A woman identified as Ary Gisell Silva Raya was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the murder of three foreign tourists in Ensenada, Baja California.
The sentence, handed down by a local judge through an expedited trial, stems from her responsibility for the crimes of armed robbery and armed carjacking.
The victims were Australian brothers Jake Martin Robinson and Callum Ryan Robinson, and one of their friends, American Jack Carter Rhoad, who died following an attack in April 2024 in the remote area of Punta San José.
The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) presented evidence to the court indicating that the defendant instigated the robbery that resulted in the tourists’ deaths.
According to the investigation, Silva Raya was the first to contact the surfers and noticed they were carrying valuables. She then incited her companions to carry out the robbery. “They have a good phone and good tires on their truck,” she told her accomplices before the attack, according to court records released Thursday.
During the trial, the defendant admitted her involvement and waived her right to a full trial. This allowed for an expedited procedure and a reduced sentence from the more than 30 years she initially faced. The ruling also requires her to pay restitution exceeding 54,285 Mexican pesos, with the possibility of additional civil compensation for the victims.
The hearing was held in Courtroom 6 of the Criminal Justice System in Ensenada, under case number NUC 01-2024-06886.
Brothers Jake and Callum Robinson (30 and 33 years old, respectively), along with Jack Carter Rhoad (30 years old), arrived in Ensenada on April 27, 2024, in a pickup truck and camped on a beach in Punta San José.
Jake Robinson, a doctor in Australia, traveled to North America to meet up with his brother, famous for his career as a member of the Australian national lacrosse team and a resident of San Diego, California.
Jack Carter Rhoad, a San Diego native and the third victim, worked for a technology company and had plans to get married in August 2024.
According to the official reconstruction, the surfers were surprised at their campsite by several armed men. Initial investigations indicated that the assailants attempted to steal the victims’ Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck and other belongings. The victims resisted, and the attackers shot each of them in the head.
Later, the bodies were moved and hidden in a 15-meter-deep well several kilometers from the site of the attack. Forensic experts found traces of blood and drag marks at the campsite and identified an attempt by the assailants to destroy evidence by burning tents and the vehicle.
During the operation carried out by the state prosecutor’s office, on May 3, 2024, the bodies were located in La Bocana. Upon recovering the tourists’ bodies, forensic personnel identified another body, which had been there longer and was not related to the case.
Source: infobae
