5 Photos Of Alex Rodda: The 15-Year Old Who Was Beaten To Death By His Lover and The Chilling Messages That Led to It

Alex Rodda's murder in December 2019 shocked the nation. The 15-year-old schoolboy from Cheshire was groomed and beaten to death by 19-year-old Matthew Mason, who struck him repeatedly with a heavy metal wrench in a secluded woodland.

The case drew widespread attention not only for its brutality but because the digital trail of messages between the pair became central to the trial. What started as seemingly harmless flirting spiralled into secret payments, blackmail claims, and ultimately a fatal encounter.

This article revisits five photos of Alex Rodda and the chain of events that led to his death.

Who is Alex Rodda?

Alex Rodda was a 15-year-old student from Cheshire. His family described him as caring, trusting, and fun-loving, someone who took pride in his identity.

In late 2019, Rodda was groomed by Mason, a farm worker who feared his sexuality being exposed in his rural community. The two had known each other from school. Mason began paying Rodda thousands of pounds to keep their relationship hidden.

The Messages That Led to Murder

The relationship started with social media exchanges. Mason told the jury in 2021 that Rodda messaged him late at night, asking if he had clothes on. Mason said he responded but 'thought nothing of it.'

By October 2019, their conversations had become intimate. Mason admitted sending explicit images and videos via Snapchat. Days later, Rodda messaged Mason's girlfriend at that time, Caitlyn Lancashire, revealing the secret relationship.

He wrote: 'Because I thought I should let you know that the past 2-3 weeks Matt has been trying to message me, he came to my house in his car to meet me last week but I told him my dad wouldn't let me out so I didn't meet him, I have told him it has to stop but just thought I'd let you know before he does a d***head move and I didn't know he was dating you until I went to go follow him on lnstagram.'

Lancashire ended the relationship soon after.

On 9 November, Rodda and Mason engaged in sexual activity, with Mason paying the 15-year-old a total of £1,270 over two weeks. On 7 December, just days before Rodda's death, his mother Lisa Rodda interrupted Mason during a sexual encounter with Alex.

Rodda confided to a friend about feeling unwell after sex, writing: 'My a******* hurts, like I feel sick.' His friend replied: 'S***. That's what you get for being a prostitute.' Mason transferred £100 to Rodda that day. It was his final payment.

The Night of the Murder

On 12 December 2019, Mason drove Rodda to woodland at Ashley, near Altrincham. Reports said that Rodda told a friend he was being taken to a 'special secret place in a forest,' which he found strange but agreed to.

In the woods, Mason struck Rodda at least 15 times with a wrench. He left him partially clothed and dying. Mason later disposed of Rodda's phone, which has not been recovered.

Mason's Online Searches

Authorities later uncovered Mason's internet searches, which revealed that the 19-year-old had been thinking of killing Rodda.

Mason searched terms like: 'What would happen if you kicked someone down the stairs', 'everyday poison', 'things that are poisonous', 'people missing in Cheshire', and 'the mysteries of Cheshire unsolved deaths of missing people'.

Trial and Sentencing

Mason admitted to killing Rodda, but claimed he lost control after he was allegedly blackmailed. The jury rejected this defence. In January 2021, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years.

Today, Alex Rodda is remembered by his loved ones not for the circumstances of his death, but for the 'joy and light' he brought to those around him.

The case is revisited in ITV's documentary The Murder of Alex Rodda: Social Media Murders.