Matthew Mason, a UK man who killed his 15-year-old boyfriend, will serve 28 years in prison for murder.
The story began in 2019, when a then 18-year-old Mason met 15-year old Alex Rodda on Instagram. The two began a covert sexual relationship which dissolved when Rodda threatened to tell Mason’s girlfriend about their affair. Mason claims he first paid Rodda £2,000 over a three week period to keep the relationship secret. When that didn’t satisfy the younger man, Mason resorted to deadly force.
Related: Teen accused of murdering 15-year-old boyfriend to prevent outing
Mason lured Rodda into a wooded area outside Ashley, near Altrincham, on December 12, 2019. Once there, he proceeded to beat the 15-year-old to death with a wrench. Rodda’s body was discovered the following day.
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Now The Guardian reports that Mason received a fierce rebuke from the judge in his case, along with his 28-year sentence.
“This was carefully planned and ruthlessly carried out, showing no empathy and a callous disregard for Alex, his family and friends,” the judge said at sentencing.
In court, Mason had alleged that Rodda lured him into the relationship–a claim undermined by sexual videos Mason had sent to Rodda. Prosecutors also claim that Rodda was struck at least 15 times with the wrench in an attack they deemed “brutal.”
Donston
Even when discussing serious shit, this site still leans towards clickbait headlines. We don’t really know if this guy saw the victim as his “boyfriend”.
These types of stories do highlight how the importance of “queer” education and acceptance at a young age, the importance of mental health issues for youth (both parties seemed to have “issues”, especially the murderer of course), and the importance of knowing the gender, romantic, sexual, emotional, commitment spectrum. It also highlights how dangerous it is to catch feelings when you date closeted people and allow yourself to be a side-piece/fetish. Though I get that with teens emotions always get in the way.
Cam
They’d been sleeping together for months so he definitely can’t claim it was a one time hookup because he was drunk.
https:/ /www.manchestereveningnews. co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/teenager-trial-accused-murdering-cheshire-19411520
Donston
Yeah, I’m aware of that. But “boyfriend” is a title. It’s a public declaration and/or an understanding between two people. No one knows if he saw the victim as a “boyfriend”. Sleeping with someone does not mean that’s your bf/gf. There’s no witnesses or text messages that confirm that anyone saw anyone as a boyfriend. And of course, the murderer is not saying anything on that front. I would just like for the media to stop giving out titles and identities and making assumptions about where someone is in the gender, romantic, sexual, emotional, commitment spectrum. They do it as clickbait, for politics or to create easy narratives, and it always causes problems and is mostly unnecessary.
Also, Cam, please stop directly responding to me. Already said I’m not interested in engaging with you anymore. No (too) hard feelings but not interested.
Catholicslutbox
Meanwhile in the us… ex cop son gets one year.
Cam
@Donston
This is you not engaging? Sweetie, if you’re not going to engage, then don’t engage. But you’re like the dieter who eats cake every night and then says they’ll start the diet tomorrow.
Fact is, there are texts between them. They’d been sleeping together for months, but we know what the real issue is here. You can’t abide anything that’s straight forward. You want to bury yourself in minutia so you can weave another long narrative.
I mean, if that’s your thing more power to you, but let’s not pretend what you’re doing isn’t obvious.
iminheatlikeacat
I’m not going into details but I can categorically say they were NOT boyfriends.
Cam
@iminheatlikeacat
And someone could come in here and just as easily say “I”m not going into details, but there were definitely transformers who turned into a bread maker and a mixer”.
Vince
At least it’s not say 20 years ago. Mason would’ve just claimed he was defending himself and every jury would’ve let him off the hook and probably got him counseling for the ordeal.
AxelDC
I learned from watching Columbo that you never blackmail people. Half the murders on that show were to get rid of blackmailers. And for God’s sake, never blackmail someone who has already committed a murder!
Donston
That’s where validation seeking becomes trouble and teenage idiocy and teenage emotions likely got in the way. The victim probably didn’t even care about the money and just used it as a way to keep ties, hoping the relationship would evolve into something else.
Liquid Silver
Exactly. Carry that into Murder She Wrote and it’s a solid sixty percent.
Cam
Blackmail and apparently the victim was demanding more money and the murderer didn’t have anymore. A really dangerous situation and I’m surprised the victim agreed to meet up with him alone!!
Jake123
Good.
SinthiaDoom
All right now let’s not bury the lead wether or not the tite of boyfriend should have been bestowed on his MURDERER. hello kids. This evil dude beat him to death with a wrench after luring him out to the woods and he only got 28 years. Teen suggestes he is under 20 so worst cast he will be somewhere under 50 and his victim will still be dead. So so sad
Donston
All of this goes without saying for me. I chose to call out the media for its persistent problems with covering “queer tragedies”: a lot of identity and title throwing, a lot of sensationalism, a lot of assumptions.
iminheatlikeacat
I’m surprised that he got 28 years. In the UK, that is a LONG sentence, even for a cold blooded murder. Not saying it’s not deserved, just that I’m very surprised he was given that long (although take into consideration sometimes only half the sentence is served, so may actually be 14).
Mack
Here in the US (Florida) a white man kills his black boyfriend and is charged with a misdemeanor and is given 18 months.
Kangol2
And he shot him in the back of the head, then didn’t immediately call the cops, but called relatives, including his father, a cop, if I’m recalling that horrendous story correctly.
James Oldman
Very sad. Two kids basically lost their lives.
Problem I see is the law saying a person under a certain age automatically results in a charge and being required to register as a sex offender. Here in Canada there is a 5 year close in age exception which would have eliminated the younger from laying charges.
Some here complain about the heading saying “Boyfriend”. This is probably one of those age related things but when I was 15 or 18 if I met up with the same person over a period of time for sexual relations and had been passing notes back and forth I would use the same terminology.
We only see what has been written about the relationship the two had and with the younger not able to give his side of the story we will never know.
iminheatlikeacat
The victim never saw himself as the murderers boyfriend, hence the blackmailing.
Consider This
The case of a boyfriend turned blackmailer. These often turn out quite badly for one or both players.
In this case, the blackmailer will never again blackmail a partner – or anyone else, for that matter. His life came to a screeching halt at the hands of his blackmailed partner.
His partner will spend decades in prison for his actions.
Truly sad for both.
My2CentsWorth
It is very bad. Not the first time. It can involved innocent people such as teachers. Two students in Florida many years ago decided to get revenge against their teacher for low grades. They claimed that he molested one of them. The teacher’s life became hell. His wife left him and he lost his job. He took the final act was suicide.
One of the girls told another girl what happened. That girl told her mother who notified the police. They found out why the girls lied. Even if the wife had wanted to forgive her husband it was too late. It is possible that if the police had done a quality investigation they might have found clues early that the girls were lying.
ljbivins
Donston and Cam: You all have got to divorce.
Cam
Yeah, but then the state and your taxes will have to support them. So I’m doing you a favor here.
Discombobulation
People should be careful about accepting the defense of a convicted murderer that he was being blackmailed. The judge during summation referred to a clear element of grooming from the older guy. The purpose of the money is a grey area, however it is nowhere near as clear cut that a silly, greedy and indeed criminally minded child brought about his own death due to blackmail. The murderer came from a wealthy family so his attitude towards money may not match the rest of us.
I fundamentally agree with the age issue. Several newspapers insisted on headlines such as ‘paedophile convicted’ etc just to sensationalise.