Three men in Mexico were sentenced Friday to 158 years in prison each for the murders of Australian surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend, Carter Redd Rhoad.
A federal judge in Ensenada, Baja California, sentenced Jesús Gerardo García, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús to 158 years and nine months for murder, robbery with violence and violent vehicle theft.
Ary Gisell Silva Raya, an alleged accomplice of García, was convicted of aggravated robbery with violence and violent vehicle theft. She received a 20-year sentence in November after agreeing to an abbreviated trial.
Jesus Gerardo ‘N’, known as ‘El Kekas’, was one of three men convicted of killing Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad during a surfing trip in April 2024. He is pictured in this handout image released October 16, 2026. (Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE)/Handout via REUTERS)
García, Francisco and Jesús were found guilty last week of killing the Robinson brothers and Rhoad. Authorities said the men were targeted so the attackers could steal the tires from their truck.
“The attackers pulled out a gun and killed the person who initially resisted the robbery, then killed the other two,” Baja California prosecutor María Elena Andrade said, according to The Associated Press.
The victims’ bodies were discovered in a well in Baja California in May 2024, Mexican authorities said.
The three men had traveled to Punta San José, roughly 50 miles from where the bodies were found in Ensenada, for a surfing trip in April 2024.
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Debra and Martin Robinson, the parents of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, pause during a news conference following the trial of the men accused of killing the brothers and their American friend in Ensenada, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Karen Castaneda)
The Robinsons’ parents attended the sentencing and told reporters that it represented an important milestone in the two-year ordeal following their sons’ deaths.
“Today’s guilty verdict is a significant moment in our long and painful journey to seek justice for our beautiful sons, Callum and Jake, and their friend Carter Rhoad, whose lives were so cruelly taken from them in 2024,” Martin Robinson said.
The killings drew international attention and dealt a serious blow to the local economy, which authorities said depends heavily on tourism.
Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California surfers association, welcomed the verdict but said the incident caused a “major drop” in tourism.
National Guard vehicles stand watch during a state prosecutor’s investigative search at the site where three surfers camped before disappearing on their trip in El Faro, Santo Tomas delegation, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, May 6, 2024. The Baja California State Prosecution Office confirmed on May 5, 2024, the deaths of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carte. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)