ENSENADA: A Mexican judge on Friday sentenced three men to more than 158 years’ imprisonment for the murder of two Australian surfers and their American friend in 2024, in a case that drew global condemnation.

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 during an attempted robbery.

They were camping in a remote beachside area near the city of Ensenada when they were attacked on April 27, 2024. Their bodies were found days later, dumped in a cliff-top well, with gunshot wounds to their heads. The callousness of their killings shocked Ensenada, a surfing mecca that attracts people from around the world.

Judge Raul Hernandez ruled last week that the three Mexican defendants, identified only by their first names — Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus — acted with premeditation.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2026