Surfing Trip Ends in Nightmare: Three Friends Murdered and Dumped in a Well — One Suspect Sentenced to 20 Years

Three friends who traveled to Baja California for a surfing and camping trip in late April 2024 were found shot to death and dumped in a well, and one person has now been sentenced for her role in the violent attack.

What happened

Jake Robinson, 30, of Victoria, Australia; his brother, Callum Robinson, 33, of San Diego; and their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, of San Diego, were last seen on April 27 while surfing and camping south of Ensenada. When they failed to return to the Airbnb where they planned to stay, they were reported missing.

On May 2 their bodies were discovered at the bottom of a roughly 50-foot well. Authorities said each of the three men had sustained gunshot wounds to the head. A fourth body was also recovered in the well but investigators later determined that death was unrelated to the murders of the three friends.

Charges and sentencing

On Nov. 21, 23-year-old Ari Gisell Silva Raya pleaded guilty to instigating a violent carjacking that led to the killings and was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison: 14 years for robbery of a vehicle with violence and an additional six years for robbery with violence. A court also imposed a fine of 54,285 Mexican pesos (about $4,563).

Prosecutors allege Silva Raya met the three travelers at their campsite near Punta San José and, after seeing their white pickup truck, asked her then-boyfriend to "bring me a good phone and good tires for my pickup truck." Later that night, three men—identified as Jesús Gerardo García Cota (known as "El Kekas"), his brother Irineo Francisco García Montaño, and Ángel Jesús León Aguilera—allegedly returned to the campsite, killed the men and stole their vehicle. Those three suspects are currently in custody, have pleaded not guilty, and await trial.

Family reaction

"Our hearts are broken beyond repair," said Debra Robinson, mother of Jake and Callum, addressing the court by video link from Australia. "The silence in our home is deafening. There are no words for the emptiness, the weight of their absence. The grief is constant — it lives inside us now."

Their father, Martin Robinson, said he could not understand why the young men were robbed and expressed that the sentence felt insufficient. Carter Rhoad's widow, Natalie Weirtz, speaking by video link, said: "Carter was the love of my life. He was my safety in the world. My life is now a nightmare."

Ongoing investigation

Authorities from Mexico and San Diego collaborated on the investigation after the men were reported missing. Silva Raya's guilty plea resolves her involvement, but legal proceedings continue for the other suspects accused of carrying out the killings. The deaths drew international attention because two of the victims were Australian nationals traveling abroad.

The case remains active as courts process the remaining charges and the families await further judicial developments.