A judge in the Mexican coastal city of Ensenada has sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months in prison each for the 2024 murders of two Australian surfing brothers and their American friend. The ruling handed down punishment to Jesús Gerardo García, known as “el Kekas,” alongside Irineo Francisco “N” and Ángel Jesús “N,” following their convictions for murder, robbery with violence, and vehicle theft with violence.
The formal sentencing took place a week after the defendants were convicted, concluding a high-profile legal process that exposed the dangers foreign travelers face in Mexico and damaged the region's tourist economy. The victims—Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American citizen Carter Redd Rhoad—had traveled to Baja California state in late April 2024 to surf at Punta San José, a beach destination situated roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Ensenada.
According to investigators, the three friends set up camp on the beach on the night of April 27, 2024. During the early morning hours, assailants confronted the campers in an attempt to steal the tires from their pickup truck. State prosecutor María Elena Andrade explained that when one of the victims resisted the robbery, the attackers drew a firearm and shot him dead before killing the other two men. The gunmen then threw all three bodies into a well deeper than 15 meters (50 feet). Search teams recovered the remains on May 3, 2024, after several days of searching.
Authorities subsequently arrested at least four people connected to the case. On May 5, 2024, the Baja California prosecutor's office announced the arrest of García, identifying him as the alleged gunman. Officials revealed that García possessed a prior criminal record in Ensenada involving drug dealing, domestic violence, unlawful entry into a home, and vehicle theft. His former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, was also detained after being found in possession of a victim's cellphone. Silva Raya accepted an abbreviated trial and was sentenced in November to 20 years in prison for aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
Reacting to the court's final ruling, Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, welcomed the lengthy prison sentences, stating that “justice has been served.” However, Otañez noted that the tragic killings caused a major drop in tourist visits to the area's popular beach destinations, particularly among visiting surfers.
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