Woman jailed for 20 years for murdering Australian surfer brother in Mexico

A woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the incident three tourists murdered in a carjacking incident in Mexico last year.

Ari Gisell, 23, admitted inciting a violent attack on Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Carter Rhoad, who disappeared in April 2024 while surfing in the northern Mexican state of Baja California.

Their bodies were later found at the bottom of a deep well with gunshot wounds to the head.

The court heard Ali Gisele expressed an interest in the tires on Surfer’s car and told her then-boyfriend Jesus Gerardo to “bring me a good mobile phone and good tires for my pickup truck”.

Only the defendant’s first and middle names were released. Under Mexican court reporting rules, the surname does not exist.

Jesús Gerardo and two others, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesús, followed the vehicle to a campsite where foreigners lived and robbed them before shooting them. The case against the three men is still pending in court.

According to Mexican newspaper La Silla Rota, Jesús Gerardo and Irineo Francisco were with Powerful drug cartel in SinaloaThe organization was led for years by notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Because of these connections, both men are incarcerated at the maximum-security El Hongo prison in Baja California. Angel Jesus is being held in a separate facility in Ensenada.

However, prosecutors do not suspect any link between the murders and organized crime, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Family members of the victims, who attended via video conference, gave emotional statements at Wednesday’s hearing.

“We dreamed of seeing them grow up and have children,” said Debra Robinson, Callum and Jack’s mother, according to ABC. “Now it’s come true.”

“We live in their absence.”

Callum Robinson, 33, a member of the Australian national lacrosse team, lives in San Diego, across the U.S.-Mexico border from Baja California.

His brother Jack, 30, lives in Australia and has traveled to North America to visit Callum. After returning home, he will start a new job as a doctor.

Their friend Rhoad, 30, a San Diego resident, worked at a technology services company. Rod was still months away from marrying his fiancée when he was killed.

“He was my safety in the world,” his fiancée Natalie Wirtz told the court. “My life is a nightmare now.”

Ari Gisele tearfully apologized in court, admitting “there’s nothing I can say to make it up to you or bring you peace.”

“I’m focused on becoming a better person and I’m so sorry for your loss,” the single mother said, according to La Silla Rota.