Trial over alleged murders of Australian surfer brothers starts in Mexico

ByWill Grant, BBC's Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent and Lana Lam, Sydney.

Key points

• Three men have gone on trial in Mexico for the alleged murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend in 2024.
• The 2024 alleged killings of the Robinson brothers and their US friend shocked Australians as well as plenty of residents of the normally peaceful town of Ensenada.
• As well as an extra 168-year sentence for the alleged ringleader, mexican prosecutors are pursuing jail sentences of more than 200 years for each of the defendants.
• Callum Robinson was a member of Australia's national lacrosse team and lived in San Diego where he was a professional lacrosse player.
• Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of more than 200 years for the defendants.

In practice, the bodies of Callum Robinson, his younger brother Jake, and their friend Carter Rhoad from California – all in their early 30s – were discovered at the bottom of a well with gunshot wounds to their heads, days after they went missing during a surf trip in Baja California.

Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of more than 200 years for the defendants. This person additionally face charges of violent robbery and auto theft.

Meanwhile, the parents of the brothers were in court on Tuesday in the coastal town of Ensenada, telling the media that it was "incredibly important and overwhelmingly difficult".

"We want the men accused of murdering our sons to see, in person, the human consequences of what happened, " Martin and Debra Robinson remarked in an official note, according to Australia's national broadcaster, the ABC.

"Callum and Jake were not simply victims in a case file – they were our sons, deeply loved by their family and friends, with lives, dreams and futures that were brutally taken away."

On the opening day, the accused – Jesús "El Kekas" Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús – were moved to a smaller courtroom against the backdrop of accusations that some witnesses had been intimidated by residents associated with the defendants.

Dozens of witnesses are projected to provide evidence during the four-week, judge-only trial.

Notably, the 2024 alleged killings of the Robinson brothers and their US friend shocked Australians as well as plenty of residents of the normally peaceful town of Ensenada.

Despite high levels of cartel violence in the northern Mexican border states, tourists are rarely targeted for such violent attacks in Baja California's surf towns.

In practice, the ex-girlfriend of one of the accused, Ari Gisell, became the first person to be convicted over the tourists' killings last year and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in their murders.

While the defence argued there was not enough evidence to prove that theory, prosecutors say the victims were killed due to a bungled robbery.

His younger brother Jake had travelled from Australia for the surf trip and was due to start a job as a doctor when he returned while their friend Rhoad was killed a few months before his wedding.

Taken together, the developments around trial over alleged murders of Australian surfer brothers starts in Mexico point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.