Woman Sentenced to Twenty Years for Role in Murder of Australian Surfer Brothers in Mexico

A Mexican woman has been sentenced to twenty years in prison for her part in the killing of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a violent carjacking last year. The case shocked both Mexico and the victims’ home countries, drawing attention to the dangers tourists can face in remote regions.

Ari Gisell, aged twenty three, pleaded guilty to helping set the deadly events in motion. Prosecutors said she targeted the tourists’ vehicle after expressing interest in the tyres on their car. In court, it was revealed that she told her then boyfriend, Jesús Gerardo, to “bring me a good phone and good tyres for my pickup truck.” Her request, prosecutors said, led directly to the violence that followed.

Jake and Callum Robinson, both from Australia, and their American friend, Carter Rhoad, had travelled to Baja California in April 2024 for what was meant to be a peaceful surfing getaway. When they failed to return, a search was launched. Their bodies were eventually discovered at the bottom of a deep well, each with gunshot wounds to the head.

Mexican court rules mean only the first and middle names of the accused have been released. Along with Jesús Gerardo, two other men, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús, are accused of tailing the surfers to their campsite, robbing them and then murdering them. Their trials are ongoing. Local media reports suggest that Gerardo and Irineo have ties to the Sinaloa cartel, though prosecutors say this particular attack is not believed to be linked to organised crime.

Because of possible cartel connections, Gerardo and Irineo are being held in the high security El Hongo prison in Baja California. Ángel Jesús is detained in a separate facility in Ensenada.

During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the victims’ families appeared via video link and delivered heartbreaking statements. Debra Robinson, mother of Callum and Jake, said, “We dreamed of seeing them grow older, of having children. That’s all taken now. We live with their absence.” Both sons had promising futures. Callum, thirty three, played for Australia’s national lacrosse team and lived in San Diego. Jake, thirty, had travelled from Australia to visit his brother and was about to start a new job as a doctor.

Their friend, Carter Rhoad, also thirty, worked in technology in San Diego and was months away from his wedding. His fiancée, Natalie Wiertz, told the court, “He was my safety in the world. My life is now a nightmare.”

When given the chance to speak, Ari Gisell broke down in tears. She apologised to the families, saying she knew that nothing she said could ease their grief. She added that she hopes to become a better person while serving her sentence.

The case continues to unfold as the remaining suspects await judgement, but for the victims’ families, the loss is immeasurable and permanent.