Two men have admitted murdering Ross MacGillivray in Inverness in a brutal attack that left the 36-year-old with fatal injuries.
Leon Headey, 23, from Liverpool, and Craig Hayden, 30, from Alness, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to killing Mr MacGillivray on Sunday 12 November 2023 at a property on St Ninian Drive.
Mr MacGillivray was found with multiple serious injuries in the early hours and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Samantha MacGillivray, 33, also appeared in court and admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
She was charged with helping the two men cover up their actions after the killing.
The court heard that Headey and Hayden were present when Mr MacGillivray arrived at the address where he was attacked.
Following the incident, they travelled with Samantha MacGillivray to the nearby Caledonian Canal to dispose of items in an effort to destroy evidence.
Samantha MacGillivray, who was estranged from the victim, also gave police false information in the aftermath.
Detective Inspector Richard Baird of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team described the murder as a savage and deliberate act.
“Ross MacGillivray was subjected to a brutal and violent attack, leaving him with unsurvivable injuries,” he said.
“Our investigation identified Hayden and Headey as having been involved before fleeing the Inverness area for Aberdeen where we arrested both men.”
“We also identified Samantha MacGillivray as having attempted to help the two men cover their tracks in the aftermath of the attack on her estranged husband by facilitating the disposal of incriminating evidence and providing deliberate false statements.
“This type of violence has no place in the Highlands or in Scotland,” he added.
“Police Scotland is committed to identifying and bringing to justice anyone involved in acts such as these.”
The court also heard that Headey was involved in a separate violent assault on another man in Alness just weeks before the murder.
That attack took place outside a property on Wednesday 25 October 2023.
He pleaded guilty alongside two other men, Lee Fraser, 34, and Thomas Hooson, 29.
Sentencing for all accused will take place at a later date.
