Ensenada surfer trial proves Baja California is not safe

By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York · October 10, 2026

After three men were convicted in Ensenada, Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila maintains Baja California is safe for tourists, but the facts of the murders prove her wrong.

Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila says Baja California is and will continue to be a state with safe tourism. The facts of the trial in Ensenada prove she is wrong. Three men—Jesús Gerardo, Irineo Francisco, and Ángel Jesús—were found guilty of murdering two Australian brothers and their American friend. The victims did not die in a random accident. They were targeted, robbed, and executed. When a state allows its visitors to be hunted for their trucks and phones, it is not safe.

A well in the sand

Jake Robinson and Callum Robinson traveled from Australia to surf. They brought their friend Carter Rhoad. The men crossed from the US into Mexico. They died barely 36 hours later. According to the BBC, the victims were killed in a secluded beach area. The killers shot the men in their heads. They dumped the bodies down a well.

The victims camped near Punta San Jose near Ensenada. Their families identified the bodies one week after the deaths. The Mexico-US border security record shows this is the most frequently crossed border in the world. For these three men, the crossing brought death.

Premeditation drove the attack

The trial lasted one month. It revealed a crime born of greed and premeditation. Ary Gisell Silva Raya, the ex-partner of Jesús Gerardo, instigated the robbery. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in November 2025. Silva Raya testified that Gerardo arrived at the surfers' tent with a pistol.

The victims tried to survive. CNN reported that the men threw their belongings at the gunman to stop the attack. One man begged for his life. Gerardo did not stop. He shot them to steal tires and parts from their pickup truck. Silva Raya was later found with a victim's cell phone. The judgment of the court is clear. The defendants acted with premeditation.

Why are foreign tourists targeted?

This is not an isolated event. The killings of Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman fit the pattern of a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events. In 2015, those Australian surfers were killed and their bodies burned in Sinaloa.

The Guardian notes that Baja California is one of Mexico's most violent states. Criminals see a foreign license plate and see a payday.

The law cannot match the crime

The families of the victims sought a verdict to honor the dead. Martin Robinson said the guilty verdict is a significant moment in a long and painful journey. Natalie Weirtz, the fiance of Carter Rhoad, said the accused must be punished so no other family suffers.

There is a gap between the crime and the law. The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office requested 210 years in prison for each defendant. The prosecution in other filings sought 150 years. But the maximum sentence in Baja California is 60 years. The law cannot match the cruelty of the act.

The state government continues to prioritize the regional economy. Tourism is a key part of the economy in Baja California. Governor Ávila offers condolences, but she maintains the state is safe. She chooses the economy over the truth.

The facts of the Robinson case show a state where tourists are prey. The victims were killed for a truck and a phone. They were shot in the head and thrown in a hole. No amount of promotional campaigns can erase that well. The state is not safe until the mechanism of these robberies is broken. Until then, the Governor's words are a danger to every traveler.

Ensenada surfer trial proves Baja California is not safe

A well in the sand

Premeditation drove the attack

Why are foreign tourists targeted?

The law cannot match the crime

Sources