In the coastal city of Ensenada, a Mexican judge has found three men guilty of murdering two Australian brothers and an American friend who had traveled to a remote stretch of Baja California simply to surf. What began as a recreational journey to Punta San Jose in April 2024 ended in an armed robbery that claimed three lives, their bodies later recovered from a well. The conviction, arriving more than two years after the disappearances, offers a measure of legal resolution to families who have carried an irreplaceable loss — and reminds the world that ordinary moments of leisure can intersect
Three men found guilty in murders of Australian brothers and American surfer in Mexico
Three men were murdered during a surfing trip: Australians Callum and Jake Robinson and American Carter Redd Rhoad. Their bodies were found in a well.
The future we had imagined with them
Mark
Why did this case draw so much international attention? It's a tragedy, but murders happen everywhere.
Mimi
Three young men from English-speaking countries—two Australians and an American—disappeared during a leisure trip. That combination of factors, plus the brutality of how they were killed and the fact their bodies were found in a well, made it resonate globally. Families were watching from abroad.
Luke
But we should note that the actual details of what happened in that tent come from one source: the ex-partner's testimony. We don't have independent corroboration of exactly how the shooting unfolded.
Mark
What about the woman, Silva Raya? She got twenty years. Why so much less than what the prosecutors are asking for the men?
Mimi
She pleaded guilty and cooperated. She testified against García. The men went to trial, which meant prosecutors had to prove their case in court rather than accept a negotiated outcome.
Luke
Though we should be careful: we know she was sentenced to twenty years for robbery and vehicle theft with violence. The murder convictions are for the three men. It's possible she wasn't charged with murder itself, or the evidence against her for that charge was different.
Mark
So García is the one who actually fired the gun?
Mimi
That's what the evidence presented at trial indicated. He's identified as the perpetrator of the murders specifically. The other two were convicted as accomplices.
Luke
Right—but the source material doesn't detail exactly what role Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús played. Were they present? Did they participate in the robbery? We know they were convicted, but the specifics of their individual culpability aren't spelled out.
Mark
And the families—they sat through the whole trial?
Mimi
Yes. The Robinsons were there from start to finish. That kind of presence matters. It's a statement about bearing witness.
Luke
It also raises a question we can't answer from this reporting: how did they navigate the Mexican legal system? Did they have lawyers? How did they manage being in Ensenada for a month-long trial? Those are real logistical and emotional burdens that the story doesn't explore.
Le Pouls
- Three young men vanished from a remote surf camp in April 2024, their bodies found weeks later in a well — a discovery that sent shockwaves through Australia, the United States, and Mexico alike.
- A monthlong trial laid bare the cold mechanics of the crime: a gunman arriving at a tent, victims throwing their belongings in desperation, and a plea for life that went unanswered.
- An accomplice who helped orchestrate the robbery was already sentenced to twenty years in November 2025, while the three principal defendants chose to fight the charges rather than negotiate.
- In the courtroom, the weight of grief was made audible — a mother describing stolen futures, a father confessing the unimaginable burden of losing not one son but two.
- Prosecutors are now seeking 210 years imprisonment for each convicted man, with final sentencing set for October 16 — a number meant to signal that the justice system will not treat such violence as ordinary.
In the coastal city of Ensenada, a Mexican judge has found three men guilty of murdering two Australian brothers and an American friend who had traveled to a remote stretch of Baja California simply to surf. What began as a recreational journey to Punta San Jose in April 2024 ended in an armed robbery that claimed three lives, their bodies later recovered from a well. The conviction, arriving more than two years after the disappearances, offers a measure of legal resolution to families who have carried an irreplaceable loss — and reminds the world that ordinary moments of leisure can intersect, without warning, with the darkest expressions of human violence.
A Mexican judge in Ensenada has convicted three men — Jesús Gerardo García, known as 'El Kekas,' along with Irineo Francisco 'N' and Ángel Jesús 'N' — in the murders of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Carter Redd Rhoad. The three had arrived at the remote coastal town of Punta San Jose in April 2024 for a surfing trip. Days later, they were gone. Their bodies were pulled from a well on May 3rd.
The trial revealed how the crime unfolded: García's ex-partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, had traveled to the area and deliberately steered an associate toward robbing the foreigners. García arrived at their tent armed with a pistol. The victims threw their belongings at him and one begged for his life — to no avail. Silva Raya, found with one of the victims' phones, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and received a twenty-year sentence in November 2025. The three principal defendants chose to contest the charges and were also found guilty of armed robbery and carjacking.
Throughout the trial, the Robinson family sat in the courtroom absorbing the details of how their sons died. Debra Robinson told the judge that the murders had taken 'the future we had imagined with them.' Her husband Martin spoke simply of the impossible: losing not one son, but two. The state prosecutor's office has requested 210 years in prison for each convicted man — a sentence it called exemplary. Judge Hernández will deliver the final ruling on October 16.
A Mexican judge has convicted three men in the murders of two Australian brothers and an American surfer whose bodies were discovered in a well in Baja California last year. Judge Raúl Hernández, presiding in the coastal city of Ensenada, ruled on Friday that Jesús Gerardo García, known as "El Kekas," along with Irineo Francisco "N" and Ángel Jesús "N" were responsible for killing Callum and Jake Robinson of Australia and Carter Redd Rhoad of the United States. The three had traveled to the remote town of Punta San Jose, roughly fifty miles south of Ensenada, in April 2024 to surf. Days after their arrival, they vanished. On May 3, authorities recovered their bodies from a well.
The monthlong trial exposed the mechanics of a crime that shocked both Mexico and the international community. According to testimony from García's ex-partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, García arrived at the foreigners' tent armed with a 9 millimeter pistol. The victims, recognizing the threat, began hurling their belongings in an attempt to stop him. One of them pleaded for his life, but the gunman proceeded regardless. Prosecutors determined that Silva Raya had traveled to Punta San Jose on April 27 and deliberately encouraged one of her associates to rob the three men—a theft that occurred the following day. She was found in possession of one of the victims' cell phones and subsequently pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence. In November 2025, she received a twenty-year prison sentence.
García and his two co-defendants chose to contest the charges rather than accept a plea agreement. The trial revealed that the three men were also guilty of armed robbery and armed carjacking in connection with the incident. The defendants had remained in custody for more than two years while the case proceeded through the Mexican judicial system.
In the courtroom, the weight of the crime bore down on the families present. Debra Robinson, mother of the two Australian brothers, addressed the judge, describing how the murders had stolen "the future we had imagined with them." Her husband, Martin Robinson, spoke to the profound nature of their loss: "It's hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons." The Robinsons attended the trial throughout its duration, witnessing the details of how their sons and their friend were killed during what was meant to be a recreational trip.
The state prosecutor's office has requested what it termed an "exemplary sentence" of 210 years in prison for each of the three convicted men. Judge Hernández will announce the final sentences on October 16. The case has remained a focal point of international attention, underscoring the dangers that foreign travelers can face in certain regions of Mexico and the capacity of seemingly routine criminal enterprises to turn lethal.
Citations marquantes
It's hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.— Martin Robinson, father of the murdered Australian brothers
The murders had taken the future we had imagined with them.— Debra Robinson, mother of the murdered Australian brothers
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