Jake and Callum Robinson: Three men found guilty of murdering Perth brothers and friend in Mexico

Three men have been found guilty of murdering Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend during a surfing trip to Mexico in 2024.

Jesús Gerardo, known as “El Kekas”, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús were convicted of aggravated homicide and related offences by a judge in the Mexican city of Ensenada.

The judge ruled the three Mexican defendants acted with premeditation when they shot dead the Australians near the coastal city of Ensenada on April 27, 2024.

The two brothers, aged 30 and 33 respectively, and their friend, Carter Rhoad, were travelling though Mexico’s Baja California region when they were killed. Their bodies were discovered dumped in a well on May 3, 2024 after they were reported missing.

Prosecutors argued the men were killed during a robbery gone wrong, alleging the attacker’s targeted the surfers for their belongings and vehicle before shooting them and concealing their bodies.

Evidence throughout the trial included testimony from protected witnesses, forensic experts and the former girlfriend of one of the accused, who has already been sentenced to 20 years for her role in the robbery.

The defence challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing there was insufficient evidence to establish the defendants’ guilt and raising concerns about the investigation and the reliability of evidence presented in court.

The case attracted widespread attention in Australia, with the Robinson brothers’ parents travelling about 15,000km from Perth to Ensenada to sit through the trial of the men accused of killing their sons.

Earlier this month they convinced the judge to move his verdict forward to Friday so they could be there in person for the crucial moment, before their pre-booked departure.

Martin Robinson also testified during the early stages about the life of “hell” he and wife Debra had lived for the two years since learning of their children’s death.

“It’s hell,” Mr Robinson told the court.

“It’s hard enough for a parent to lose one child but we lost two sons in horrific circumstances and it’s left a huge hole in our lives,” before adding: “what we can’t understand is how they could rob the world of two beautiful men who had such bright futures”.

The charges against the defendants included robbery and aggravated homicide, for which the prosecution had sought sentences of up to 150 years against the suspects.

The sentences will be announced in the coming days.