A Mexican judge has convicted three men of the 2024 murders of two Australian surfers and their American friend in a case that sparked international outrage.

Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33 respectively, and their friend Carter Rhoad, 30, were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state in a suspected robbery.

The deaths of the trio sparked an outpouring of grief and condemnation in Australia and the United States.

Jesus Gerardo – known as “El Kekas” – was accused of leading the attack. His surname has not been disclosed for legal reasons. He and two other defendants, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus, were found guilty on Friday local time.

Martin and Debra Robinson, the brothers’ parents, traveled from Australia to the port city of Ensenada for the trial, which began on 7 September.

“They took our sons from our lives forever,” said Debra Robinson, who testified on the final day of the trial. “What hurts us most is that, in their final hours, they were treated with such cruelty.”

Addressing the court at the start of the trial, Martin Robinson described his sons’ murders as “hell”.

“It’s hard for a parent to lose a son, and we lost two sons,” he said.

Rhoad’s mother, Page, and his fiance, Natalie Weirtz, also participated in the hearing in a video call from the United States.

“The accused are guilty and must be punished so that no other family suffers the same pain,” Weirtz said. “Since Carter’s death, I feel paranoid and isolated.”

The surfers were camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. Their bodies were found in a clifftop shaft, with gunshot wounds to their heads.

Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, plagued by organised crime and drug trafficking, although cartel activity does not usually affect tourists. Other foreign visitors have, however, been targeted in criminal attacks on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Two Australian surfers, Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, were killed in 2015 while traveling through the north-western state of Sinaloa. Their bodies were later burned.

More details soon …