Mexican judge convicts three men of murdering three surfers in Baja California

A judge in Ensenada, Mexico, convicted Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús on 9 October 2026 of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their US friend Carter Rhoad during a surfing trip in Baja California in 2024. The three defendants were found guilty of aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery, violent robbery and violent vehicle theft. They have not yet been sentenced.bbc.co.uk+1

The verdict ends a month-long trial that began on 7 September in the coastal town of Ensenada, on Mexico's Pacific coast. Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano delivered the ruling without a jury. The case matters because the killings of three foreign tourists on a stretch of coast known for surfing drew international attention and scrutiny of security in Baja California, one of Mexico's most violent states.

What the verdict covers

The three victims were Australian brothers Jake, 31, and Callum Robinson, 32, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, 30. They disappeared in late April 2024 while camping at a remote surfing spot in beachside Baja California. Their bodies, along with those of a local farmer, were found days later at the bottom of a well, with gunshot wounds to their heads.smh.com.au

The court heard that the tourists were killed during a robbery that went wrong. The prosecution argued the three men were victims of a botched theft of their truck in a secluded beach area. The judge ruled that the defendants acted with premeditation when they shot the three men dead on 27 April 2024 near Ensenada.

The victims were camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked. Their bodies were found in a clifftop shaft, with gunshot wounds to their heads. The court heard that the victims begged for mercy before they were killed, and that the killers later mocked their pleas. The killings took place barely 36 hours after the group crossed into Mexico from the US.

How the killings unfolded

Debra and Martin Robinson, the brothers' parents, travelled from Australia to Ensenada and attended every day of the five-week trial. Debra Robinson told the courtroom the murders had taken "the future we had imagined with them". Martin Robinson said outside court: "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."

Carter Rhoad's mother, Page, and his fiancée, Natalie Weirtz, joined the hearing by video call from the United States. Weirtz told the court: "The accused are guilty and must be punished so that no other family suffers the same pain." Australian Ambassador to Mexico Crispin Conroy travelled to Ensenada for the verdict, and an Australian Federal Police detective supported the family at the trial.sbs.com.au

What sentencing comes next

The defendants are yet to be sentenced but are likely to spend the rest of their lives in a Mexican prison. The verdict comes after a trial in which the parents of the two Australian brothers delivered emotional testimony during closing arguments. The killings drew grief and condemnation in Australia and the United States, and local surfers in Ensenada had earlier called for greater security for residents and tourists.