Law enforcement officials in Baja California said on Thursday that they had obtained a conviction in the case of three men with San Diego connections who were killed execution-style while on a camping and surfing trip last year.
Carter Rhoad and brothers Callum and Jake Robinson were reported missing after they did not show up at their planned accommodations, and days later they were found dead in Santo Tomas, Baja California.
Surfers killed in Baja
Prosecutors with the State Attorney General’s Office in Baja said Ary Gisell Silva Raya was sentenced to 20 years on Wednesday for robbery with violence and vehicle theft in connection to the case.
Silva Ray arrived in Punta San José in Ensenda on the night of April 27, 2024, when she met Rhoad and the Robinsons, according to prosecutors, who said that later that night, she contacted one of the three men who are currently being held for the homicide and told him about Rhoad and the Robinsons.
Sometime between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. that night, the three accused killers went back to Punta San José and killed Rhoad and the Robinsons, investigators believe, then stole their possessions and their truck. The killers primarily wanted to steal their truck because they wanted the tires, authorities said in July.
The victims’ decomposing bodies were dumped in a remote well about 50 feet deep 4 miles from where they were killed. The well also contained a fourth cadaver that had been there much longer, investigators said.
Silva Raya pleaded guilty at the hearing on Wednesday and waived her right to a trial. She was fined about $3,000 as well, a number that will increase with payments due to her victims.
Back in May, the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, shared that there were three people in custody as a result of the investigation into the execution-style killings. The medical examiner of Baja California said at that time that each of the victims died from a bullet wound to the head.
Prosecutors told NBC 7’s sister station, Telemundo 20, on Thursday that the other three suspects are Jesús Gerardo García Cota, known as “El Kekas”; his brother Irineo Francisco García Montaño; and Ángel Jesús León Aguilera. (El Kekas, which is slang for a snack or quesadilla. )
All three have opted to go to trial and are currently awaiting a date for their hearing, prosecutors said.
The surfers were all connected to Point Loma
Callum lived in Ocean Beach, where Jake was visiting him, though the brothers are from Australia. Rhoad, a Point Loma resident, graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2014.
The Robinsons’ parents went to Ocean Beach after the killings and shared an emotional statement with the media. They said the U.S. became Callum’s second home, and the community in Ocean Beach appears to have embraced the professional lacrosse player.
Callum was “a lovable, larger-than-life character,” said his mother, Debra Robinson.
Debra said Callum played for Australia in the world lacrosse championships and always carved out time to coach young players.
Jake, meanwhile, was pursuing a career in medicine. His family said he loved running, swimming and attending live music festivals and concerts.
“Jake was a happy, gentle and compassionate soul,” Debra said.
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