Jake and Callum Robinson: Trial over killing of Australian surfer brothers and US friend starts in Mexico - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crernpv433vo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crernpv433vo)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crernpv433vo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crernpv433vo)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png) 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murders of two Australian brothers and their American friend in 2024.  The bodies of Callum Robinson, his younger brother Jake, and their friend Carter Rhoad from California - all in their early 30s - were found at the bottom of a well with gunshot wounds to their heads, days after they went missing during a surf trip in Baja California. Prosecutors are seeking jail sentences of more than 200 years for the defendants, who also face charges of violent robbery and auto theft. The parents of the brothers were in court on Tuesday in the coastal town of Ensenada, telling the media that it was "incredibly important and overwhelmingly difficult". "We want the men accused of murdering our sons to see, in person, the human consequences of what happened," Martin and Debra Robinson said in a statement, according to Australia's national broadcaster, the ABC. "Callum and Jake were not simply victims in a case file - they were our sons, deeply loved by their family and friends, with lives, dreams and futures that were brutally taken away." On the opening day, the accused - Jesús "El Kekas" Gerardo, Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús - were moved to a smaller courtroom amid accusations that some witnesses had been intimidated by people associated with the defendants. Dozens of witnesses are expected to give evidence during the four-week, judge-only trial. The 2024 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd13vgg720jo) alleged killings of the Robinson brothers and their US friend shocked Australians as well as many residents of the normally peaceful town of Ensenada. Despite high levels of cartel violence in the northern Mexican border states, tourists are rarely targeted for such violent attacks in Baja California's surf towns.  The ex-girlfriend of one of the accused, Ari Gisell, became the first person to be convicted over the tourists' killings last year and was (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jrjr4wrr2o) sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in their murders. Mexican prosecutors are pursuing jail sentences of more than 200 years for each of the defendants, as well as an additional 168-year sentence for the alleged ringleader. Prosecutors say the victims were killed due to a bungled robbery, while the defence argued there was not enough evidence to prove that theory. Callum Robinson was a member of Australia's national lacrosse team and lived in San Diego where he was a professional lacrosse player. His younger brother Jake had travelled from Australia for the surf trip and was due to start a job as a doctor when he returned while their friend Rhoad was killed a few months before his wedding.     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/crr7mlg0vr2t) Mexico  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/australia) Australia        More on this story (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-68967350) Man confessed to surfer deaths, Mexican court told     Published 9 May 2024          (Callum (left) and Jake Robinson)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68965803) 'Shattered' - Tributes to surfers killed in Mexico     Published 7 May 2024          (Callum Robinson)          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd13vgg720jo) Surfers killed in likely carjacking, says Mexico     Published 6 May 2024          (Callum and Jake Robinson)                (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         0:57 'Extraordinary' - MPs reject assisted dying bill. 00:00:57, play video 'Extraordinary' - MPs reject assisted dying bill    (Pro-assisted dying campaigners hold pink placards during a protest near Big Ben)           0:09 US President Donald Trump snaps at ABC reporter. 00:00:09, play video US President Donald Trump snaps at ABC reporter    (Donald Trump leaning in with an intense expression to talk to press.)           0:56 British victims remembered at 9/11 memorial in London. 00:00:56, play video British victims remembered at 9/11 memorial in London    (9/11 memorial in London)           0:41 'I want to play for Mum' – Arsenal's Cooney-Cross. 00:00:41, play video 'I want to play for Mum' – Arsenal's Cooney-Cross    (Cooney-Cross and her mum)           1:28 India's 'cockroaches' want to fix schools. 00:01:28, play video India's 'cockroaches' want to fix schools    (A young girl with dark hair and wearing a blue top, writes on a chalkboard.)           0:43 Massive waterspout off the coast of northern Italy. 00:00:43, play video Massive waterspout off the coast of northern Italy    (A powerful waterspout swirling over choppy coastal waters near small boats.)           0:57 How does the Equalities Minister define 'working class'? 00:00:57, play video How does the Equalities Minister define 'working class'?    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