A Mexican judge sentenced three men to more than 158 years in prison each on Friday for the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their San Diego friend, closing out a case that drew global attention to the dangers facing foreign surfers on Baja California's remote coastline. Jesús Gerardo, known as “El Kekas,” along with Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús, were convicted of aggravated homicide, armed robbery and armed vehicle theft in the killings of Callum Robinson, his brother Jake Robinson, and Carter Rhoad.
Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano handed down 135 years for aggravated homicide, broken down as 45 years per victim, plus 13 years for grand theft and 10 years and nine months for aggravated and violent robbery, bringing the total to 158 years and nine months for each man, according to Courthouse News Service. As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the three defendants were found guilty on October 9, and under Mexican criminal-case protocol they are identified publicly only by their first and middle names.
A Camping Trip Cut Short Near Ensenada
Callum Robinson, 33, was a professional Premier Lacrosse League player living in San Diego; his brother Jake, 30, was a medical doctor from Perth, Australia; and Carter Rhoad, 30, was a Point Loma Nazarene University graduate who was engaged to be married, per CBS News. The trio had planned a multi-day camping and surf trip down the Pacific coast and were camping in Punta San José, south of Ensenada, when they were shot, according to the Union-Tribune's reporting. Evidence presented at trial established that the men were killed sometime around April 28 or 29, 2024, less than 36 hours after crossing into Mexico from the United States, as detailed in reporting cited by BBC News.
Prosecutors said the defendants wanted to steal the victims' Chevrolet Colorado and belongings; the truck was later found burned and stripped of its tires. The victims' families reported them missing after the group failed to check in at a booked Airbnb in Rosarito. Carter Rhoad's wife used Apple's Find My feature to track her husband's devices and shared the tracking information with the FBI, which passed it along to Mexican authorities — a trail that ultimately led to Ary Gisell Silva, who was found in possession of Rhoad's cellphone.
Girlfriend's Earlier Plea Helped Crack the Case
Silva, the 23-year-old girlfriend of ringleader Jesús Gerardo, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2025 in a fast-track proceeding after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft, according to KSL.com. Prosecutors say Silva told a defendant to rob the victims, and Rhoad's stolen phone led police to the campsite and to Silva. She was apprehended shortly after the bodies were located and provided information that aided the broader prosecution, the outlet reported.
The three bodies were recovered from a well on May 3, 2024, and a fourth body, believed to be the property's patrolman, was also found; he had been killed weeks earlier, though the three defendants were not charged in that separate death, Courthouse News Service reported. The discovery of the earlier victim added to broader concerns about safety in rural areas for residents and visitors.
Families Traveled From Perth to Watch the Trial
Debra and Martin Robinson, the parents of Callum and Jake Robinson, attended every day of the trial, watching closing arguments from just feet away from the defendants, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Mexican trials are conducted before a single judge without a jury. Carter Rhoad's wife and the Robinson parents also attended the October 16 sentencing hearing via livestream, per the Union-Tribune.
Carter Rhoad's mother, Page Rhoad, said there can never be justice for the loss of a son, but added that she was glad the defendants would not be able to hurt anyone else. Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade said the outcome resulted from a rigorous and swift investigation that enabled arrest warrants for the three suspects within a few weeks, and said her office remained committed to bringing those responsible to justice.
Restitution Ordered, Appeal Expected
The court ordered the convicted men to pay 1,098,728 pesos, or roughly $59,413, in restitution to the Robinson family and 549,550 pesos, or about $29,700, to the Rhoad family for financial damages and funeral expenses, according to Courthouse News Service's breakdown of the ruling. The Union-Tribune reported the judge's decision would be finalized at a hearing the following week. Defense attorneys said they would exhaust every resource to appeal.
A Lasting Blow to Baja's Surf Tourism
Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California Surfers' Association, said while welcoming the sentencing outcome that the 2024 murders caused a “major drop” in tourist visits and surfing trips to the region, the AP reported. Surfing communities around Ensenada have drawn international visitors, and the killings renewed concerns about tourist safety in the region.
A similar attack unfolded in November 2015, when Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were murdered in Sinaloa state and their bodies were later burned — a reminder that violence against foreign ocean-sports travelers has struck Mexico before. The sentencing closes the legal chapter for the Robinson and Rhoad families, even as the broader question of safety along Baja's isolated coastal roads remains unresolved for the residents and travelers who continue to pass through them.
