The Albany Gazette - Verdict expected Friday in Mexico trial over murders of Australia, US surfers

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.

Their deaths sparked an outpouring of grief and condemnation in Australia and the United States.

The prosecution told AFP it had requested 210 years in prison for each of the accused. The maximum penalty in Baja California is 60 years.

The prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments on Thurday, and the judge said he would announce his verdict Friday.

If convicted, the three will be sentenced next week.

Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers' parents, traveled from Australia to the port city of Ensenada for the trial, which began on September 7.

"They took our sons from our lives forever," said Debra Robinson, who testified on the final day of the trial.

"What hurts us most is that, in their final hours, they were treated with such cruelty."

Rhoad's mother, Page, and Natalie Weirtz, who he was engaged to, also participated in the hearing in a video call from the United States.

"The accused are guilty and must be punished so that no other family suffers the same pain," Weirtz said.

"Since Carter’s death, I feel paranoid and isolated."

- 'Hell' -

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 -- known as "El Kekas" -- 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 to steal the pickup's tires.

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 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.

(A.Johnson--TAG)