The Murder of Bobbi-Anne McLeod
On November 20, 2021, Bobbi Anne McLeod, 18, was attacked with a hammer, kidnapped, murdered, and her remains dumped in a remote area. Her killer, Cody Ackland, 24, would confess 2 days later.
Bobbi-Anne McLeod
Bobbi-Anne McLeod, 18, McLeod lived with her parents and sibling in Leigham, United Kingdom. She graduated from Tor Bridge High School in 2019.
Cody Ackland
Cody Ackland was the lead guitarist for the band Rakuda. He was also employed as a car valet. Ackland also had an interest in serial killers from all over the world. According to police, he had around 3,000 “dark and disturbing” images on his phone, which included photos of murder victims, bloody clothing, and murder sites.
In the weeks leading up to her murder, Ackland made multiple online searches about serial killers. He also looked searched for remote areas and purchased a hammer.
Investigators believed Ackland wanted to imitate a serial killer. They also stated that Ackland was not on police radar at the time of the murder.
Day of Murder
On November 20, 2021,Bobbi-Anne left her house in around 5:45 p.m. and headed to the bus stop. She was going to meet up with her boyfriend.
At 6:49 p.m. Bobbi-Anne posted a picture of her feet at the bus stop, stating she was cold. This would be the last post Bobbi would make.
The trial would reveal that a man arrived at the bus around 7:15 p.m.; nobody was there, but he did accidentally kick a phone and an AirPod case. He gave them to the bus driver that pulled up. (The following day a boy found the Airpods near the bus stop)
Bobbi-Anne’s mom texted her daughter, asking if she was okay and never heard back. At 9:00 p.m. Bobbi-Anne’s boyfriend called her family, asking if they knew where she was. When Bobbi Ann never made it to her boyfriend’s, her friends and family became worried. They posted on social media and went out looking for her.
The Murder
The details of the murder come from Ackland’s confession, which was corroborated by the medical examiner.
Around 7:00 p.m. Ackland hit Bobbi-Anne in the head with a claw hammer. He had intended to kill her with this single hit, but Bobbi-Anne was still alive and looked at him after being struck. Ackland hit her again. He then got in his car when he saw Bobbi-Anne sit up; she was bleeding from her head. He pulled up next to Bobbi-Anne, put her in his car, covered her with his jacket, and drove away.
Ackland then attempted to strangle Bobbi-Anne. Once he thought she was dead, he took her to a remote area in Bellever Forest to leave her body. Bobbi-Anne was still alive, so he held her up and walked with her. At one point, Bobbi-Anne told Ackland she was scared; Ackland replied, “So am I. I’ve never done this.”
Ackland then hit Bobbi-Anne 12 more times with the claw hammer. Then, to get rid of the evidence, Ackland burned some of Bobbi-Anne’s belongings. Realizing Bobbi-Anne was still alive, Ackland stomped on her throat, which ended her life. Bobbi-Anne would have been alive for 1.5 to 3 hours after she suffered the first hit to her head.
Ackland drove to a remote area in Bovisand, removed all of Bobbi-Anne’s clothing and jewelry and rolled her body down a 15-foot bank. He took the bloody clothes with him and threw them elsewhere in the forest. He also threw the hammer away and drove home.
The Next Day
Ackland went out with food with his friends, went to a movie, and went to band practice. A friend recalled Ackland being happier than usual, making jokes and laughing. He had also shared the missing posts of Bobbi-Anne and saved several photos of her.
After he was arrested, Ackland also told a psychiatrist he no longer felt depressed after killing Bobbi-Anne.
Confession
On November 23, 2021, Cody Ackland walked into Charles Cros police station and confessed to abducting and murdering Bobbi-Anne. Ackland told police that Bobbi-Anne’s remains were in Bovisand but stated he did not want to say anything else without a lawyer.
According to PlymouthLive, Ackland’s lawyer read a prepared statement to investigators, “I took her from the bus stop and left her body at location. I decided to tell the police to help them and her family. Nobody else was involved. There was nothing sexual about this incident. I did not touch Bobbi-Anne in a sexual way.”
In a subsequent interview, Ackland told police he did not plan to kill Bobbi-Anne. He had been upset because of a recent break up. He explained Bobbi-Anne reminded him of his past relationships and eventually told police the details of the murder.
Remains
Police found Bobbi-Anne 15 feet down an embankment on the side of a cliff in Bovisand, Plymouth, United Kingdom. She was naked and had obvious trauma to her body, head, and face. A medical examiner stated there were no signs of sexual activity.
Investigation
Police searched Ackland’s car and found a bag that had a hummer and knife in it. There were black latex gloved in his glove box. In Ackland’s house, police recovered sneakers that had Bobbi-Anne’s blood on them.
The fire was inspected by police in Bellever Forest; they found Bobbi-Anne’s blood on nearby rocks. Police also found the clothes Ackland disposed of in Bellever Forest. They never recovered the hammer Ackland used.
Sentencing Hearing
Ackland pleaded guilty to murder on April 5, 2022.
During the sentencing, Ackman’s lawyer stated he did not have the help he needed. He attributed the murder to his anger. His lawyer stated Ackland had special educational needs, which caused him to struggle in school. He continued to state Ackland was bullied in school. By the age of 9, Ackland had developed suicidal thoughts and thought his life was worthless.
The judge sentenced Ackland to life in prison with a minimum of 31 years before being eligible for parole.
Aftermath
Since the murder of Bobbi-Anne, her close friends have become activists campaigning against violence towards woman.
