Mexico surfers murder verdict finds three men guilty
A judge convicted three men over the 2024 killings of two Australian brothers and their American friend, with sentencing set for Oct. 16.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
2 min read
The Mexico surfers murder verdict is in: a judge in Ensenada found three men guilty over the 2024 killings of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend, Carter Redd Rhoad, CBS News reported.
Judge Raúl Hernández ruled Friday that Jesús Gerardo García, known as “El Kekas,” Irineo Francisco “N” and Ángel Jesús “N” were responsible for the killings in Baja California. The court also convicted all three of armed robbery and armed carjacking, according to CBS News.
The ruling ends the monthlong trial but does not settle the punishment. Hernández was scheduled to announce the final sentences on Oct. 16. Baja California’s attorney general’s office has asked for 210 years in prison for each defendant, CBS News reported.
What happened to the surfers in Mexico?
The three friends had traveled to Baja California to surf near Punta San José in April 2024. They were reported missing shortly after arriving, and their bodies were found in a well on May 3, CBS News and the Associated Press reported.
Before the verdict, Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez said García had allegedly tried to take tires and other parts from the group’s pickup truck. Prosecutors said the men were shot after resisting and that their bodies were later hidden in the well, according to the AP.
Those details were part of the prosecution’s case. The guilty findings establish the defendants’ criminal responsibility, while the judge’s sentencing decision remains pending.
Who else was convicted in the case?
A fourth person arrested in connection with the case, García’s former partner Ary Gisell Silva Raya, was dealt with separately. CBS News reported that she pleaded guilty in an expedited proceeding and received a 20-year prison sentence in November 2025 for aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
Authorities said Silva Raya was found with one victim’s cellphone. Her conviction was for the robbery and vehicle-theft offenses, not the murder verdict announced Friday.
During the trial, Silva Raya testified that García had confessed to coming to the victims’ tent carrying a 9 mm pistol, CBS News reported. That was witness testimony, rather than a finding separately detailed in the verdict report.
Martin and Debra Robinson, the parents of Callum and Jake, traveled from Australia to attend the proceedings in Ensenada, according to the AP. The trial began Sept. 7 and concluded with Friday’s ruling.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.