The trial of three men accused of murdering two Australian surfers and an American friend has opened in Baja California, Mexico, two years after the killings were reported as a suspected robbery. The proceedings began on Monday in the port city of Ensenada, where the accused stand on trial for the deaths of the victims.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, and their 30‑year‑old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip along Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in April 2024. They had been camping in a remote beachside area when the attack occurred. Their bodies were discovered several days later in a cliff‑top shaft, each bearing gunshot wounds to the head.
Authorities say the men were killed during an attempted robbery of their pickup truck, which was found burned near the bodies. The truck’s damage and the location of the victims suggest the attack was linked to the vehicle theft.
Three witnesses testified on Monday, including the stepson of one defendant who described his stepfather as violent. Testifying from an adjoining room with his face concealed, he said he had followed the accused to the scene, heard a lot of noise, and was warned that the same fate that befell the “gringos” could happen to him if he spoke.
The Robinsons’ parents travelled to Ensenada for the proceedings. Their mother, Debra Robinson, burst into tears when she saw the accused, while her partner, Martin Robinson, told reporters that they were there to represent their sons and to understand what happened.
Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, plagued by organised crime and drug trafficking, although cartel activity rarely affects tourists. Other foreign visitors have been targeted in criminal attacks on the country’s Pacific coast, such as the 2015 murders of Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman in Sinaloa.
