Three Mexican men have been sentenced to 158 years and nine months in prison each for killing two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing trip in Mexico in April 2024.
A judge delivered the sentences on Friday in Ensenada, Baja California state, after the three defendants were found guilty of the murders a week earlier.
The convicts were identified as Jesus Gerardo Garcia, popularly known as “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco “N” and Angel Jesus “N”.
They were convicted of homicide, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office had earlier sought a 210-year prison sentence for each of the men, describing the proposed punishment as an “exemplary sentence”.
The victims were Australian brothers Callum Robinson, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and their American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30.
The killings attracted international attention and raised concerns about the safety of foreign visitors to Mexico, particularly in Baja California, a region popular for its beaches and surfing destinations.
Antonio Otanez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, welcomed the court’s decision, saying “justice has been served.”
He also disclosed that the murders had caused a “major drop” in tourist visits to the area, particularly among surfers.
The three friends travelled to Mexico in late April 2024 for a surfing trip and camped at a beach in Punta San Jose, near Ensenada, on the night of April 27.
Authorities launched a search operation after the men were reported missing, with assistance from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Their bodies were discovered on May 3, 2024, inside a well more than 15 metres deep.
All three victims had gunshot wounds to their heads.
Following the guilty verdict last week, the brothers’ father, Martin Robinson, described the decision as an important step towards justice for the victims.
He said the “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.”
