Martin Robinson, the father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico, testified in court that his life has been turned into hell since their deaths. Three men are charged with killing Jake and Callum Robinson (30 and 33 years old) and Jack Carter Rhoad (30 years old), who were on a surfing trip when they were fatally shot during an attempted robbery. The trial is ongoing, with the victims' families expressing shock and grief over the loss of their loved ones. Martin Robinson described the ordeal of identifying his sons' bodies and expressed frustration that the perpetrators cannot be understood to have taken the lives of "two beautiful people".
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Debra and Martin Robinson, whose sons Jake (30) and Callum (33) were killed in Mexico in April 2024, have traveled to Mexico to attend the trial of the three men accused of their murder. The brothers, along with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad (30), were on a surfing trip when they were allegedly attacked in a suspected robbery and shot dead. Their bodies were found dumped in a cliff-top shaft several days later. According to authorities, the three men were murdered during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was found burned near the scene of the crime. The trial is taking place in Ensenada, Mexico, and has been ongoing for two days, with the parents expressing their desire to "hear the truth" and understand what happened. In court, Martin Robinson described the ordeal of identifying his sons' bodies as "hell," highlighting the emotional toll of losing two sons.
Written for “Murder Trial in Mexico” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 7380 · logged 2026-09-09
The father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day.
asserted
trial → kill → day
Three men are charged in the killing of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024.
asserted
who → charge → April
Authorities say the three were killed in an attempted robbery, and their bodies were found dumped in a cliff-top shaft with gunshot wounds to their heads.
“It’s hell,” the victims’ father Martin Robinson told the court.
asserted
father → say → heads
“It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons.”
asserted
we → ’ → sons
“It’s not just the loss, but also the potential they had the dreams that lay ahead of them, the places they travelled, and the love they had for others,” he said.
asserted
they → ’ → others
Robinson described the ordeal of having to identify his sons’ bodies: Callum by a tattoo on his forearm, while identifying Jake was more difficult and required photographs.
asserted
identifying → describe → photographs
Rhoad’s mother Page compared the crime to an execution.
“I miss my son every day, and I don’t know if I will ever be able to regain my balance,” she testified.
asserted
she → compare → balance
“Carter loved Mexico.
asserted
Carter → love → Mexico
He spoke fluent Spanish and loved dancing, Mexican food and its people.”
asserted
He → speak → dancing
Authorities say the men were killed during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was later found burned near their bodies.
asserted
which → say → bodies
A protected witness testified Monday that they accompanied one of the defendants to the crime scene and fled after hearing gunshots, and were later threatened into silence.
asserted
they → testify → silence
The surfers’ disappearances and deaths sparked widespread outrage and grief in Australia and the United States, prompting a major social media search for their bodies.
“We hold no resentment toward the people who did this, but we cannot understand how they could have taken the lives of two beautiful people,” Martin Robinson told the court.
uncertain
Robinson → spark → court
The trial is expected to run until the end of September.
asserted
trial → expect → September
Rhoad’s widow, Natalie, is scheduled to testify on Wednesday.
asserted
widow → schedule → Wednesday
