Three men convicted of murdering Australian brothers and American friend in Mexico

<p>Three men have been convicted in the killings of two Australian brothers and their American friend, whose disappearance during a surfing trip in Mexico prompted an international search before their bodies were discovered in a well.</p><p>A judge in Ensenada on Friday found Jesús Gerardo García, known as "El Kekas," Irineo Francisco "N," and Ángel Jesús "N," guilty of murdering Callum and Jake Robinson, along with their friend Carter Rhoad, in Baja, California, in April 2024, according to The Associated Press.</p><p>The men were also convicted of armed robbery and armed carjacking. Judge Raúl Hernández is scheduled to announce their sentences on October 16, with the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office seeking 210 years in prison for each defendant, as reported by the AP.</p><p>The verdicts followed a month-long trial that included testimony about one victim pleading for his life before the killings.</p><p>García’s former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, testified that he told her he approached the surfers’ tent carrying a 9mm pistol. The men threw their belongings toward him in an effort to stop the attack, and one begged to be spared, she said.</p><p>According to her testimony, García ignored the plea.</p><p>The friends had traveled to Baja, California, to surf and were reported missing after arriving in Punta San Jose, about 50 miles from Ensenada. Their bodies were discovered in a well on May 3, 2024.</p><p>Authorities initially stated that the men were killed after confronting thieves who wanted the tires from their pickup truck.</p><p>Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez indicated that investigators believed the thieves spotted the truck and tents, then encountered resistance from the surfers during the attempted theft.</p><p>García allegedly told his girlfriend he had done something to "three gringos" before admitting, "I killed them," according to the BBC’s account of a May 2024 court hearing.</p><p>She also stated that he showed her a vehicle fitted with tires allegedly stolen from the victims’ truck.</p><p>Silva Raya was found with one victim’s cellphone. Prosecutors said she met the surfers on April 27, 2024, and urged one of her companions to rob them, as reported by the AP.</p><p>She pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2025. García and the other two men proceeded to trial.</p><p>The guilty verdicts provided a measure of relief to the Robinson family more than two years after the brothers’ deaths.</p><p>Their father, Martin Robinson, described the decision as a significant moment in the family’s pursuit of justice, according to the AP. He stated that the outcome could not undo their loss but offered a step toward justice as they continued to honor the three men.</p><p>The brothers’ mother, Debra Robinson, spoke about their love of surfing during a tribute on a San Diego beach shortly after their bodies were found. "Our hearts are broken, and the world has become a darker place for us," she said at the time. "They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together."</p><p>She recalled that Jake, a doctor, sought work at hospitals near surfing beaches and urged others to honor her sons by embracing life. "Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory," she said.</p><p><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</i></p>