Image source, Instagram @Callum10Robinson
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- author, Kelly ng
- Author title, BBC News
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A woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in killing three tourists while stealing their car in northwest Mexico last year.
Ari Geisel (23 years old) pleaded guilty to inciting the violent attack on Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rudd, who were on a surfing trip in Baja California in April 2024.
The young men were reported missing, and a few days later, their bodies with gunshot wounds to the head were found at the bottom of the well.
In an abbreviated trial requested by Ari Gesell’s defence, the woman admitted that she had incited the tourists to the robbery: “They bring a good phone and good wheels,” she told those involved in the murder, Irino Francisco “El Uni” or “El Junior,” Jesús Gerardo “El Quicas,” and Ángel Jesús.
The authorities did not reveal the last names of the woman and the three men.
Jesús Gerardo, Ireneo Francisco and Ángel Jesús followed the car to the camp where the surfers were staying in a remote and isolated spot on the coast west of the city of Santo Tomas. There they were robbed, and when they resisted the attack, the attackers killed them.
The cases against these three men are still pending before the courts. Jesus Gerardo and Ireneo Francisco are believed to have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, which for many years was led by notorious drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Because of these connections, the two men were detained at El Hongo, a maximum security prison in Baja California. Angel Jesus’ case is being handled from a different correctional center in the city of Ensenada.
However, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), prosecutors do not suspect any connection between the murders and organized crime.
Image source, FGJE
“We dreamed of seeing them grow.”
Families of the victims, who attended the hearing via video, made emotional statements on Wednesday.
Debra Robinson, Callum and Jake’s mother, told Australia’s ABC: “We dreamed of seeing them grow up and have children. And now that’s all gone.” “We have to live with his absence.”
Callum Robinson, 33, was a member of the Australian national lacrosse team and lived in San Diego, USA, across the border from Baja California.
His younger brother Jake, 30, was living in Australia and traveled to North America to visit Callum. He was planning to start a new job as a doctor upon his return to Australia.
His friend, Rod, 30, was a San Diego resident who worked for a technology services company. He was just months away from marrying his fiancée when he was killed.
“He was my safety in the world,” his fiancée, Natalie Wertz, declared during the hearing. “My life is a nightmare now.”
In his speech, Ari Geisel offered an apology: “I know that there is nothing I can say that will make up for you or give you peace,” he told the families of the victims.
“I’m focused on being a better person and I’m so sorry for your loss. I assure you, I didn’t know what was going to happen that night,” the single mother declared.
By pleading guilty and opting for an abbreviated trial, the woman received a reduction in the more than 30 years in prison she faced.
Image source, Instagram @Callum10Robinson
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