Arabic version: أحكام بالسجن 158 عاماً على ثلاثة رجال في جرائم قتل بالمكسيك

According to ABC News, three Mexican men have each been sentenced to 158 years and nine months in prison over the murders of Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad. The victims were killed during a surfing trip in Mexico’s Baja California region in April 2024.

Jesús Gerardo, known as “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús were found guilty last week in a judge-only trial of aggravated homicide and several related offences. Their full names were withheld for legal reasons. Prosecutors said the three tourists were murdered during a robbery gone wrong, while the defence argued there was insufficient evidence.

Judge Raul Hernandez Arellano told the court in Ensenada that the attack was a serious crime because the tourists were unarmed and were targeted in a remote location at night. He said the men had time to think through the crime but proceeded anyway. The court also ordered payments of 1,980,728 pesos for the murders of the Robinson brothers and 549,550 pesos for Mr Rhoad’s murder.

The bodies of Jake Robinson, 31, Callum Robinson, 32, and Mr Rhoad were found at the bottom of a well on a remote Baja California property after the group disappeared while camping on Mexico’s west coast. Jake had travelled to California to see Callum before the pair travelled south with Mr Rhoad.

The Robinsons’ parents, Debra and Martin, attended last week’s verdict before returning to Western Australia. In a statement after the sentencing, they said they were satisfied with the outcome, while stressing that no sentence could undo their family’s loss. The defence team has indicated it intends to appeal and has 10 days to do so.