World

3 Men Sentenced to 158 Years in Mexico for Murder of Surfers

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•3 min read

Three men were sentenced to 158 years and 9 months in prison by a judge in Ensenada, Mexico, for the 2024 murder of Jake Robinson, Callum Robinson, and Jack Carter Rhoad. The bodies of the three victims were found at the bottom of a well with gunshot wounds to the head.

Key Facts

A judge in the coastal city of Ensenada, in the Mexican state of Baja California, sentenced three men on Friday (10/16/2026) to 158 years and 9 months in prison for the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend.
Three defendants — Jesús Gerardo García alias “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco “N”, and Ángel Jesús “N” — were found guilty of murder, violent robbery, and violent vehicle theft.
The victims were Jake Robinson (33) and Callum Robinson (30) from Australia, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad (30), who were reported missing in late April 2024 while camping and surfing near Punta San Jose, approximately 80 km south of Ensenada.
Their three bodies were found on May 3, 2024 at the bottom of a well, each with a shot in the head; the pickup car they drove was found burned several kilometers from the site.
A woman, Gisell Silva, was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to aggravated robbery and carjacking; she was arrested several days after the victims' bodies were found.
The judge also ordered the defendants to pay compensation to the families of the victims.California surfers' association president Antonio Otañez said justice had been enforced, but acknowledged the murder made surfing tourists' visits to the area sharp.

Verdict Handed Down in Ensenada

ENSENADA â€” A judge in the coastal city of Ensenada, Baja California, sentenced three men to 158 years and 9 months in prison each on Friday (16/10/2026). The heavy sentences conclude a long legal process over the murder of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a 2024 surfing trip.

The three defendants — Jesús Gerardo García, known as "El Kekas", Irineo Francisco "N", and Ángel Jesús "N" — were found guilty of murder, violent robbery, and violent vehicle theft. The sentence was given a week after the three were found guilty by the court. The judge also ordered the defendants to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

Victim Missing in 2024, Body Found in Well

The victims in the case are Jake Robinson (33) and Callum Robinson (30), two brothers from Australia, along with their friend Jack Carter Rhoad (30) from the United States. They were reported missing in late April 2024 while camping and surfing near Punta San Jose, approximately 80 kilometers south of Ensenada.

Following a days-long search aided by the FBI, the bodies of the three individuals were found on May 3, 2024, at the bottom of a well. Each victim was found with a gunshot wound to the head. The pickup truck they had been traveling in was found burned several kilometers from the location where the bodies were discovered.

A woman named Gisell Silva was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to violent robbery and carjacking. Silva, who was 23 years old at the time, was arrested several days after the victims' bodies were discovered.

The steel wheel is hit.

Antonio Otañez, president of the California Steel Surfers Association, welcomed the verdict and said justice had been enforced, but he acknowledged that the murder had damaged the image of Mexico and caused a “great decline” in tourists’ visits, surfers, to the area famous for its beautiful beaches.

“There will be no justice for losing a child, but these people will never hurt anyone again,” Page Rhoad, the mother of the U.S.-born victim, said through a video link after the verdict was read.

The case has become an international highlight and reveals the risks faced by foreign tourists in countries that are highly dependent on the tourism sector.