Three men found guilty of killing Robinson brothers and friend in Mexico

A judge in Mexico's Baja California state found three men guilty on Friday, October 9, of killing Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad during a surfing trip in April 2024. The verdict resolves the question of guilt after a trial in Ensenada, but the prison sentences have not been reported.

ABC News identified the defendants as Jesús Gerardo, known as ‘El Kekas’, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús. It said their full names were withheld for legal reasons. The judge found all three guilty of aggravated homicide and several related offences, according to ABC. The BBC also reported guilty verdicts in the three murders.

What the Baja California court decided

The three friends were on a surfing and camping trip along Mexico's Pacific coast when they were killed. During the trial, the prosecution said a robbery of their truck had gone wrong. The BBC described the area where they were killed as a secluded beach and reported that their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head, dumped down a well. The robbery account was presented at trial; the available verdict reports do not set out a fuller judicial finding about motive.

The defence argued that the evidence was insufficient to prove the case, ABC reported. In its account of the closing arguments, ABC said the defence also challenged the credibility of the investigation and the testimony relied on by prosecutors. The guilty verdicts followed those arguments, although the reports do not detail the judge's reasoning on each disputed point.

What the families told the court

Before the verdict, Debra Robinson asked the judge to impose the maximum prison sentence on those responsible. ‘No sentence can bring Callum and Jake back; nothing can undo what has happened, but accountability matters,’ she said in a victim impact statement reported by ABC. She also asked the court to consider protecting other families from similar harm.

Martin Robinson told the court during closing arguments, ‘It's hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons,’ the BBC reported. Carter Rhoad's fiancée, Natalie Weirtz, spoke on behalf of his family. According to ABC, she said she believed the accused were guilty and that justice should be served in the highest degree.

The brothers and Rhoad had been killed while travelling together in April 2024. ABC reported that Jake was a 31-year-old doctor from Perth who had travelled to California to meet Callum, 32, who had lived in the United States for 12 years after moving there to play lacrosse. They then went south with Rhoad for the camping and surfing trip. Those details explain why the proceedings drew families from both Australia and the United States.

Sentences have yet to be reported

The prosecution sought 150 years in prison for each defendant, the BBC reported. ABC said the three men had earlier rejected plea agreements that would have brought prison terms of between 47 and 52 years. Neither figure is a sentence imposed by the judge. The verdict reports do not say when sentencing will occur or what terms the court will order.

The BBC reported that Jesús Gerardo's girlfriend was sentenced to 20 years in a separate trial in November 2025 after admitting involvement in the robbery. Her case is distinct from the verdict against the three men. It does not establish what punishment they will receive.

How the killings affected Ensenada

The deaths prompted concern among surfers and other residents of Ensenada in 2024. The BBC reported that local surfers gathered to commemorate the men and called for greater security for residents and visitors. Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Ávila said at the time that the state would continue to provide safe tourism and offered condolences to the families.

Those were responses to the killings, rather than evidence of a subsequent change in security. For now, the confirmed court outcome is that three men have been found guilty; the punishment that follows remains an open question in the available reports.