Witnesses forced into protection program after alleged threats in trial over Australian surfers killed in Mexico
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
The trial of three men accused of murdering Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad in Baja California, Mexico, opened in Ensenada with witnesses testifying under a court-ordered protection scheme after alleged intimidation by people linked to the defendants. On the opening day, the judge ordered the accused out of the courtroom after prosecutors said a woman who previously dated defendant Jesús Gerardo, known as "El Kekas", and her son had been threatened; their identities have been withheld. The son testified he saw two of the accused near the beach campsite on the night of the killings, heard a gunshot and a struggle, and said "El Kekas" later warned him to stay silent, while his mother told the court in tears that she had urged him not to go out that night.
The Robinson brothers, aged 30 and 33, and Rhoad, 30, were shot dead while camping at a remote beach in April 2024 during what prosecutors say was a botched robbery of their pick-up truck, which was later found burned near their bodies; the defence disputes there is sufficient evidence for that theory. Their bodies were found dumped in a clifftop shaft days after they were reported missing, each with gunshot wounds to the head, in a case that prompted a major search and social media campaign and drew grief and outrage in Australia and the US. Brothers Jesus Gerardo Garcia Cota and Cristian Alejandro Garcia, along with a third man, are on trial, while the girlfriend of one of the accused, Ary Gisell Silva, was separately sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after admitting she instigated the robbery to steal the truck's tyres. The Robinsons' parents, Martin and Debra, travelled to Ensenada to attend proceedings.
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In short
- Trial opened for three men accused of killing two Australian surfers, US friend
- Witnesses placed in protection after alleged intimidation by defendants' associates
- Prosecutors say 2024 killings occurred during a robbery gone wrong
How this story developed
- 1 month ago Further details have emerged from the Mexican trial of three men accused of murdering Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, after witnesses were placed into a protection programme following alleged intimidation.
- 2 months ago The trial of three men accused of murdering Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad in Baja California, Mexico, opened in Ensenada with witnesses testifying under a court-ordered protection scheme after alleged intimidation by people linked to the defendants.
- 2 months ago Witnesses in the Mexican trial of three men accused of murdering Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad have reportedly been placed into a witness protection programme after alleged intimidation linked to the defendants.
Full account
Three men have gone on trial in Mexico accused of murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing holiday on the Baja California coast in April 2024. Callum Robinson, 33, his younger brother Jake, 30, and their Californian friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, disappeared while camping near a remote beach and were found several days later at the bottom of a well or clifftop shaft, each having been shot in the head. The trial, being heard by a judge alone in the coastal town of Ensenada, is expected to run for around four weeks and call dozens of witnesses.
On the opening days of proceedings, prosecutors told the court that at least two witnesses had been intimidated by associates of the defendants. A woman who had previously been in a relationship with one of the accused, known by the nickname 'El Kekas', and her son were said to have since been placed under formal witness protection, with their identities withheld from the public. In response, the judge ordered the three defendants removed from the main courtroom and the hearing continued in a smaller, more secure room. The son gave evidence describing being invited to a beach gathering on the evening the three men are believed to have died, recalling seeing two foreign visitors with a pick-up truck, surfboards and a tent, and later hearing a gunshot and sounds of a struggle before fleeing the scene; he also alleged he was warned afterwards not to speak about what had happened. His mother became visibly distressed while testifying, telling the court she had tried to stop him going out that night.
Martin and Debra Robinson, the parents of Callum and Jake, travelled from Australia to attend the hearing in person, saying in a statement that it was both important and deeply painful for them to be present. They said they wanted those accused of killing their sons to confront the human cost of what had happened, describing Callum and Jake as much-loved sons with futures that had been violently cut short. Prosecutors are seeking sentences of more than 200 years' imprisonment for each defendant on charges including murder, violent robbery and vehicle theft, with an additional sentence of 168 years sought for the man alleged to be the ringleader. The prosecution's case is that the killings occurred during a robbery that went wrong, while lawyers for the accused argue the evidence does not support that account.
The case caused widespread shock both in Australia and in Ensenada, a town more usually associated with peaceful surf tourism than the cartel-related violence seen elsewhere in Mexico's northern border states. Callum Robinson had played lacrosse professionally and represented Australia's national team while living in San Diego; Jake had travelled from Australia for the trip and was due to begin work as a doctor on his return, and Rhoad was reportedly due to marry within months of his death. A former girlfriend of one of the men now on trial was convicted last year over her role in the killings and sentenced to 20 years in prison, making her the first person held accountable in the case.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The two accounts differ on the names given to the defendants: one source refers to two men on trial as brothers 'Jesus Gerardo Garcia Cota' and 'Cristian Alejandro Garcia', while the other names the three defendants as Jesús 'El Kekas' Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús — the reporting does not clearly reconcile these names.
One account gives the brothers' ages as 30 and 33, while the other simply describes all three victims as being in their early thirties.
One source focuses closely on courtroom testimony and detail from the intimidated witness and his mother, while the other emphasises the broader legal context — sentencing demands, related charges, and the earlier conviction of an ex-girlfriend of one defendant.
There is a minor discrepancy over the day proceedings occurred, with one source describing events as happening on the Monday opening day and the other referring to the parents being in court on the Tuesday.
One account describes the bodies as found in a 'clifftop shaft', while the other describes them as found 'at the bottom of a well'.
Centre outlets 1
Only here: murders, surfer, brothers, starts
Right-leaning outlets 1
Only here: witnesses, forced, protection, program, threats
Every side used: trial, alleged, australian, mexico
Headline columns compared word for word; nothing in them is AI-written.
Explained simply
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, were shot dead in April 2024 while on a surfing and camping trip along Mexico's Pacific coast. Their bodies were later discovered in a shaft on a clifftop. Three men are now on trial in the Mexican city of Ensenada accused of the killings, which prosecutors say happened during a robbery targeting the group's pick-up truck.
One of the accused, known by the nickname "El Kekas", is Jesús Gerardo. A woman who had previously dated him and her son have given evidence in the case, and are said to have been threatened over their testimony, which prompted the judge to have the defendants removed from the courtroom and led authorities to put the pair into a witness protection programme. A separate woman has already been convicted over the killings and jailed for 20 years after admitting she encouraged the robbery.
The case has drawn wide attention in Australia and the United States because of the randomness of the attack on foreign travellers, and it raises questions about safety for tourists in parts of Mexico. The trial's progress, including how witnesses are treated and protected, is being closely watched as it could shape the eventual verdicts against the three defendants.
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