'Riverdale' Actor Ryan Grantham Sentenced to Life in Prison

The actor has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of his mom: Complete story here!

Ryan Grantham, 24, has been sentenced to life in prison for the second-degree murder of his mother, Barbara Waite, in 2020. Known for his appearance in the horror-crime drama Riverdale and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Grantham's sentence comes with no parole eligibility for fourteen years. The life in prison punishment, which automatically comes with second-degree murder, was handed to Ryan on Wednesday in British Columbia Supreme Court, Vancouver.  

Grantham had pleaded guilty to the matricide in 2020 and was anticipating the harsh sentence. Ryan's lawyer, Chris Johnson, states, "I think he anticipated what the judge gave him as a sentence," adding, "I think he is pretty apprehensive about the whole thing. He is a fairly tiny person, and to go to the prison system,; I'msure it's a daunting and scary thought for him." Justice Kathleen Ker touched upon Ryan's grim mental health when he pulled the trigger on his mother.    

Outlets at the time reported that the Riverdale actor had been watching violent videos and even rehearsing the crime. In his statement to police and excerpt from the court, Grantham says he intended to kill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but never made it to his residence. After the cold-blooded murder of his mother on March 31, 2020, an unstable Grantham loaded his car with guns, ammunition, and other supplies before heading to Trudeau's Rideau Cottage, but instead wound up in Vancouver police headquarters to turn himself in.  

Justice Kathleen Ker called the crime heartbreaking and tragic and commented on its life-shattering effects, especially on Ryan's sister, Lisa Grantham, who found their mother on April 1. "She was vulnerable and Ryan gave her no chance to defend herself. It pains me to know he was a danger to her life," Lisa said about the murder of their mom, Barbara, who was shot in the back of her head with a .22 rifle while she was playing piano.   

Along with the number of disturbing details, including the one with Ryan taking a GoPro video of the murder, the report also said that Grantham was "experiencing urges to commit violence and kill himself. The report goes on to say that the actor decided to kill his mother "to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit." Ker shares Grantham is receiving psychiatric treatment in jail and is showing improvement.   

 Grantham is receiving psychiatric treatment in jail and is reportedly showing improvement. 

Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly calls the crime profoundly selfish on Ryan's part, even though the circumstances and the actor's psychiatric reports might allude to an altruistic motive to some. "Barbara Waite loved her son very much, was an excellent parent and in her mind had no reason to fear him," Donnelly argued while highlighting Grantham's efficient gun skills, revealing Grantham to be a former member of a gun club. Ryan's last credit was Riverdale. He has been acting since he was nine and has appeared in B.C. TV series, Riverdale, Supernatural and iZombie, and the films Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  

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