This week, three men are facing trial in Mexico for the alleged murders of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad.
The men disappeared on a surfing trip in Mexico’s Baja California region in April 2024.
Their bodies were found in a well in a remote part of the state.
Police charged three men with their murders, with prosecutors seeking 210-year jail sentences per alleged perpetrator.
The Robinsons’ parents have travelled to Mexico for the trial.
Background
In April 2024, the Robinson brothers and Rhoad were reported missing after they failed to check in to an Airbnb.
Police then discovered a burnt-out car and abandoned tents believed to have been used by the men.
Their bodies were later found in an unused well in a remote part of Baja California, around 100km from the Mexico-U.S. border.
Authorities believe the men were shot dead by thieves trying to steal their belongings, their car, or its tyres.
Trial
Three men were arrested in 2024 in connection to the alleged murders.
Under Mexican law, only their given names can be published: Ángel Jesús, Irineo Francisco, and Jesús Gerardo, known as ‘El Kekas’.
At a 2025 hearing, prosecutors said they would seek prison sentences of 210 years for each alleged offender.
An additional 168-year sentence is sought for El Kekas for forced disappearance.
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Last year, El Kekas’ ex-girlfriend Ari Gisell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in instigating the robbery leading to the alleged murders.
The trial began on Monday (local time) in Ensenada, Baja California.
On day one, journalists reporting from the court said the original judge for the case was replaced after he sustained an injury in an “accident”.
During the trial, two witnesses told the court they had been intimidated by people connected to the alleged offenders.
As a result, the accused were moved out of the courtroom while the witnesses gave evidence.
The ABC reported one witness told the court he saw El Kekas and Ari Gisell speak to two “gringos” (a Spanish slang term for foreigners, usually white people) on a beach on 27 April.
After the witness and El Kekas took some members of their group home, the pair returned to the beach.
They encountered a car heading the same way towards the “gringos”.
The witness said he saw two of the accused: Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús.
The witness heard a gunshot and voices “yelling and fighting”, and ran from the scene.
He reunited later that night with El Kekas, who the witness said warned him not to speak about what happened.
Family
Callum and Jake’s parents Debra and Martin Robinson have travelled from Perth to Ensenada for the trial.
“We are going because we need to be there, not only for ourselves, but to represent the immense love, heartbreak and unimaginable loss felt by their families, friends and everyone who loved these three extraordinary young men,” the Robinsons said in a statement shared to the Callum and Jake Robinson Foundation’s Instagram.
