Three men accused of killing two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot went on trial Monday, two years after their killings in a suspected robbery. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip to Mexico's Pacific coast in April 2024 when they were shot dead in Baja California state. Authorities say the men were murdered during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was found burned near their bodies.
They had been camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked. Their bodies were found dumped in a cliff-top shaft several days after they went missing, and they bore gunshot wounds to their heads. The Robinsons' parents traveled to the port city of Ensenada for the start of the proceedings.
Bereaved mother Debra Robinson stared at the accused before bursting into tears in the courtroom. "It's about representing our sons, being here for them. I know they want us to be here," her partner, Martin Robinson, had earlier told reporters.
"We want to find out what happened. We want to find out why," he said. The surfers were reported missing on April 27, 2024, while camping in Ensenada.
The assailants "intentionally surprised the surfers and shot them with firearms, taking their lives on Sunday, April 28," according to the prosecution. Their bodies were found on May 3, 2024. Three witnesses appeared before the court on Monday, including the stepson of one of the defendants, who described his stepfather as violent.
Testifying from an adjoining room with his face concealed, he said he accompanied the accused to the crime scene, waiting nearby when the "commotion" began. "I heard a lot of noise," he said, explaining that he had run away but rejoined the group after they called him. He said they warned him that "the same thing that happened to the gringos would happen to him" if he said anything.
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