Three men convicted of murders of Australian surfers and US friend in Mexico

A Mexican judge has convicted three men of the April 2024 murders of two Australian surfers and their American friend in Baja California.

• A court in Ensenada found Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus guilty of the murders on Friday.
• The surfers were shot dead in April 2024 in a suspected robbery while camping on a remote beach, their bodies later found with gunshot wounds.
• Prosecutors had sought 150 years in prison for each defendant during the month-long trial.
• Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila said Baja California remains a state with safe tourism despite the violence.
• The three men were also convicted of armed robbery and armed carjacking in the same trial.
• The surfers' bodies were discovered in a well in May 2024, weeks after they disappeared.
• Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16, with prosecutors seeking 210 years for each defendant.
• The victims were identified as Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad.
• The mother of the two Australian brothers told the court that accountability matters during the trial.