Back in late April of 2024, three surfers with connections with Point Loma took a camping and surfing trip to Baja. Carter Rhoad and brothers Callum and Jake Robinson ended up in Punta San José in Ensenda. Callum lived in Ocean Beach, where his brother Jake was visiting him — both brothers are from Australia — and Rhoad, a Point Loma resident, graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2014.
Rhoad and brothers Callum and Jake Robinson were reported missing after they failed to show up at their planned accommodations, and days later they were found dead in Santo Tomas, Baja California.
Back in May, the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, reported 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.
And much more recently on November 19th, prosecutors with the State Attorney General’s Office in Baja said a woman named Ary Gisell Silva Raya was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for robbery with violence and vehicle theft in connection to the case. 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.
According to prosecutors, Silva Ray arrived in Punta San José in Ensenda on the night of April 27, 2024, when she met Rhoad and the Robinsons. Later that night, she contacted one of a group of three men 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 last summer.
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.
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. Ángel Jesús León Aguilera was taken into custody in July. All three have opted to go to trial and are currently awaiting a date for their hearing, prosecutors said.
After the killings, the Robinsons’ parents went to Ocean Beach 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.
Edited from news source NBC7.
