A Mexican judge in Ensenada convicted three men on October 9, 2026, for the April 2024 murders of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and American Carter Rhoad during a surfing holiday in Baja California. The victims were shot dead and dumped in a well during a botched robbery for their pickup truck's tires. The parents of the Australian brothers attended the five-week trial, expressing relief at the conviction in a country where fewer than 10 percent of homicides yield guilty verdicts.
Verdict and sentencing proceedings
- ▪A judge in Ensenada, Mexico found Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco, and Angel Jesus guilty on October 9, 2026, of murder, aggravated robbery, violent robbery, and violent vehicle theft
- ▪Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano scheduled the sentencing hearing for Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus for Friday, October 16, 2026
The murders and discovery of the victims
- ▪Australian tourists Jake and Callum Robinson and American tourist Carter Rhoad were shot dead while camping during an April 2024 surfing trip near Ensenada, Mexico
- ▪The bodies of Jake Robinson, Callum Robinson, and Carter Rhoad were discovered on May 3, dumped inside a cliff-top well with gunshot wounds to their heads
Victims' families at the trial
- ▪Debra and Martin Robinson attended every day of the five-week trial of their sons' killers in Ensenada, Mexico, following their arrival from Australia for the proceedings
- ▪Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano apologized directly to the victims' families, stating he was ashamed they came to know Mexico under such circumstances
- ▪Martin Robinson stated outside court that the guilty verdict against Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus represented an important step towards justice and accountability for his family and Carter Rhoad
Broader context of crime in Mexico
- ▪According to Human Rights Watch, less than 10 percent of homicides in Mexico result in a formal conviction
- ▪Baja California remains one of Mexico's most violent states due to drug trafficking and organized crime, though violence rarely targets foreign tourists
- ▪In 2015, Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were murdered and their bodies burned while traveling through Sinaloa, Mexico
Role of Ari Gisell Silva Raya
- ▪Authorities found one of the Robinson brothers' and Carter Rhoad's phones in the possession of Jesus Gerardo's former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya
- ▪Ari Gisell Silva Raya, the former girlfriend of Jesus Gerardo, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for instigating the robbery of Jake and Callum Robinson and Carter Rhoad to steal pickup truck tires
Debatable claims
- ▪Baja California's 60-year maximum prison sentence provides adequate accountability for multiple premeditated homicides
- ▪Prioritizing prosecutions of crimes against foreign tourists highlights systemic inequality in Mexico's justice system
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