Mexico Judge to Rule Friday on Killing of 3 Surfers
MEXICO · COURTS
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico; Washington rates Baja California Level 3, “Reconsider travel.”
- —What happened An Ensenada judge closed the trial and deferred the verdict to Friday.
- —The victims Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad.
- —The accused Three Mexican men face aggravated homicide and robbery charges.
- —The crime The three were killed at Punta San José in late April 2024.
- —Still open Any sentence would be read next week if the men are convicted.
A verdict is due on Friday in a 2024 case in which Mexican prosecutors worked with the FBI and Australian diplomats.
A judge in Ensenada, Mexico, closed the murder trial of three men on Thursday, 8 October, and deferred his verdict to Friday. They are accused of killing American Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, surfers in Baja California.
For US readers, the case touches an American victim and a coast that draws surfers from California. The US State Department rates Baja California at Level 3, “Reconsider travel,” citing terrorism, crime and kidnapping.
What Happened in Court on Thursday
Prosecutors and defence lawyers presented their closing arguments on Thursday, according to an AFP report carried by the Mexico City daily Excélsior. The court then said it would announce the verdict on Friday, 9 October.
Defence teams for two of the men called witnesses during the trial, the Excélsior report said. Lawyers for the third man waived that right on Thursday.
Mexico has no jury trials, so a single judge decides guilt. Courthouse News Service, a US legal news outlet that followed the hearings, identified him as Judge Raúl Hernández Arellano.
Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers’ parents from Perth, attended in person as co-victims. Rhoad’s widow took part by video link from the United States.
The parents had flights home on 9 October and asked the judge to rule before they left, 7NEWS reported. “It’s been an incredibly difficult and emotional few weeks here in Ensenada,” Debra Robinson said outside court last week.
The Case Against Three Men
The three accused face aggravated homicide and robbery charges, according to Courthouse News and The West Australian. Court reporting describes the alleged ringleader as “El Kekas”, whom state prosecutors name as Jesús Gerardo “N”.
The Baja California State Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía General del Estado) leads the case under Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez. It says a woman spotted the surfers’ belongings at remote Punta San José, in Ensenada’s Santo Tomás district, on 27 April 2024.
According to the prosecutor’s account, armed attackers returned that night and killed the three men. They then took the victims’ belongings and pickup truck.
Prosecutors are seeking 150 years in prison, the Excélsior report said. It added that Baja California’s maximum prison term is 60 years.
A woman linked to the case was sentenced in November 2025 after admitting her role in the robbery. A judge gave her 20 years in prison and ordered MXN 54,285 (about US$3,000) in damages, the prosecutor’s office said.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The killings of the three surfers in Baja California drew cross-border attention. In May 2024, state prosecutors said they were working with the FBI, the US Consulate and the Australian Consulate.
Rhoad’s widow and a friend had reported the men missing to the US Embassy on 30 April 2024, Courthouse News reported. The bodies were found on 3 May in a well in a hard-to-reach area south of Ensenada.
A fourth body found at the same site was not linked to the case, prosecutors said at the time. The men on trial are not charged over it.
Paulina Creuheras of Integralia, a Mexico City political risk consultancy, told Courthouse News that foreign attention sped up the case. “There’s no way this trial would have been so speedy if it was just for one random Mexican,” she said.
What It Means for You
Ensenada lies roughly 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the US border. Its Pacific beaches draw surfers from Southern California.
The State Department’s Mexico advisory, issued on 29 May 2026, rates the country overall at Level 2. Baja California sits one step higher, at Level 3.
For surfers in Baja California, the advisory’s key line is to “remain on main highways and avoid remote locations.” It also notes that US citizens have been kidnapped in the state.
US government employees face no extra travel limits in Tijuana, Ensenada or Rosarito. Their only restrictions in the state apply in the Mexicali Valley.
US citizens who need help in the state can contact the US Consulate General in Tijuana.
What Is Not Known
Neither the prosecutor’s office nor the Baja California judiciary had published a statement on Thursday’s hearing by early Friday. The account of the session rests on press reports.
It is unclear whether Friday’s date was a change. The West Australian reported on 1 October that the verdict was already set for Friday, 9 October.
The exact sentence requested for each man has not been published by prosecutors. Courthouse News reported potential terms of up to 210 years, while the Excélsior report cited 150 years.
What Comes Next
The verdict is due on Friday, 9 October, at 10 a.m. local time, The West Australian reported. That is 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
If the men are convicted, the sentence would be read next week, according to the Excélsior report. A verdict would not close the separate inquiry into the fourth body found at the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the three surfers killed in Baja California?
They were Callum and Jake Robinson, brothers from Perth, Australia, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad. They were killed at Punta San José, south of Ensenada, in late April 2024.
Who is on trial?
Three Mexican men face aggravated homicide and robbery charges, including the alleged ringleader known as El Kekas. A woman linked to the robbery was sentenced to 20 years in November 2025.
When is the verdict?
The court said it would announce the verdict on Friday, 9 October. The West Australian reported a 10 a.m. local time hearing, which is 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
Is it safe for Americans to surf in Baja California?
The State Department rates Baja California at Level 3, Reconsider travel, citing terrorism, crime and kidnapping. Surfers in Baja California, like all visitors, are advised to stay on main highways and avoid remote places.
Did US authorities help with the case?
Baja California prosecutors said in May 2024 that they worked with the FBI and the US and Australian consulates. The American victim’s widow and a friend had reported the men missing to the US Embassy.
Sources: Fiscalía General del Estado de Baja California, 20 November 2025; FGE Baja California, 5 May 2024; FGE Baja California, 2 May 2024; US State Department, Mexico Travel Advisory; Excélsior; Semanario Zeta; Courthouse News Service; The West Australian; 7NEWS (all accessed 9 October 2026). Conversion at MXN 18.10 per US$ (open.er-api.com, 9 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief