Father Describes 'Hell' of Identifying Sons' Bodies in Mexico Homicide Trial

1:09 AM ETDeveloping

World Desk

In Short: The father of slain Australian surfers describes the traumatic experience of identifying his sons' bodies during a court hearing in Mexico.

Callum was identified by a tattoo on his forearm, while identifying Jake was more difficult and required photographs, according to Robinson.

The men were killed during an attempt to steal their pickup truck, which was later found burned near their bodies, authorities say.

The trial, which is expected to run until the end of September, has sparked widespread outrage and grief in Australia and the United States.

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