Three Men Convicted in Murders of Surfing Brothers and American Friend in Baja California

A judge in Ensenada, Mexico, has convicted three men in the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend who disappeared while on a surfing trip in Baja California.

Judge Raúl Hernández ruled Friday, after a month-long trial, that Jesús Gerardo García, known as “El Kekas,” along with Irineo Francisco “N” and Ángel Jesús “N,” murdered Australians Callum and Jake Robinson and American Carter Redd Rhoad. All three men were also convicted of armed robbery and armed carjacking.

The three travelers were reported missing shortly after arriving in Punta San Jose, a coastal town roughly 50 miles from Ensenada. Their bodies were found on May 3, 2024, nearly a week later, at the bottom of a well near their burned-out white pickup truck. Callum was 33, Jake was 30, and Carter Rhoad was 30.

García was arrested in May 2024 along with his ex-girlfriend, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, as well as Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús. Silva Raya testified that García approached the group’s tent armed with a 9mm pistol and that the tourists threw their belongings at him in an attempt to fend off the attack. She testified that one of the men pleaded for his life.

According to Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez, García had allegedly tried to steal tires and other parts from the surfers’ truck. Prosecutors believe García shot the men when they resisted, then concealed the bodies in the well.

Silva Raya, found in possession of the victims’ cell phones, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft and was sentenced in November 2025 to 20 years in prison.

The three newly convicted men are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16. The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office has requested what it called an “exemplary sentence” of 210 years for each defendant.

Callum and Jake Robinson’s father, Martin Robinson, responded to the verdict in a statement.

“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.”