ENSENADA, Mexico (AP) — A judge on Friday sentenced three Mexican men to more than 158 years in prison each for the 2024 murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend, a case that tarnished Mexico’s image by exposing the risks foreigners face when visiting the tourism-dependent country.
The sentencing, which came a week after the men were found guilty, marked the end of a lengthy legal process over the killings of Australians Callum and Jake Robinson, and American Carter Redd Rhoad. Their bodies were found in May 2024, and at least four people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the crime.
A judge in the coastal city of Ensenada, in Baja California state, ruled that Jesús Gerardo García, known as “el Kekas,” Irineo Francisco “N” and Ángel Jesús “N” would each serve 158 years and nine months in prison for murder, robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California surfers’ association, welcomed the outcome, saying “justice has been served.” But he acknowledged that the killings had caused a “major drop” in tourist visits, particularly by surfers, to the region known for its beautiful beaches.
Here is a look at the key facts and events in the case:
The Robinson brothers — Callum and Jake — and their American friend decided to travel to Mexico in late April 2024 to pursue one of their passions, surfing, at a beach in Punta San José, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the city of Ensenada in Baja California state.
Unaware of the risks they faced, the three friends decided to camp on the beach on the night of April 27, 2024.
Their attackers confronted them there, shot them dead in the early morning hours and then dumped their bodies into a well more than 15 meters (50 feet) deep. The bodies were found on May 3 after several days of searching.
The Baja California prosecutor’s office announced on May 5, 2024, that it had arrested García, known as “el Kekas,” identifying him as the suspected gunman in the killings of the three foreigners.
State authorities said García had a criminal history in Ensenada involving alleged drug dealing, unlawful entry into a home, domestic violence and vehicle theft.
García’s former partner, Ary Gisell Silva Raya, and two of his alleged accomplices, Irineo Francisco “N” and Ángel Jesús “N,” were also arrested in the case.
Silva Raya, whom authorities found in possession of a cellphone belonging to one of the victims, agreed to an abbreviated trial and in November was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated robbery with violence and vehicle theft with violence.
State prosecutor María Elena Andrade alleged that the attackers wanted to steal the tires from the foreigners’ pickup truck and that the victims resisted.
“The attackers pull out a gun they were carrying and kill the person who initially resisted the robbery, then turn on the other two,” she added.
Sánchez reported from Mexico City
Debra and Martin Robinson, parents of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, leave the courthouse after the trial of the men accused of murdering the brothers and an American friend, in Ensenada, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Karen Castaneda)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a final appeal to voters considering a path toward independence in his home province of Alberta on Friday, warning that a referendum is a dangerous gamble at a time of growing threats to Canada’s sovereignty.
With U.S. President Donald Trump waging a trade war and threatening to make Canada the 51st state, Carney warned that the referendum comes at the “worst possible time” and urged Albertans not to take the outcome for granted.
“Don’t let anyone tell you this is already decided. Turnout will determine the outcome,” Carney told a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, where he grew up.
“This is not a game. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians,” he said.
Monday’s vote is not a direct referendum on independence. Alberta, home to most of Canada’s proven oil reserves — the fourth largest in the world — will decide whether to remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.
Carney’s closing appeal came after two days of campaigning against separation in the province. Earlier Friday, the Liberal prime minister joined Alberta’s conservative premier Danielle Smith in a show of unity against independence.
Smith praised Carney for improving relations with a province that frequently clashed with his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, over his carbon tax and other energy policies.
“I think what we can agree on is that we have had some real change in the last 18 months,” Smith said alongside Carney in Red Deer, Alberta.
Smith noted that Carney grew up in Alberta and remains an Edmonton Oilers fan.
“He can’t be all bad, right?” she joked.
“Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us. Never. Never,” Carney warned Friday in Edmonton, repeating a warning he made a day earlier in Calgary.
At Thursday’s Calgary rally and Friday’s Edmonton rally, the crowd erupted in its loudest applause when Carney spoke about reducing Canada’s economic dependence on the United States.
Carney acknowledged Alberta’s longstanding resentment of federal energy policies.
“Growing up, I remember how Ottawa made Albertans feel like our resources weren’t our own,” he said.
But he also emphasized his deep ties to the province.
“Alberta is my home. I grew up here. This city, this province, this country have given me everything: my family, my education, my values,” he said.
Outside the Edmonton rally venue Friday, Alberta independence supporters waved flags and held a sign reading “Say no to Carney’s new world order.”
Smith called the referendum despite opposing independence herself. She recently cited a poll showing 22% of Albertans support separation, a figure she said was still too high.
Smith also faces pressure from separatists within her governing United Conservative Party. Former Premier Jason Kenney said the independence movement gained influence within the party as activists angry over COVID-19 restrictions, some influenced by conspiracy theories, embraced separatism.
But some Albertans who want to remain in Canada are angry with Smith for calling the vote.
“I think it’s a travesty really to be putting our province and our country through this when such a small portion of people are rabble rousing and saying they want to separate from Canada,” said Deb Lee, a retired Calgary resident who voted in advance to remain in Canada.
Smith said Carney had substantially addressed seven of nine federal laws Alberta opposed. She also cited cooperation on a proposed oil pipeline.
Independence advocate Tanya Clemens dismissed the agreements between Carney and Smith as “basically pinky promises” that came with too many conditions.
Carney’s chief political rival, federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, also urged Albertans Friday to remain in Canada.
“Don’t leave your fellow Canadians behind. Lock arms with them,” Poilievre said.
Despite their agreement on keeping Alberta in Canada, Carney and Smith remain divided over nine other questions on Monday’s ballot involving immigration and provincial powers. Smith wants voters to approve them, while Carney has urged their rejection.
“For the first time in a long time, Alberta and Canada are walking together,” Smith said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the Canada Strong and Free conference in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
People cheer at a Forever Canadian rally in Edmonton, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a Forever Canadian rally in Edmonton, on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney signs an autograph as he attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, Alberta, Friday Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, Alberta, alongside, from left, Monte Solberg, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and former Premier Ed Stelmach, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, on Friday Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, on Friday Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a national unity rally in Red Deer alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
