A Mexican court sentenced three men on Friday to more than 158 years in prison each for the 2024 murder of two Australian surfers and their American friend in Baja California. The case attracted international attention due to the brutality of the killings and the prominence of Ensenada as a popular surfing destination.

The victims, Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, along with their American companion Carter Rhoad, 30, were on a surfing trip along Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot during a robbery attempt on April 27, 2024. The men had been camping at a secluded beach near Ensenada when they were attacked. Their bodies were discovered days later in a cliff-side well, each with fatal gunshot wounds to the head.

Judge Raul Hernandez ruled that the defendants—identified only by their first names as Jesus Gerardo, Irineo Francisco, and Angel Jesus—planned the attack in advance. The lengthy prison terms of 158 years and nine months underscore the court’s condemnation of the crime’s premeditated nature.

During the trial, prosecutors sought damages exceeding $100,000 for the victims’ families, but the judge rejected this request, noting that compensation claims should be handled separately through civil lawsuits.

Family members of the victims expressed mixed emotions following the verdict. Page Rhoad, mother of Carter Rhoad, said, “There can never be justice for the loss of a son, but we are grateful that these men will never hurt anyone else.” The Robinsons’ parents, who had traveled from Australia to attend the month-long proceedings, spoke poignantly of their loss. Martin Robinson described the difficulty of losing both sons, while Debra Robinson emphasized the cruelty the brothers endured in their final moments.

The sentencing was followed remotely by the victims’ families via video link. In a related case, the former girlfriend of Jesus Gerardo, who prosecutors say incited the attack, received a 20-year prison sentence in November after admitting to encouraging the theft of tires from the surfers’ vehicles. She testified that her ex-boyfriend mocked the victims’ pleas for mercy and boasted about stolen items.

The weapons used in the assault were identified as a 9mm and a .45 caliber handgun. Carter Rhoad’s fiancée, Natalie Weirtz, also addressed the court by video link, urging that the convicted men be punished in order to prevent other families from enduring similar suffering.