Tribute for Callum, Jake
Loved ones of two Australian brothers killed in Mexico have paid tribute to them two weeks after their deaths.
Perth brothers Jake Robinson, 30, and Callum Robinson, 33, and their friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 33, were allegedly murdered while camping on a surf trip near Ensenada in the Baja California region in late April.
Their bodies were found at the bottom of a 4m cliffside well a short distance from their campsite.
Jake Robinson, a doctor, was due to take up a position in Geelong after his return from the surfing trip.
The brothers’ parents, Debra and Martin Robinson, flew to Mexico to identify their bodies and over the weekend they made the journey north to San Diego where Callum had been living.
The 33-year-old’s friends organised a paddle out into the surf at one of his favourite beach spots on Sunday, with dozens of locals gathering in the surf to honour the men’s lives.
Their father was among those who paddled out to pay tribute to his two sons.
One of the surfers said he felt like Callum’s spirit was there with them in the water during the tribute.
“In the middle of our ceremony a large wave rolled in and it felt like Callum was there with us and everyone said that’s Callum,” he told Nine. Two men and a woman have been detained on suspicion of direct or indirect involvement in the attack. One man with a previous criminal record has been charged with “forced disappearance”.
On Friday, the men’s bodies were moved to a funeral home in San Diego, and are expected to be transferred back to Perth.
Jesus Gerardo Garica Cota, also known as “El Kekas”, along with his brother Cristian Alejandro and girlfriend Ari Gisel have since been arrested by Mexican authorities. Gerardo fronted an Ensenada court, where prosecutors revealed Ms Gisel had become a key witness in the case.
Last week, the Sinaloa Cartel claimed it “handed” over the alleged killers to police.