Fourth person charged with murder of Aussie surfers Callum and Jake Robinson in Mexico
The ABC reports that Irineo Francisco is the latest to be named and charged for the killings of Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad on a surfing trip in Mexico's Baja California.
Mr Francisco joins fellow co-accused Jesús Gerardo, Ari Gisell, and Ángel Jesús, whose surnames are under suppression.
The ABC spoke to prosecutor Miguel Ángel Gaxiola Rodríguez, who said that the four alleged killers had attempted to rob the trio, having found foreigners in an isolated location, and there was no evidence of cartel involvement.
Prosecutors will allege the incident was a robbery-gone wrong.
Mr Gaxiola Rodríguez told the ABC that the state had a strong case.
'We have compelling evidence, including witness statements, and we have found the vehicle,' she said.
'The objective is to ensure that the accused are brought to trial and convicted of the homicide and robbery.'
The Robinson brothers were on a surfing trip in Mexico in April last year with Mr Rhoad, but were reported missing on April 27.
Their bodies were found at the bottom of a well on May 3 in which investigators also found another body, unrelated to the case.
Investigators said that all three men were shot in the back of the head with a single bullet.
The first arrest was made on May 1 when Ari Gisell was pulled over for a routine traffic stop.
She reportedly threw 100g of meth on the ground and attempted to flee, and up on searching the vehicle officers found a iPhone belonging to Mr Rhoad and more narcotics.
She then turned in two of the men including Jesús Gerardo, who she said had told her: 'I f*cked up three gringos.'
All three men faces charges of aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery, violent robbery, grand theft auto and forced disappearance.
Ari Gisell faces all the same charges except forced disappearance.
Three wooden statues have been installed six weeks ago overlooking the Northern Baja coast in memory of the three men.
The Callum and Jake Robinson Foundation posted on social media about the unveiling, saying the statues honour lives that 'continue to inspire'.
'Yesterday's unveiling ceremony brought together surfers, representatives from the Australian embassy and the Baja California governor's office.
' After a few words were shared, the community honoured the boys with a traditional paddle out.
'We are deeply grateful for the continued love, remembrance, and support from around the world.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Citizen's arrest after stabbing outside Melbourne shopping centre
Bystanders have performed a dramatic citizen's arrest after a man was stabbed outside a Melbourne shopping centre, restraining the alleged attacker until police arrived. Emergency services were called to Homer Street in Moonee Ponds about 4.35pm on Monday following reports of an altercation between two men. It is understood the men were seen arguing before one allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the other in the neck and chest. Police said civilians restrained the alleged attacker until police arrived and arrested him. The other man was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Witness Liam Clifford told 7News the man appeared to start saying Allahu Akbar once restrained by police. 'He was calling it over and over again, he just wouldn't stop – I think it was in response to getting tackled,' he said. 'It was scary. You don't normally see this stuff happen in Moonee Ponds so it was pretty confronting.'
ABC News
10 hours ago
- ABC News
Body worn camera evidence from Rohen James Hanson trial
Body worn camera evidence played to the Supreme Court showing the remote logger's cabin where Dee Annear was found dead on September 18, 2021.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Milenko Snjegota on trial accused of murdering father in Wollongong backyard
An Illawarra man fatally struck his father over the head, leaving him for dead in the family backyard for up to two days, a Supreme Court trial has heard. Milenko Snjegota, 49, also known as Gobesan, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his 74-year-old father, Vitomir Snjegota, at their Farmborough Heights home west of Wollongong in February last year. Mr G Snjegota, who lives with diagnosed schizophrenia, wore earbuds as Justice Stephen Campbell opened the judge-only Supreme Court trial in Wollongong on Monday. Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay told the court the victim was a divorced father of two, retired steel worker and Foxtel cable installer who lived in the downstairs portion of a two-storey home he built 50 years ago. Ms Keay said the accused had lived upstairs in the same property since his mental health began deteriorating in the late 1990s and was known to be "rude to his father". "He expressed hostility about being forced to receive mental health treatment," Ms Keay told the court. The court heard Mr V Snjegota was found face down in his backyard covered in a white sheet, with "significant" blunt-force trauma to his head. Ms Keay said it was the Crown's case that Mr V Snjegota's son struck him over the head "at least seven times" with an object "like a crowbar or hammer". "It's the Crown case the accused killed Mr [V] Snjegota while mowing [the lawn] on February 3, and that the violence was more than necessary to kill him," Ms Keay told the court. "The victim may have been dead 16 to 48 hours before being taken to the mortuary." The court heard Mr G Snjegota was due to receive an injection for his mental condition the day after his father's body was found. Ms Keay told the court the victim's neighbour made the grim discovery on February 4 after noticing waterlogging and leakage from the property. "The Crown will allege the accused tried to clean the scene with water," Ms Keay said. The court was also shown police body-worn camera vision and photos of brown leather shoes owned by the accused, which Ms Keay said contained traces of the victim's blood. "DNA of the accused was also found on the white sheet covering the victim's body," she told the court. However, the court heard no DNA evidence was found on two crowbars located in the family garage. In his brief opening, defence lawyer Scott Fraser told the court there was "only circumstantial evidence" linking his client to the alleged murder. He said the defence agreed with forensic information provided by the Crown and that the "cause of death is not an issue". In regards to the crowbars being cleaned with bleach, Mr Fraser said cleaning had been a "significant matter" in his client's life, not just in "this circumstance". The court heard the accused believed he had been misdiagnosed with schizophrenia and that the judge may have to consider the Cognitive Impairment Provisions Act in this case. As the Crown's first witness, the victim's daughter Silvana Gnjegota held back tears as she detailed her brother's long history of mental decline. She told the court during cross-examination, in the years before the alleged murder, Mr G Snjegota was "emotionally abusive" to her and sent her threatening emails because he disagreed with the methods used to treat his condition. Neighbour Stephen Peck later gave evidence and said the accused would "speak to Jesus … play music from his parked car every day … and was always pretty nasty to his father, which is a shame". The trial is expected to run for two weeks.
