Three Mexicans sentenced to 158 years each for murder of Australian and American surfers | Court News
A Mexican judge sentenced the three men for the 2024 murders, a week after they were found guilty.
Published on October 17, 2026
Three Mexicans have been sentenced to more than 158 years in prison each for the murder of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surf trip on the Mexican coast of Baja California in 2024.
A Mexican judge in the coastal city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California ruled Friday that Jesus Gerardo Garcia, aka “El Kekas,” Irineo Francisco “N” and Angel Jesus “N” will each serve 158 years and nine months in prison for homicide, aggravated robbery and aggravated auto theft.
The defendants were found guilty a week ago of the murders of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, aged 33 and 30 respectively, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30.
The case impacted Mexico’s tourism industry by exposing the risks foreigners face when visiting the country.
Previously, the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office requested an “exemplary sentence” of 210 years in prison for each defendant.
Antonio Otanez, president of the Baja California Surfers Association, welcomed the result, saying “justice has been done.”
Otanez acknowledged that the killings had caused a “significant decline” in tourist visits, particularly by surfers, to the area known for its beautiful beaches.
Brothers Robinson and Rhoad traveled to Mexico in late April 2024 to surf at a beach in Punta San Jose, near the popular tourist town of Ensenada.
The three friends camped on the beach on the night of April 27, 2024. Authorities launched a multi-day search with help from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after the men went missing for several days.
The bodies were found on May 3 in a well more than 15 meters deep, all with gunshot wounds to the head.
Last week, the brothers’ father, Martin Robinson, said “the guilty verdict is an important 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.”
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