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Three men found guilty of murdering two Australian surfer brothers and US friend - Published Three men have been found guilty of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their US friend Carter Rhoad during a surfing trip in Mexico in 2024. The men's full names could not be given for legal reasons, and they were only identified as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús. They are yet to be sentenced - but are likely to spend the rest of their lives in a prison. Debra Robinson, the brother's mother, told the courtroom in the northern Baja California state the murders of her sons had taken "the future we had imagined with them". During the trial the court heard the tourists were killed in an apparent botched robbery of their truck in a secluded beach area. Their bodies were later found with gunshot wounds to their heads, dumped down a well. The murders sent shockwaves around the world, particularly in Australia, as the coastal area is usually safe from the violence in other parts of Mexico. Debra Robinson and her husband Martin Robinson have been at the court in the coastal town of Ensenada throughout the trial and they delivered emotional testimony during closing arguments before Friday's verdict. "It's hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons," said Martin. Family members of Rhoad joined the trial by video link. Speaking to media outside court a week ago, Debra Robinson said the couple were "deeply grateful" to Australians for the outpouring of support they had received and that they "feel the love and their arms around us". During the month-long trial, the prosecution had sought 150 years in prison for each of the three defendants. In November last year, the girlfriend of the alleged ringleader, Jesús Gerardo alias "El Kekas", was sentenced in a separate trial to 20 years in prison. She had admitted to involvement in the robbery. At the time, the murders shocked locals and tourists in Ensenada who were disturbed at the apparent ease and sheer pointlessness of the killings. The beach town has a reputation as a welcoming spot for surfers and the chilling murders revealed much about how commonplace such extreme violence remains in Mexico. The only explanation the authorities appeared able to give was that the surfers - all in their early 30s - had ultimately been murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their killings took place barely 36 hours after they crossed into Mexico from the US. Their bodies, however, were not found for another week when their families were able to identify them. At the time, the surfer community in Ensenada turned out in force to commemorate the men by paddling out at one of the area's best known surfing spots and throwing flowers into the sea. Local surfers also called for greater security for residents and visiting tourists, citing other recent examples of violence in the state. Tourism is a key part of the regional economy in Baja California. Amid the demands for action, Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila tried to ease public fears about the widespread violence in her state. "Baja California is and will continue to be a state with safe tourism for the thousands of people who visit us from the rest of the country and the world", she said. "I send my condolences and solidarity to the families at this difficult time." Related topics - Published8 September - Published7 May 2024
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