Crime08 September, 20263 min read
Mexico Trial Opens In Ensenada For Jesús Gerardo García, Irineo Francisco, Ángel Jesús N. Killing Surfers
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Three men go on trial in Ensenada for 2024 killings of Australians and American. Bodies found in a well with gunshot wounds after disappearance during surf trip.
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Trial in Ensenada
A murder trial opened in Ensenada, in Mexico’s Baja California Sur, over the 2024 killings of two Australians, Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were shot dead in April 2024 while camping on a secluded Ensenada beach. Orange Actualités said the trial of the presumed killers begins at the Ensenada courthouse in Baja California Sur, where AFP reporters noted the incidents occurred. ABC News & Headlines said the bodies of the two Australian men and their American friend were found through the United States FBI, and that a judge-only trial is expected to run for more than four weeks.
ABC News & Headlines also reported that Jesús Gerardo, also known as "El Kekas", Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús are currently on trial in a small court in Ensenada, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. NBC 7 San Diego said the three men went on trial Monday in Mexico’s Baja California state, with the accused identified as Jesús Gerardo García, known as “El Kekas,” and two others identified as Irineo Francisco N. and Ángel Jesús N., appearing in court in the coastal city of Ensenada.
Threats and identification
As the trial continued, Martin Robinson told the court, “It’s hell,” describing how “It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.” The Guardian reported that Robinson described identifying Callum by a tattoo on his forearm and identifying Jake as more difficult and required photographs. SMH.au reported a witness told the court he was threatened he would “end up like the gringos” if he told anyone about what he saw when two Australians were killed while on a surf trip.
SMH.au said the witness recalled being told, “You’re going to end up like the gringos,” and described testifying from an adjoining room with his face concealed and identity suppressed. ABC News & Headlines reported that Martin Robinson told the court, “I'm here because my two sons were murdered,” as he described the timeline of his sons’ disappearance and the discovery of their bodies.
Sentences sought
Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of more than 200 years for each of the accused, with TVMnews.mt saying the trial is expected to last for some four weeks and that scores of witnesses will give evidence. BBC News reported that prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of more than 200 years for the defendants, who also face charges of violent robbery and auto theft, and that the trial is a four-week, judge-only proceeding. SBS said the case prosecutor stated the Australian brothers and their American friend would have been killed during a robbery, and it described the initial motive as theft of auto parts and the Chevrolet Colorado pickup.
SBS also said the woman who alerted the perpetrators upon noticing the foreigners carried valuable items and an attractive vehicle was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in an abbreviated procedure. NBC 7 San Diego added that California García former partner, Silva Raya, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after admitting she instigated the robbery to steal the pickup’s tires, as the trial was due to continue Tuesday.