24 year old actor Ryan Grantham, known for starring roles in Riverdale, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as roles in Supernatural and iZombie, has been sentenced to life behind bars for killing his own mother.
He will be eligible for parole after serving 14 years, a spokesperson for the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver said. Justice Kathleen Ker said during Tuesday’s hearing that the case was tragic and heartbreaking, according to CBC. Before handing down the decision, she recounted some of the horrific details of Barbara Waite’s murder, the newspaper reported.
Grantham shot his mother in the back of the head while she was playing the piano at home — the next day he allegedly loaded his car with three firearms, Molotov cocktails, ammunition, camping supplies and a map that had directions to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s home.
Grantham, then 21, planned to kill Trudeau but drove to Hope, British Columbia, before turning the car around with a plan to commit mass violence at his school, Simon Fraser University, or at Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge, according to CBC.
Instead of committing these acts, Grantham drove to Vancouver police and admitted to killing his mother, the newspaper reported. He was charged with second-degree murder.
Chris Johnson, Grantham’s attorney, told NBC News in a phone call Friday that his client previously made a statement to the court expressing remorse for what he did.
Johnson said at the time of the murder, Grantham was dealing with untreated mental health challenges including a major depressive order. A psychiatrist said Grantham said he killed his mother so she wouldn’t have to see what he was about to do but he ultimately did not carry out the plot.
“It’s unusual circumstances, for sure. I think the result was a fair result given everything that occurred,” the attorney said.
