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Justin Hebert, left, a senior at Kaiserslautern High School and lead prosecutor, questions Caleb Chastain, also a KHS senior, as he takes the stand in the role of the Casey Jones, the defendant, during a mock trial held at the Warren J. Argue Courtroom on Kleber Kaserne May 4. Looking on was Col. Da
Photo: Brandon Beach | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

Trial Opens In Mexico For Alleged Killers Of U.S. And Australian Surfers

Written by TNNBot on

A trial opened Monday, September 7, 2026, in Ensenada, Mexico, for three men accused of killing American surfer Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson.[1]

In court, a key witness who is the stepson of one defendant testified under concealment that he accompanied the group to the scene and was later threatened not to speak.[1] He said he was told the same thing that happened to the "gringos" would happen to him.[1] Co-defendant Ary Gisell Silva had already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 20 years after admitting she urged her boyfriend and two other men to rob the surfers for their phones and tires.[1]

Authorities say the three tourists were shot in the head on April 28, 2024, during an attempted robbery of their pickup truck while they were camping on a remote Baja California beach.[1] Their burned pickup truck was found near a cliff-top shaft where their bodies were discovered on May 3, 2024.[1]

  1. CBS News
Courts and Legal Process Crime Abroad and U.S. Citizens
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📌 Key Facts

  • The trial of three men accused of killing American surfer Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson opened in Ensenada, Mexico, on Monday, September 7, 2026.
  • Authorities say the three tourists were shot in the head on Sunday, April 28, 2024, during an attempted robbery of their pickup truck while camping on a remote Baja California beach.
  • Their burned pickup truck was found near a cliff-top shaft where their bodies were discovered on May 3, 2024.
  • A key witness, the stepson of one defendant, testified under concealment that he accompanied the group to the scene and was later threatened not to speak, saying he was told the same thing that happened to the "gringos" would happen to him.
  • Co-defendant Ary Gisell Silva was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting she urged her boyfriend and two other men to rob the surfers because they had valuable phones and tires.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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September 08, 2026
2:37 AM
Accused killers of American and Australian surfers go on trial in Mexico
CBS News