Actor Ryan Grantham was sentenced to life in prison by the British Columbia Supreme Court on Wednesday for the murder of his mother in 2020.
Grantham, 24, plead guilty to a second-degree murder charge for the death of his mom, Barbara Waite, whom he shot in the back of the head with a .22 rifle while she was playing piano, according to CBC News. After the murder, Grantham recorded his confession and showed the aftermath of his actions including his mother’s body admitting, “I shot her in the back of the head. In the moments after, she would have known it was me,” TMZ reported.
Ryan Grantham, the B.C. actor who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his mother Barbara Waite, has been sentenced to life in prison with parole ineligibility of 14 years. https://t.co/qvqkxHxD4k
— CBC British Columbia (@cbcnewsbc) September 21, 2022
One day after killing his mother, Grantham drove away from his home in a “car packed with guns, ammunition and Molotov cocktails,” CBC reported. His original plan was to drive to Ottawa to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but some time during that drive, he decided to commit a mass shooting at Simon Fraser University where he was a student, the outlet stated. (RELATED: Actor Allegedly Plotted To Kill Canadian PM Trudeau After Murdering His Own Mother)
Grantham did neither. Instead, he drove to the Vancouver Police Department and turned himself in, an act which Justice Kathleen Ker called a “saving grace,” CBC reported.
Ex-‘Riverdale’ actor Ryan Grantham sentenced to life https://t.co/sS4rxXQKmI pic.twitter.com/Rc9nazoZLg
— New York Post (@nypost) September 22, 2022
Before the murder Grantham had spent a lot of time smoking cannabis and watching violent videos online. He reportedly felt isolated and overwhelmed by “suicidal and homicidal” thoughts, according to CBC. Ker noted that although it does not excuse the actions he took, Grantham appears to be “truly remorseful” and is currently receiving psychiatric help.
Acting since he was nine years old, Grantham has been featured in numerous TV series including, “Riverdale,” “Supernatural,” and “iZombie,” and was featured in the films “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” CBC reported. (RELATED: ‘Riverdale’ Stops Production Following Luke Perry’s Tragic Death)
Grantham will not be eligible for parole until after his first 14 years in prison, according to TMZ.