A man charged over the killings of two Australian brothers and their American friend allegedly later laughed about the victims crying and pleading for mercy before they were shot, a Mexican court has heard.
Jake Robinson, 30, and his brother Callum, 33, were travelling Mexico’s Pacific coastline on a surfing holiday with their US friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, when they were allegedly murdered near an isolated campsite in Baja California in April 2024.
The friends’ bodies were recovered days later from the bottom of a well. Each had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, while their burned-out pick-up truck was found abandoned in the surrounding area.
Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús have each been charged with aggravated homicide and are now standing trial in the Mexican port city of Ensenada.
Prosecutors say the alleged attackers targeted the group to steal their mobile phones and the tyres from their vehicle.
Fresh and disturbing allegations emerged in court on Monday when Jesús Gerardo’s former girlfriend, 23-year-old Ari Gisell, took the stand.
Gisell is currently serving a 20-year jail term after admitting she instigated the robbery that prosecutors say ultimately led to the three men’s deaths.
She told the court she first encountered the Robinson brothers at the Punta San José coastal campsite after her then-boyfriend told her to approach them and ask for fuel.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, pictured, and their American friend were allegedly shot dead in April 2024.
Jesús Gerardo and Ángel Jesús are among the three men on trial over the alleged killings.
The tourists were ‘kind’ and ‘friendly’ and agreed to share their fuel, she told the court.
‘I told El Kekas they had good tyres, and good phones,’ she recalled – as reported by the ABC, but insisted she was not encouraging him to rob the men.
Gisell said she and Jesús Gerardo later went to his mother’s house before he and his stepson returned to the beach.
According to her evidence, the stepson took clothing to disguise his identity because ‘it was going to be his first job’.
Gisell told the court she later heard the victims threw their keys and wallets from their tent while ‘begging not to be killed’.
‘Gerardo told me that he had shot one of them with a gun when they opened the tent door,’ Gisell told the court.
She said that Jesús Gerardo and his stepson later arrived at his mother’s house in the tourists’ vehicle, which had blood splattered inside.
When he returned, Jesús Gerardo had three phones in his pocket and two chain necklaces, Gisell told the court.
Jesús Gerardo’s ex-girlfriend Ari Gisell, 23, gave evidence at the trial this week
Jesús Gerardo, also known as El Kekas, allegedly joked about how the three tourists cried and begged for their survival before he killed them
The tourists’ burnt out pick-up truck was located near their bodies
The court heard Gisell did not question him further because she feared him due to his reputation as a hit man and his violent tendencies.
Gisell said she later learned of the other accused men’s alleged involvement when her then-boyfriend boasted about how he had killed the trio.
The court heard he mocked his stepson for being too frightened to take part in the killings while joking that ‘without [his stepson’s] help, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything’.
She told the court that Jesús Gerardo joked that the victims cried when they realised they were in danger.
He said one of the men pleaded, ‘please don’t kill me because I have a wife’, Gisell recalled.
The court also heard Gisell describe Jesús Gerardo as a hit man who was always armed and kept a list of intended targets.
Gisell described the Robinson brothers and Mr Carter Rhoad as good people who deserved justice.
Jake and Callum’s parents, Debra and Martin Robinson, were in court on Monday to hear the harrowing evidence as the month-long trial entered its second week.
Jake and Callum’s parents Debra and Martin Robinson were in court to hear the harrowing new details recalled by Ari Giselle
Callum (left) and Jake Robinson (right) were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast with their friend Jack Carter Rhoad when the trio were shot dead
‘It’s about representing our sons, being here for them. I know they want us to be here,’ Mr Robinson told reporters before the trial.
‘We want to find out what happened. We want to find out why.’
The trial is now expected to run for longer than four weeks due to scheduling issues and a change of judge.
Callum Robinson played professional lacrosse in the US, while his younger brother was pursuing a career in medicine.
Their friend Mr Rhoad was killed just months before he was due to marry.
Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states and has long been plagued by organised crime and drug trafficking.
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