Mexican Judge Sentences Three Men To 159 Years Each For Killing U.S., Australian Surfers
A Mexican judge in Baja California on Friday, October 16, 2026, sentenced three men to nearly 159 years each for the April 2024 murders of surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad.[1]
The defendants were identified as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo and Ángel Jesús, with Mexican procedure withholding their last names.[1] They were found guilty of homicide and aggravated robbery about a week before the sentence.[1] The court ordered the men to pay about $85,000 in compensation to the victims' families and to cover funeral expenses.[1] Mexican authorities said the bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a roughly 50-foot-deep well.[1] Officials characterized the killings as a robbery gone wrong.[1]
The victims had left San Diego in April 2024 in a van for a surf-and-camping trip near Ensenada, the report said; one victim was identified as Jack Carter Rhoad of San Diego.[1] A fourth defendant pleaded guilty in 2025 to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[1]
The case prompted debate in Mexico over why authorities moved quickly in this investigation compared with slower responses in many cases involving missing Mexican citizens.[1] Some outlets rounded the sentences differently; CBS News, for example, reported 158 years.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, October 16, 2026, a Mexican judge in Baja California sentenced three men to nearly 159 years in prison each for the April 2024 murders of surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad.
- The defendants — identified as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo and Ángel Jesús (last names withheld under Mexican procedure) — were found guilty of homicide and aggravated robbery about a week before sentencing.
- Mexican authorities said the bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a roughly 50-foot-deep well and characterized the killings as a robbery gone wrong.
- The court ordered the convicted men to pay about $85,000 in compensation to the victims’ families plus funeral expenses.
- A fourth defendant had already been sentenced in 2025 to 20 years after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft in connection with the case.
- The report identifies the U.S. victim as Jack Carter Rhoad of San Diego and says the trio had departed from San Diego in a van in April 2024 for a surf-and-camping trip near Ensenada.
- The case prompted a domestic controversy in Mexico over how quickly authorities investigated the deaths of foreign surfers compared with slower responses in many cases involving missing Mexican citizens.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Article confirms that on Friday, October 16, 2026, a Mexican judge in Baja California sentenced three men to nearly 159 years in prison each for the April 2024 murders of surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad.
- The New York Times reports the men were also ordered to pay about $85,000 in compensation to the victims' families plus funeral expenses.
- The Times identifies the U.S. victim as "Jack Carter Rhoad of San Diego" and notes that the trio departed from San Diego in a van in April 2024 for a surf-and-camping trip near Ensenada.
- The article names the convicted defendants as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo and Ángel Jesús (last names withheld under Mexican procedure) and notes they were found guilty of homicide and aggravated robbery about a week before sentencing.
- The report adds that a fourth defendant had already been sentenced in 2025 to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and violent vehicle theft in connection with the case.
- The piece states Mexican authorities characterized the killings as a robbery gone wrong and that the bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a roughly 50-foot-deep well.
- The article describes domestic controversy in Mexico over how quickly authorities investigated the foreign surfers' deaths compared with the slower response in many cases involving missing Mexican citizens.