Trial Begins for Men Charged in Killings of Australian Surfers and American Friend

Three men charged with murder in the 2024 killings of two Australian brothers and an American friend went on trial Monday in Baja California, Mexico, according to court officials. The defendants, identified as Jesús Gerardo García, known as “El Kekas,” Irineo Francisco N., and Ángel Jesús N., face charges of murder and aggravated robbery related to the disappearance of Callum Ryan Robinson, 33, Jake Martin Robinson, 30, and Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, who went missing while camping and surfing at a remote beach. The surnames of the latter two defendants were withheld in accordance with Mexican criminal procedure. The bodies of the three victims were discovered several days later, showing gunshot wounds to their heads and dumped in a cliff-top shaft. Martin Robinson, the father of the Australian brothers, attended the hearing with his wife, stating, “I know they would want us to be here; they would do the same for us,” before entering the courthouse. Prosecutors allege that the victims were killed during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was later found burned near the location of the bodies. García's former partner, Silva Raya, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after admitting to instigating the robbery to steal the pickup’s tires.