Los Angeles, California – A man in Los Angeles, California, has been apprehended in connection to the brutal murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend during a surfing trip in Mexico. Court testimony revealed that the suspect confessed his involvement to his girlfriend shortly after the incident. The victims, identified as Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and Jack Carter Rhoad from the United States, went missing on April 27 while on a surfing expedition in Ensenada.
According to reports, Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota admitted to his girlfriend the day after the trio disappeared that he had harmed “three gringos.” The suspect disclosed to his girlfriend that he had taken the lives of the surfers, leading her to the stolen tires belonging to the victims, found in her vehicle. Authorities believe the surfers were targeted due to their truck’s tires, which were subsequently found in the girlfriend’s possession.
Mexican prosecutors suggest that the victims were killed while attempting to defend themselves against the assailants. Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez explained that the foreigners resisted the perpetrators, resulting in a lethal confrontation where the men were fatally injured. The bodies of the surfers were discovered in a remote well near Ensenada, a popular tourist area south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Garcia Cota, along with his girlfriend and brother, were arrested in connection to the crime. The suspect faces charges for the “disappearance committed by private individuals,” and prosecutors anticipate introducing homicide charges in the future. Additional suspects are under investigation, detained for alleged possession of methamphetamine.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar case in 2015 when two Australian surfers were killed by highway bandits in western Sinaloa state, across the Sea of Cortez from the Baja peninsula. The country continues to attract millions of international tourists annually, including a significant number from the United States. The investigation into the murder of the surfers remains ongoing as authorities work to gather sufficient evidence for prosecution.