158 Years Each: Three Men Sentenced in Mexico for the 2024 Murders of Two Australian Brothers and Their American Friend

ENSENADA, Mexico — A Mexican judge on Friday sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the killings of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a 2024 surfing trip to Baja California, closing one of the most internationally watched murder cases in recent Mexican history.

The defendants — identified by authorities as Jesus Gerardo "N," known as "El Kekas," Irineo Francisco "N" and Angel Jesus "N" — were found guilty a week ago of homicide, aggravated robbery, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence. The crimes were committed against Australian brothers Jake Robinson, 33, and Callum Robinson, 30, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30.

The judge also ordered the men to pay compensation to the victims' families, a Baja California judiciary official said.

The three friends traveled to Mexico in late April 2024 to surf at a beach in Punta San Jose, about 80 kilometers south of Ensenada. After camping on the beach on the night of April 27, 2024, they were confronted by attackers, shot dead in the early hours, and their bodies dumped into a well more than 15 meters deep.

Their bodies were found on May 3 after a days-long search aided by the FBI. Each victim had been shot in the head, and the pickup truck they were traveling in was found burned several kilometers away, authorities said. Garcia was identified as the suspected gunman.

In November, a fourth defendant, Gisell Silva, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence in a fast-track proceeding. She was 23 when arrested, just days after the foreigners' bodies were found.

Antonio Otanez, president of the Baja California surfers' association, welcomed the sentences, saying "justice has been served" — but acknowledged the killings caused a "major drop" in tourist visits, particularly by surfers, to the region.

"There will never be justice for the loss of a child, but these men will never hurt anyone else again," said Page Rhoad, mother of the slain American, via Zoom after the sentencing.

The case tarnished Mexico's image abroad, exposing the risks foreigners face in the tourism-dependent region. With the sentencing, the lengthy legal process that began with the men's arrests in May 2024 has come to an end.

Sources:

• Reuters
• The Straits Times
• South China Morning Post