Jake and Callum Robinson, along with Jack Carter Rhoad, who were sadly murdered in Baja Mexico.
Mexican authorities have charged a fourth person in the case of the three surfers murdered while traveling in Baja California in April of last year. The victims were two Australian brothers, Callum and Jake Robinson, and an American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surf trip at Punta San José south of Ensenada.
The latest suspect, Irineo Francisco, joins Jesús Gerardo and Ángel Jesús – whose last names are withheld under Mexican law – in facing charges of aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery, violent robbery, grand theft auto, and forced disappearance. The only female suspect, Ari Gisell, faces the same charges, except for forced disappearance.
The lead prosecutor on the case, Miguel Ángel Gaxiola Rodríguez, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the state has a strong case. He says the motive for the killings was to steal the tires from the surfers’ truck.
“It appears that the perpetrators identified an opportunity for robbery when they encountered the foreigners in a highly isolated location,” said Gaxiola Rodríguez. “We have compelling evidence, including witness statements, and we have found the vehicle. The objective is to ensure that the accused are brought to trial and convicted of the homicide and robbery.”
The surfers were reported missing on April 27, 2024, and were found several days later, on May 3, at the bottom of a 50-foot well along with another body unrelated to the case. The Robinson brothers and Rhoad each suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
According to Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez, one of the victims refused to allow the suspects to take the truck’s tires. “One of the assailants pulled out a firearm and shot him,” Andrade Ramírez said several days after the bodies were found. “The other two jumped in to intervene but were also shot.”
Ari Gisell was the first to be arrested on May 1. She was found trying to dispose of 100 grams of methamphetamine and in possession of Jack Carter Rhoad’s iPhone. She turned in two of the suspects, Jesús Gerardo and Ángel Jesús.
Authorities maintain that cartels did not play a role in the murders.
Two court hearings are scheduled for July 17: one for the three men accused of forced disappearance and another for all four suspects. The prosecution will divulge what penalty they are seeking, with the maximum sentence for homicide being 60 years.
The Baja California Surfing Association erected memorial statues for the victims at Punta San José, where the tragedy took place. “This monument commemorates the lives of three young surfers who lost their lives on April 27, 2024,” the memorial reads in English and Spanish.
Baja California surfers organized protests in Ensenada in the days after the murders to express their outrage over violence in their state, and country as a whole.
