“This was a premeditated act of extreme violence against visitors who came here seeking nothing more than the joy of the ocean."
In the stark Palacio de Justicia courtroom in the coastal city of Ensenada, Mexican prosecutors on Friday demanded prison terms of up to 210 years for three men accused of murdering two Australian brothers and their American pal during what began as a robbery gone fatally awry last year.
The brothers, Jake Robinson, 31, and Callum Robinson, 32, were surfers doin’ that iconic Baja run from Tijuana to Cabo in their Chevy pickup. Their deaths, along with that of their companion, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, from Washington, D.C., put the spotlight on the wild dangers facing tourists in Mex’s popular coastal regions.
It ain’t no secret that life is cheap as hell in Mexico and for all the dancing chihuahuas, lavish resorts in Tulum, the sexy Don Julio soaked nights in Cabo and the authenticity of the tacos prepared on outdoor hot plates on a warm night where dancing and fireworks suggest you’ve landed in a tropical paradise, you’re never too far from a grisly end.
Ten years back, two Australian surfers, Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, were killed in mainland Mex, their burnt-out corpses found in their surf van.
And, eighteen months ago, the bodies of Jake and Callum Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad, were found dumped in a fifty-foot well in Baja, California, four miles from where they were shot dead and their tents burned.
The three defendants, identified only by their given names, Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús, appeared before the Ensenada judge on homicide charges.
According to prosecutors, the killings stemmed from a botched attempt to steal the victims’ truck and other valuables as they camped near the remote surfing spot known as San Miguel on May 1, 2024.
In court, the lead prosecutor, speaking on behalf of the Baja California state attorney general’s office, requested the maximum penalty available under Mexican law: 70 years for each homicide count, plus additional time for kidnapping and robbery charges. For all three men, that totals 210 years.
Jesús Gerardo faces an extra 168 years on charges related to the “forced disappearance” of the trio.
“This was a premeditated act of extreme violence against visitors who came here seeking nothing more than the joy of the ocean,” the prosecutor told the court, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.
The three defendants turned down plea offers that carried prison sentences ranging from 47 to 52 years. A trial date will be scheduled soon.They face additional charges of aggravated robbery, armed robbery, and grand theft auto.
Jake, a former Australian rules football player, and Callum, a doctor, were remembered by family as “high achievers who loved sport and surfing,” in a tribute shared on social media shortly after their deaths.
Their parents, Debra and Martin Robinson, issued a brief statement last year expressing devastation but resolve: “Our boys were full of life and adventure. We hope their story brings awareness to the dangers others might face.”
Ah come on Derek.
When it comes to stories like this, facts and details matter.
If you go around telling everyone it was at San Miguel you are totally distorting the reality of how and why it happened.
This shit matters, because if you do decide to venture off beaten paths, especially in Mexico, you should be as informed as possible.
If I had to offer any advice here, it is don’t get complacent, keep your visibilty low, bring a dog that barks to help detect people at night, and simply do not let anyone get too close.
If you are brave like Valiant Scorn and really are going off the grid, bring some kind of weapon that has range.
where that happened you could have blasted them, burned their car and tossed the gun in the ocean, and nothing would have ever come of it because they were known lowlifes as opposed to guests bringing money and business to town. A simple warning shot at a distance might have been enough.
If not and you really are scared, just park it at San Miguel and chill and you’ll be fine.
I really feel for the poor rancher who they also dumped in that well.
Just like in this story, it is like he never existed, and none of this justice is for him.
Yes, as a gringo bring guns into Mexico, great idea. If you want to spend time a Mexican prison.
Hmmm, years in Mexican Prison or eternity at the bottom of a well? Tough call….
Like I said if you are scared and clueless then just stay at San Miguel or points north and you will be fine.
Scared? That’s what bringing a gun is.
Zero tolerance policy, 5 years in prison. Up to 30 years for an AK or the like. You’re probably not going to get caught, but it’s a hell of a lot more likely than getting murdered. Since you’re such a Mexico authority, you must know that and you don’t have the right to refuse searches of your vehicle, and cop etc down there love to toss gringo cars.
And speaking of bringing guns, way back in the day I brought some number of guns into the US from Mexico, along with other things. I’m not unclear on how shit works down there.
Ooh you’ve smuggled things before, way back in the day.
I’ve never been a part of that world.
I guess I would have to live down here to understand consequences and how shit works, right?
To throw you a bone here, as a general rule it would be really stupid to travel around packing, and it really isn’t neccessary or even useful anywhere with infrastructure.
It sure as hell ain’t going to save you if you cross the wrong people.
But as far as going way off the grid, where you know there is no one to help, having some form of defense used in conjunction with all the other protocols will go a long way to keeping you alive.
And that was my larger point, these guys were lulled into thinking where they were going is on the beaten path, probably because of its proximity to Ensenada, but that wasn’t the reality of where they went.
They weren’t misinformed, they just were not informed to begin with.
They went down with a straight vacation mindset, not the real adventure to points untamed.
Truth is they should have stayed up north and not gone looking for desolate places in a region that is as hot is that zone is.
Yes guns are a risk, but this isn’t about the gun. I do fine without one. This is about situational awareness.
BTW I got searched just last month crossing the border with a friend of mine. Easy as pie.
Nice job Monday morning quarterbacking the deaths of these three kids. If they just had your wisdom about how to be armed off the grid in Mexico, they’d be fine today. You’re a regular fucking special hero
Armchair?
Nah fuck you.
Yeah imagine if someone had told them to watch the fuck out before they went down there.
Maybe they would have stayed north and would be alive today.
Maybe others reading this might get the message and not die.
If you think I am here to be captain hindsight you got it wrong, I am here because from personal experience I know how much knowing what you are getting into down here matters.
My heart goes out to those guys, but I would be willing to bet they would agree with my take, harsh as it is post mortem.
They got sent there with no warnings whatsoever, you think that’s cool?
Hopefully anyone not experienced down there gets the point from reading our discourse.
You go be you and I’ll be me, the guy who doesn’t want people to die.
Arming yourself is a choice that comes with consequences, true but irrelevant really.
The need to understand what you are getting into down here is not an option.
Ah yes, special hero saving lives with your sage advice to bring guns into Mexico, levered of the mistakes these kids made but you don’t. The Nobel prize for unhinged narcissism is in the mail.
I am the unhinged narcissist.
You are the master gaslighter.
Makes for some great banter doesn’t it?