Parents of Australian brothers to travel to trial in Mexico
The parents of Australians Jake and Callum Robinson will travel to Ensenada, Mexico, for the trial of three men accused of murdering their sons and their friend from the United States, Carter Rhoad. This was reported by ABC News Australia.
Parents want to hear the truth
Debra and Martin Robinson wrote on social media that being present at the trial is “incredibly important and at the same time incredibly difficult” for them. They said they are going not for revenge, but to hear the truth, understand what happened, and represent the love, pain and loss experienced by the families, friends and everyone who loved the three men killed.
They also said that being in the courtroom is one of the last things they can do for their sons. The parents intend to remember Jake and Callum as they were in life, rather than only through the circumstances of their deaths.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Charges in the case
The Robinson brothers and Carter Rhoad died during a camping and surfing trip in the Mexican state of Baja California in April 2024. Jake, a 31-year-old doctor from Perth, had previously travelled to California to meet Callum, who was 32. Callum had lived in the United States for 12 years after moving there to play lacrosse.
Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus are accused of the aggravated murder of the three men; according to the source, they can only be identified by their first names. The prosecutor is seeking 210 years in prison for each of them. An additional 168 years in prison are also being sought for Jesus Gerardo on a charge of violent disappearance.
All three defendants rejected plea deals under which they could have received sentences of between 47 and 52 years in prison. They were also charged with aggravated robbery, violent robbery and grand theft auto. Jesus Gerardo's former girlfriend agreed to 20 years in prison for her role in the robbery of the three men.
