Three men convicted in Mexico over killings of Robinson brothers and Carter Rhoad

A Mexican court convicted three men on Friday, October 9, 2026, of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad during a 2024 surfing trip in Baja California, Deutsche Welle reported. The verdict establishes their guilt, while the punishment remains undecided.

Jake Robinson was 30, Callum Robinson was 33 and Rhoad was 30 when they were killed. The friends had been camping in a remote beachside area near Ensenada when they were attacked during a suspected robbery. Their bodies were found days later in a well.

Sentencing remains pending after guilty verdict

According to DW’s account of the verdict, the judge found that the three defendants acted with premeditation. The men had not been sentenced when the report was published. The account establishes the court’s finding but does not provide a sentencing date, appeal plans or a defence response.

Prosecutors have asked for an “exemplary sentence” of 210 years’ imprisonment for each convicted man. That figure is the prosecution’s request, not a prison term imposed by the court. DW also reports that the maximum sentence in Baja California is 60 years.

Robinson family welcomes step towards accountability

The brothers’ parents attended the hearing. Their mother, Debra Robinson, burst into tears when the guilty verdict was delivered, DW reported. Their father, Martin Robinson, issued a statement on behalf of the family acknowledging both the significance of the convictions and the limits of what a verdict could offer.

“While no verdict can ever bring back our boys or ease the heartbreak of losing them,” Martin Robinson said, the convictions marked “an important step towards justice and accountability”. His response welcomed the court’s decision without suggesting that the family’s grief had ended.

The brothers were originally from Perth. ABC’s reporting from Ensenada in May 2024 documented their parents’ visit to the city’s morgue to identify their sons’ bodies on May 5, local time. Their attendance at Friday’s verdict followed that earlier journey to identify the men they had lost.

What investigators reported in May 2024

ABC reported that the bodies were recovered on May 3, 2024. According to the Baja California Forensic Medical Service, each of the three victims died from a single gunshot to the head. Those findings formed part of the initial public account of the deaths.

At a May 5 press conference, Baja California attorney-general María Elena Andrade Ramírez outlined a preliminary theory that attackers wanted the campers’ vehicle for its tyres. She said the attackers apparently intended to put those tyres on an older vehicle and shot the tourists when they resisted.

That explanation was reported by ABC during the early investigation. It should be distinguished from the court’s later finding of premeditation: DW’s verdict report describes a suspected robbery but does not establish whether the judgment adopted the specific tyre-theft account.

Ensenada surfers demanded safer beaches

The killings also prompted a local response beyond the victims’ families. ABC’s reporters in Ensenada documented an estimated 500 people marching on May 5, 2024, chanting “We want security”. Some carried surfboards bearing messages of solidarity with Australia and demands for justice.

Local surfer Héctor Estrada told ABC: “We are here in solidarity with our friends from Australia and the United States.” He called for beaches where people could camp, surf and spend time with family and friends safely. Fellow surfer Ana Acosta urged government action so future generations could feel safe going to the ocean.

Those community appeals date to the aftermath of the killings in 2024, rather than Friday’s hearing. The convictions answer the question of criminal responsibility reported by DW; they do not establish whether beach safety has improved. Sentencing remains the next unresolved court decision identified in its account.