Three jailed for over 158 years in surfer murders

A judge on Friday sentenced three Mexican men to more than 158 years in prison each for the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend, a case that tarnished Mexico’s image by exposing the risks foreigners face when visiting the tourism-dependent country.

The sentencing, which came a week after the men were found guilty, marked the end of a lengthy legal process over the killings of Australians Callum and Jake Robinson, and American Carter Redd Rhoad. Their bodies were found in May 2024, and at least four people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the crime.

A judge in the coastal city of Ensenada, in Baja California state, ruled that Jesus Gerardo Garcia, known as “el Kekas,” Irineo Francisco “N” and Angel Jesus “N” would each serve 158 years and nine months in prison for murder, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.

The Baja California State Palace of Justice is pictured in Ensenada, Mexico, on Friday.

Photo: Reuters

Antonio Otanez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, welcomed the outcome, saying “justice has been served.” However, he acknowledged that the killings had caused a “major drop” in tourist visits, particularly by surfers, to the region known for its beautiful beaches.

The Robinson brothers and their American friend decided to travel to Mexico in late April 2024 to pursue one of their passions, surfing, at a beach in Punta San Jose, about 80km from the city of Ensenada in Baja California state.

Unaware of the risks they faced, the three friends decided to camp on the beach on the night of April 27, 2024.

Their attackers confronted them there, shot them dead in the early morning hours and then dumped their bodies into a well more than 15m deep. The bodies were found on May 3 after several days of searching.

The Baja California prosecutor’s office announced on May 5, 2024, that it had arrested Garcia, known as “el Kekas,” identifying him as the suspected gunman in the killings of the three foreigners.

State authorities said Garcia had a criminal history in Ensenada involving alleged drug dealing, unlawful entry into a home, domestic violence and vehicle theft.

Garcia’s former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, and two of his alleged accomplices, Irineo Francisco “N” and Angel Jesus “N,” were also arrested in the case.

Silva Raya, whom authorities found in possession of a cellphone belonging to one of the victims, agreed to an abbreviated trial and in November was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.

State prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade alleged that the attackers wanted to steal the tires from the foreigners’ pickup truck and that the victims resisted.

“The attackers pull out a gun they were carrying and kill the person who initially resisted the robbery, then turn on the other two,” she said.