The bodies of murdered Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson have been flown to the United States, beginning their journey home after they were killed in an attempted carjacking in Baja California.
The brothers’ deaths sparked great grief after they disappeared on April 27 while on a surfing trip in the northern state of Mexico. They were found at the bottom of a well a week later.
Callum and Jake’s American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, was also killed.
On Friday, the men’s bodies were taken to a funeral home in San Diego, and are then expected to be flown back to Perth.
The news comes after the infamous Sinaloa Cartel claimed it had “handed over” the men’s alleged killers.
The infamous Sinaloa Cartel has claimed to have “handed over” the alleged killers of Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad.
Since then, Jesús Gerardo Garica Cota, also known as ‘El Kekas’, along with his brother Cristian Alejandro and his girlfriend Ari Gisel have been arrested by Mexican authorities.
But in a surprising turn, the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the criminal world’s most powerful drug syndicates, broke its silence on the trio’s deaths and claimed it had handed over the alleged killers.
A cartel member said the three were not part of the cartel.
“They were low-level thieves acting alone,” the anonymous member told The Daily Beast. But we deliver them to them.
‘We found out that the police were looking for the gringos and they also began looking for those responsible. We called the authorities to tell them where to find them.’
The cartel member said the criminal organization was afraid of receiving “unwanted attention” from Mexican authorities.
The three young people shared a creepy final social media post from their trip, where they were seen drinking coffee on the beach.
YoThis follows Gerardo in front of an Ensenada court this week, where prosecutors revealed that Ms. Gisel had become a key witness in the case.
So far, prosecutors have only charged Gerardo with forcible kidnapping, but the charge is expected to be upgraded to murder.
Nine News correspondent Alison Piotrowski, who was in the courtroom for the hearing, told 2GB on Thursday that Gerardo was alleged to have told Ms Gisel that ‘f. “He caught three gringos.”
The court heard she had asked: “What do you mean?” to which he replied: “I killed them.”
Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez said prosecutors would allege that the foreigners were confronted by Mexican nationalists who intended to rob the trio.
“In response to the victims’ reaction, they were deprived of their lives,” reads a statement from his office.
‘Through the investigations carried out… the white Chevrolet Colorado vehicle in which the victims were traveling was found burned.’
The brothers Jesús Gerardo García Cota and Cristian Alejandro García were two of the three arrested for the suspicious deaths of the trio.
Ari Gisel García Cota has also been charged
Jake and Callum’s parents formally identified the brothers’ bodies in Mexico this week.
On Tuesday, Robinson paid tribute to the couple, saying the world had become “a darker place” for them and they were heartbroken.
‘We are also saddened by the loss of Carter Rhoad, a close friend. They were young people who enjoyed their passion for surfing together,” said Mrs Robinson.
‘Now is the time to bring them home, to family and friends, and to the waves of the ocean in Australia. Please live bigger, shine brighter and love stronger in her memory.’
He also thanked those who had offered their condolences and said they had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotions and support.”
“We have always been very proud of their academic and sporting achievements and admire their life choices,” Mrs Robinson said.
