Three Men Convicted of Killing Australian Brothers and American in Mexico

A judge in Ensenada, Baja California, has found three men guilty of murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing trip in April 2024. The convictions, announced on Friday, resolve a case that began with the trio's disappearance near Punta San Jose and ended with their bodies discovered in a well in May 2024. The Associated Press reported that Judge Raúl Hernández found Jesús Gerardo García, known as "El Kekas," Irineo Francisco "N," and Ángel Jesús "N," guilty of the killings. The men also received convictions for armed robbery and armed carjacking.

The verdicts follow a month-long trial in which testimony detailed the events leading up to the deaths. García’s former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, testified that he approached the surfers’ tent carrying a 9mm pistol. According to her account, the victims threw their belongings at him in an attempt to stop the attack, and one pleaded for his life. Silva Raya stated that García ignored the plea and later admitted to killing "three gringos." Prosecutors alleged that the group initially targeted the victims’ pickup truck for its tires but escalated the encounter after meeting resistance.

Silva Raya, who was found with one victim’s cellphone, was not part of the three-man trial. The AP reported that she pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence. In November 2025, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She had reportedly met the surfers on April 27, 2024, and encouraged one of her companions to rob them.

The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office is seeking 210 years in prison for each of the three convicted defendants. Judge Hernández is scheduled to announce their sentences on October 16. Authorities initially described the incident as a robbery gone wrong, with chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez noting that investigators believed the thieves encountered resistance during an attempted theft of the vehicle.

The Robinson family has expressed relief at the verdicts more than two years after their sons' deaths. Martin Robinson, the brothers' father, described the decision as a significant moment in their pursuit of justice, while acknowledging it does not undo their loss. Debra Robinson, their mother, previously paid tribute to her sons on a San Diego beach shortly after their bodies were found. She recalled that Jake, a doctor, had sought work at hospitals near surfing beaches and urged others to honor their memory by living fully. "Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory," she said.