Ensenada, Mexico: Three Mexican men have been found guilty of murdering Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad during a surfing holiday in Baja California in 2024.

The parents of the two Australians, Debra and Martin Robinson, held hands as judge Raúl Hernández Arellano read out his verdict and it was translated by an aide. There was no jury.

“Today’s guilty verdict is a significant moment in our long and painful journey to seek justice for our beautiful sons Callum and Jake, and their friend Carter Rhoad,” Martin Robinson said outside court.

“While no verdict can ever bring back our boys, or ease the heartbreak of losing them, we hope this outcome represents an important step towards justice and accountability.

“Callum and Jake had their whole lives ahead of them, filled with dreams, love and promise. We will forever carry their memory in our hearts … They will never be forgotten.”

The three men – Jesus Gerardo (also known as El Kekas), Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus – were found guilty of aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery, violent robbery and violent vehicle theft.

Wearing orange prison jumpsuits, they stood while the judge read out his verdict, and did not visibly react. They did not speak to each other during a break after the judgment.

Martin and Debra Robinson attended every day of the five-week trial in Ensenada, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, and were due to leave for the US within hours, before flying home to Perth in a few days.

During a short break after the verdict, the couple hugged each other, and Debra, who was in tears, embraced Australian Ambassador to Mexico Crispin Conroy, who travelled to Ensenada for the verdict.

They were also embraced by Michelle Fisher, leading senior constable at the Australian Federal Police, who supported them at the trial.

Asked how they managed to sit within touching distance of their sons’ killers each day of the five-week trial, Debra Robinson said: “I think parents love their children that much that they would find the strength. I think many parents would. I don’t know how you do it, you just do.”

She said she felt no different after the verdict than before “because Callum and Jake are not here … a verdict is a good thing, but it doesn’t bring them back”.

Martin Robinson said he would not pre-empt the possible sentence, but there were significant penalties facing the convicted men, “and we just hope that they get those penalties”. The prosecution initially sought 200-year jail sentences for each man. The judge scheduled the sentencing for next Friday.

The judge addressed his final remarks directly to the Robinsons and the Rhoads. “I am ashamed that they are left with a bad impression of my country, that they come to know Mexico because of this,” he said.

“No amount of reparation can bring their children back; there is nothing I can do other than offer them a measure of justice through this. I offer my condolences. You - their parents, their spouse - have the right to be heard and to see some justice served.

“I am sorry that you have come to know my country under these circumstances, but I assure you that the good people among us far outnumber the bad.”

The Robinson parents shook hands with the judge after Friday’s judgment and thanked him for his compassion and professionalism. They also thanked prosecutors and the court for their kindness and consideration. Rhoad’s parents and his widow, Natalie, watched Friday’s verdict by video link.

The proportion of homicides in Mexico that result in a conviction is below 10 per cent, according to Human Rights Watch. Debra Robinson said she hoped the verdict might bring some peace to Mexican families that had lost loved ones to homicide.

The Robinson brothers and Rhoad disappeared in late April 2024 while they were camping in a remote surfing spot in beachside Baja California, a region also afflicted by drug trafficking and violent crime.

Their bodies, along with that of a local farmer, were found days later down the bottom of a well. They had been shot.

The prosecution successfully argued that the three tourists were victims of a robbery that went awry. The court heard the victims begged for mercy before they were murdered, and that the killers later mocked their pleas.

Gerardo’s then girlfriend, Ari Gisell, is already serving a 20-year sentence for instigating the robbery that led to the murders. She gave evidence that Gerardo had confessed to the crime. “I f---ed up three gringos,” he told her.

Jake, 31, was a doctor who was due to start a job at a hospital in Geelong when he returned to Australia. Callum, 32, was a talented sportsman who had played lacrosse professionally in the US. He was living in San Diego.

Martin Robinson said the family received messages nearly every day from people who knew Callum and Jake and wanted to thank them for making a difference in their lives. They have established the Callum and Jake Robinson Foundation in their sons’ memory.

Martin and Debra said they were unlikely to return to Mexico, but did not discourage Australians from visiting. “I think when you travel you just need to be very careful – anywhere in the world,” Debra said.

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