “It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.”

Rhoad’s mother, Page, and his fiancée, Natalie Weirtz, took part by video link from the United States. Weirtz told the court the accused must be punished so that no other family suffers the same pain, and said she has felt paranoid and isolated since his death, according to the Guardian.

Why it matters for travelers and Baja California

The killings alarmed visitors and residents in a region that has a reputation as a welcoming spot for surfers. The BBC said the area is usually safe from the violence seen elsewhere in Mexico, and that locals and tourists in Ensenada were disturbed by how easily and pointlessly the men were killed. Authorities appeared able to offer only one explanation: that the surfers were in the wrong place at the wrong time, the BBC reported.

The Guardian noted that Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, troubled by organized crime and drug trafficking, though cartel activity does not usually affect tourists. It added that other foreign visitors have been targeted in criminal attacks on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Two Australian surfers, Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, were killed in 2015 while traveling through Sinaloa, according to the Guardian.

Tourism is a key part of the regional economy, the BBC said. After the killings, local surfers held a paddle-out to remember the men and called for greater security for residents and visitors, citing other recent violence in the state. Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila said at the time that Baja California is and will remain a state with safe tourism, and she sent condolences to the families.

What happens next

The three men still face sentencing. A date for it was not disclosed in the reports. Debra Robinson said outside court a week before the verdict that she and her husband were deeply grateful for the support they had received from Australians, according to the BBC.

Sources: BBC News, The Guardian