MEXICAN JUDGE JAILS THREE MEN FOR SURFERS' MURDERS

A judge in Ensenada, Mexico, sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months in prison each for murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend during a 2024 surfing trip. The victims were Callum and Jake Robinson and Carter Redd Rhoad. The court found Jesús Gerardo, known as “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús guilty last week. The judge sentenced them for murder, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.

The three friends travelled to Punta San José in Baja California in late April 2024 and camped on a beach about 80 kilometres from Ensenada. The court heard that the men killed them during an apparent attempt to steal their vehicle. Gunshot wounds to the head killed all three, according to evidence presented in court. Authorities found their bodies in May 2024 in a well more than 15 metres deep. Their families identified them about a week after the killings.

Debra Robinson, the brothers’ mother, told the court that their deaths had taken “the future we had imagined with them”. In a separate trial, the girlfriend of Jesús Gerardo received a 20-year prison sentence after admitting involvement in the robbery. Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, said “justice has been served”. Otañez said the killings had caused a “major drop” in tourist visits to the area, particularly among surfers. Local surfers have called for greater security for residents and visitors, citing other violence in Baja California.