Ensenada (Mexico) (AFP) – A Mexican judge is expected to hand down his verdict Thursday in the high-profile murder trial of three men accused of killing two Australian surfers and their American friend in 2024. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state in a suspected robbery. The deaths of the trio sparked an outpouring of grief and condemnation in Australia and the United States.
The prosecution is seeking 150 years in prison for each of the accused. The prosecution and defense will present their closing arguments from 1:00 pm (2000GMT), after which the judge is expected to announce his verdict. If convicted, the three will be sentenced on Friday. Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers’ parents, will address the court. Both traveled from Australia to the port city of Ensenada for the trial, which began on September 8. Rhoad’s mother, Page, and his widow, Natalie Weirtz, will also participate in the hearing in a video call from the United States.
The surfers were camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. Their bodies were found dumped in a cliff-top shaft, with gunshot wounds to their heads. Addressing the court at the start of the trial, Martin Robinson described his sons’ murders as “hell.” “It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons,” he said. Authorities say the men were killed during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was later found burned near their bodies.
Jesus Gerardo is accused of leading the attack. His surname has not been disclosed for legal reasons. His girlfriend was sentenced at a separate trial in November to two decades in prison after admitting that she instigated the robbery. Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, plagued by organized crime and drug trafficking, although cartel activity doesn’t usually affect tourists. Other foreign visitors have, however, been targeted in criminal attacks on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Two Australian surfers, Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, were murdered in 2015 while traveling through the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Their bodies were later burned.
© 2024 AFP
