A cold-blooded killer’s hours of partying after he dumps a teen’s naked body in the woods

Cody Ackland, 24, went to the movies and had one last beer in his car before turning himself in to police over the horrific murder of Bobbi-Anne McLeod

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Cody Ackland turns himself in at the police station in November 2021

A musician obsessed with serial killers spent the day laughing and joking with friends after killing an 18-year-old.

Cody Ackland, 24, has been sentenced to at least 31 years to life in prison at Plymouth Crown Court for acting out his twisted fantasies by brutally murdering teenage girl Bobbi-Anne McLeod in November last year.

The following night, Ackland went out to dinner with his friends, went to band rehearsal, and stayed at Leadworks until the early hours.

A friend he took said he seemed “happier than usual” and was laughing and joking more that day.

The next day, Ackland called in sick for work, with his own family sharing missing posts about Bobbi-Anne being “close to home.”

He went to the cinema on The Barbican to watch the film Dune and shared and saved images of his victim.

He drank one last beer in the car before turning himself in to police, thinking it might have been his last for some time. PlymouthLive reported.

Prosecutor Richard Posner called the murder a “prolonged and sadistic assault”.

He told the court: “The defendant had a secret, morbid interest in a significant number of serial killers in England, Australia, the US and Russia.

“Before Bobbi-Anne’s death, he was scouring the internet for information about her crimes and the consequences of such crimes.”

He also searched out-of-the-way places on Dartmoor and hardware stores for hammers and crowbars.

Mr Posner added: “Cody Ackland lived a double life. As he left home on the evening of November 20, he drove through on the same street where Bobbi-Anne was waiting for the bus.

“There is evidence that he was driven by a desire to emulate the exploits of these serial killers with whom he had such an unhealthy fascination.

“That fascination was to become an evil reality for Bobbi-Anne.”

Mr Posner described November 20 as a normal Saturday for the McLeod family and she told her father she loved him as she embarked on a journey “that she would never end”.

The prosecutor added: “She was missing, nobody knew where she was, what happened to her or why.”

He said it was later determined that Bobbi-Anne “suffered numerous injuries concomitant with a sustained and frenzied assault.”

The court heard Ackland tell police during the interview, after he vomited three days later, that he “never met her before and didn’t know her name.”

He claimed he targeted Bobbi-Anne as she “resembled his ex.”

He told police: “I wore myself up and I had to get out.”

He said he just watches TV and “had to get out and do something.”

Mr Posner added: “He was contemplating a breakup with a girlfriend. He drove past a few people who looked happy and got more and more angry.

“Then he discovered Bobbi-Anne. He said she resembled a few people he’d dated in the past. He said he wasn’t looking for anyone and it was just a coincidence.”

The court heard he had not spoken about his motivation in the interview – but said proof of this came from evidence later found by police on his phone.

Multiple searches for serial killers, including Ted Bundy, Fred West and others from around the world, were uncovered along with a total of 3,216 images with “disturbing and dark themes.”

Mr Posner said: “He had an ingrained fascination with death, murder and assassins and the means of committing murder. In this context, interest is uncanny and relevant to motivation.

“Ted Bundy approached his victims in public places and knocked them unconscious. It is no coincidence that Bobbi-Anne met her destiny in the same way.”

In his confession, Ackland said he approached Bobbi-Anne from behind and hit her “with the butt end of the hammer” at the bus stop. He said she fell to the ground and rolled at his feet.

He claimed he “panic” and hit her with the hammer again before returning to his car. He then pulled up beside her and put her in his car.

Mr. Posner said: “He described his actions as having an industrial mindset. He had a problem that he needed to get rid of.”

The court heard Ackland say he could hear her muttering in the footwell and recalled Bobbi-Anne telling him, “I’m scared.” He claimed he told her, “So am I.”

He said when he got out of the car “he knew what he had to do” and picked up the hammer again. He hit her about 12 times and she fell.

He said she started breathing again and his thoughts were “hats off to her”. He said he put his foot on her neck to “try to end it” and realized she was dead.

He drove home and got into bed. The next day, he went out to eat with a friend, went to band rehearsal, ate takeout, and went out for drinks with friends at a lock.

The court heard friends say he seemed “a lot happier than usual” and was laughing and joking.

Mr Posner added: “Happy because he killed Bobbi-Anne McLeod. The act of violence freed him from the depression.”

Mitigatingly, Ray Tully added: “Nothing I can say today will make life better for Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family. They will rightly hold in their hearts utter hatred and contempt for the man I represent, and hold it in their hearts and minds for eternity.

“He has given the authorities a report of what happened – it is inherently grotesque, harrowing to hear and difficult for any of us to listen to

“Some victims’ families never hear about it. The defendants chose to hide horrifying secrets and not embark on a trial that would at least reveal the true horror of what they did.

“Some might think he at least provided information and made it possible for those who want or need to hear it.

“If he had remained at large he could have been encouraged by what he did. The fact that he turned himself in after 72 hours is a significant feature of the case.”