Sunday, October 18, 2026

Three men sentenced to 158 years each for killing surfers in Baja California

Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were shot in the head, and their bodies were dumped in a deep well.

• October 18, 2026
Brothers Callum and Jake Robinson; Carter Rhoad.
Brothers Callum and Jake Robinson; Carter Rhoad. [Credit: People]

A Mexican court on Friday sentenced each of three Mexicans to 158 years and nine months’ imprisonment for the murder of three tourists, including two Australian brothers and one American.

Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were shot in the head, and their bodies were dumped in a deep well after the Mexicans’ attempt to rob their truck went awry in 2024.

Jake was 33, and his brother, Callum, was 30.

The Australian brothers and their American friend were vacationing and surfing in Mexico when the Mexicans robbed them.

Jesus Gerardo Garcia, alias ā€œEl Kekasā€, Irineo Francisco ā€œNā€ and Angel Jesus ā€œNā€ were convicted of homicide, vehicle theft with violence and robbery with violence.

The Baja California state attorney general’s office prayed the court for an ā€œexemplary sentenceā€ of 210 years’ imprisonment for each defendant.

Tourism in the city took a nosedive following the deaths of the three Australians and Americans, according to Antonio Otanez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association.

The U.S. FBI had assisted the Mexican authorities to find the trio after they went missing on April 27, 2024. Their bodies, all had gunshot wounds to the heads, were discovered in a 50-foot-deep well on May 3.

Martin Robinson, father of the two Australian brothers, said the ā€œguilty 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.ā€

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