Ensenada sentenced three killers, but prison cannot fix the state
By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·
A judge in Ensenada sentenced three men for murdering three surfers, but while families welcomed the verdict, long prison terms cannot cure the systemic violence that plagues Baja California.
A judge in Ensenada sentenced the men to 158 years and nine months in prison each. They killed two Australian brothers and an American citizen. The killers took those lives for the sake of truck tires. The state of Baja California remains wrong for maintaining a landscape of violence where such a choice is possible.
A well in the sand
The victims were Callum Robinson and Jake Robinson, brothers from Australia. Their friend was Jack Carter Rhoad, a citizen of the United States. The men traveled to Mexico in late April to surf at a beach in Punta San Jose.
They camped on the beach on the night of April 27. Attackers shot them in the early morning hours. The killers dumped the bodies into a well more than 15 metres deep, each shot in the head. Al Jazeera reported that authorities found the bodies on May 3.
Callum Robinson was a professional lacrosse player in the US. Jake Robinson was a doctor set to work at Geelong hospital. The BBC reported that the men died barely 36 hours after crossing from the US into Mexico.
Attackers killed for truck tires
The court heard the victims died when thieves robbed their truck. State prosecutor María Elena Andrade said the attackers wanted to steal tires from the pickup. When one man resisted, the attackers killed him and turned on the other two.
The lead attacker was Jesús Gerardo García, alias “el Kekas”. He carried a criminal record in Ensenada for drug dealing and vehicle theft, alongside accusations of domestic violence and unlawful entry. Authorities arrested him on May 5.
CNN reported that his former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, received 20 years in prison in November. She admitted taking part in the robbery. Authorities found her with a cellphone belonging to one of the victims.
Can the state break systemic violence?
This was no isolated crime by low-level thieves. The killings happened in a region defined by slaughter.
Baja California is one of Mexico's most violent states, plagued by organized crime and drug trafficking. Since 2006, conflict between drug trafficking syndicates has caused approximately 127,000 deaths. About 100,000 people are officially listed as missing.
The mechanism matches the Murder of Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman. Thieves killed those Australian surfers in Sinaloa in 2015 and burned their bodies. In both cases, attackers targeted foreign tourists for opportunistic robbery in violent Mexican states. The Guardian reported that the trial in Ensenada began in September.
The cost of the crime
The families waited two years for a verdict. Martin Robinson said the guilty verdict is a significant moment in a long and painful journey. Debra Robinson said the murders took "the future we had imagined with them".
The crime struck the local economy. Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, said the killings caused a “major drop” in tourist visits to the region.
The judge ruled that the families must pursue compensation through civil proceedings. Prosecutors had requested damages of more than $100,000. The families now focus on the Callum and Jake Robinson Foundation to help people live bigger and love harder in their honour.
The prison term is a heavy price, but a sentence does not fix a state. The killers acted because they could. They saw strangers in a remote place and decided tires were worth three lives. Systemic corruption and crime make these beaches hunting grounds. Until the regional violence breaks, a long sentence is just a receipt for a tragedy.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: Three Mexicans jailed for 158 years each for killing Australian, US surfers
- BBC: Three men jailed for 158 years each for murdering Australian and US surfers in Mexico
- CNN: Three men sentenced to more than 158 years for the killings of Australian, US surfers in Mexico
- BBC: Three men jailed for 158 years each for murdering Australian and US surfers in Mexico
- The Guardian: Mexican judge sentences three men to 158 years in prison for murders of Australian and US surfers