El Kekas and Two Accomplices Sentenced to 158 Years Each for the 2024 Surfer Murders in Mexico

State assigned prosecutor Anahi Nunez leaves the civil court facilities after the sentencing hearing of three murderers of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and US citizen Jack Carter Rhoad during a surfing trip in April 2024, in Ensenada, Baja California state, Mexico on October 16, 2026. A Mexican court on October 16, 2026, sentenced three men to 158 years and nine months each for the murder of two Australian surfers and one US citizen. (Credit: Photo by Guillermo Arias / AFP via Getty Images)

The Briefing

• A Baja California judge on Friday sentenced Jesús Gerardo "El Kekas" García Cota and two co-defendants to 158 years and nine months each in prison for the 2024 murders of Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad — the maximum compounded sentence available under state law.
• Prosecutors had sought 210 years per defendant; the court delivered a stacked penalty across murder, armed robbery, and vehicle theft charges, meaning none of the three men will ever leave a Mexican federal prison.
• The judge rejected a prosecution request for financial compensation to the victims' families, ruling that any civil damages would need to be pursued through separate civil proceedings; the Robinson family and Rhoad's relatives followed the hearing remotely via video link.